Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1865-05-18
Mobs.

There is no excuse for mobs in this countrv.--
Actions and words which the law does no condemn
and which the officers of the law are not obliged to
regarl, can well be dsreSarded by the public. II
crowd IS TO create crimes and punish them sum.
mlrily at its pleasure, we are Mt the end of civil
society ii al we been always FIJI hiul to the fun
dtmental principle of our Government, which al
lows the supreme law to deal with all ofenses and
offenders, We should hardly have come to civil war;
| But Tor mlny and many year we have suffered
the mob in the slave States overbear the ruarar
tees OF the Constitution. Freedom of speech il
the fundamental condition Of popular government,
and il expressly secured TO every citizen OF the
United States; but the mob has destroyed it at the
South aud tried to destroy it at the Norlh and the
fatal blow which the ntolcrition OF the mob struck
| 1T the country have failed to perceive. So
permanent was mob rule in the slave Sta cs, that
We had really come to believe not only that min
denounced slavery there at the peril Of his life
but we seemed to suppose there wits nothing to be
done. Yet every man whom the Southern mob
or the Northern mob hunted and burned or hanged
for expressing his opinion Of slavery a martyr
to the country; AMI 4 thoughtful man might hive
seen thu III time Of peace the free discussion OF
every question must be protected every where or
war would inevitably follow.
| Curses like chickens come home to roost The
mon who have supported slavery and accused its
discussion as an attack upon the rights of slave
Matte the discussion of free trade attack
upon the rights of manufdcturers-the men who
have melted and excused the lDebs against anti
slavery discussions at the Norsk ase now OCCASION
ally reapinS what they have sown. But The danger
is the same. The mob Of Boston which would
have hung Mr.. Garrison thirty years ago, for de-
nouncing slavery and the Philadelphia mob wi ich
assaulted man named Ingersoll Tor sympathizing
with the most infamous traitors, equally guilty.
" Mr.. Garrison had not offended the law, he had
the right to 9. untouched. Ii Ingerslll, whose
otfense was known, was not arrested by the author
lilies, no MN had Il right to molest him.
That a mans opinions are an outrage 10 the pub
lie sentiment is not crime to tie punished until
the law oriins it; and when it does ordain It, the
authorized agents Of the law must execute its will.
That MN hopes Tor the ruin of his country, that
he is a foul IN )uthcd traducer of good men aud
base cllumniator of the acts AMI motives Of the
GJvernm"nt, Is reason enough in time OF war for
his arrest and Imprisonment by the Government,
a. III its opinion, he is dangerous to public safety;
and reason enough ut all times for honest men to
shun him. The common sense of the country fully
justified the arrest of Vallandgham by the Gov
ernment. But IL the authorities hid suffered him
to be at large that should have been the end OF any
| forcible action.
Thi Insersoll is doubtless utterly despicable.-
But II will not do TO allow ten ten hundred men
| to beat or assault any person whom they do not
| like. IL he has committed an ofense, let him be
accusedbefore magistrate. He was committed
for carving concealed weapons, That WIS an of
fense for which ho may properly be punished.
But the crowd hId no right TO beat him with a
cane for CARRYING concealed weapons. The duty
of the captain who accosted hi WAS to complain
to the m ,sis'rate, not to the culprt. Ii the
report be correct that the captain struck the first
blow, it WAS the duty of the police to arrcs. the
captain for an assault as well as IngersO for car
rying pons.
There is safety in no other course th,n i'm leav.
ing the law to deal with offenders against its au-
thority. But the ofenses which are not legal
crimes, must be punished by public contempt, not
by actual force The country can not now be
harmed as it might have been two or three years
since by the rebel speeches Of men like Ingersoll
At that time he would properly have peen arrested
Let him and his fellows sink into present contempt
and future iniamy .-Harper's Weekly.