Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-10-25
0blo Statesman
THE BALTIMORE RIOT.

THE BALTIMORE RIOT.
The Pernicious Result of Radical
Incepdiar sm-PaIIiation of the Out
rage by the Radical Press.
The wanton and unprovoked outrage
perpetrated in Baltimore last Thursday
night by portion of r gro military or
ganization who fired promiscuously into a
crowd. standing upon the sidewalks, by
which one young man innocently looking
at the procession was instantly killed, is
another conclusive evidence of the perni-
cious results of Radical incendiarism, and
of the danger of attempting to confer upon
an ignorant, passionate, and eXcitable class
of people, privileges which they do not ap-
preciate, and do not know how to use.
The promptness of the Radical presses to
pailiate the ;enormity of this outrage, by
man ufacturing Misrepresentation, in
which to find some color of excuse for the
hwantOn firing into an unarmed and harm
less crowd of abystanders, is remarkable.
In the face of the testimony taken before
the coroner's Jury on Thursday night,
showing conclusively that the firing was
utterly without prOvocaton of any de-
scription whatever, the Baltimore american,
with its accustomed partisan mendacity,
asserts that the colored military organiZa-
ton, las has been the almost constant eX-
perience of late, were annoyed by disor-
deFly persons hooting at them and throw
ing stones into their ranks" The Washii J.
| ton Chronicle, the willing coadjutor of the
american in villifying white men and eX-
cusing and encouraging disorder. outrage
and crime by negroes, follows suit; and
with the report OF the testimony taken by
the coroner before it, unblushingly ven
lures the asset ton that '.if the testimony
of eye-wit, ~ res (Which could have been
easily procured) had been taken, it would
have been shown that the firing only oc-
CURED after vigorous assault with stones
and bricks by negro-hating white ruff
fans" ,.-s ..-.. .-.---5-.-, ID. SIS ~,
Even if there were the faintest shadow OF
foundation for these barefaced misrepre-
sentations of the, American and Chronicle,
their statements do not alter the fact that a
military organization marching to attend a
negro dance through the streets of quiet
city in time of profound peace had no
right to carry loaded muskets, and still less
to discharge them into an unarmed and in
offensive crowd standing upon the side
walk to witness the parade. s
The facts, however, have been elected by
Judicial examination. The "eye-witness-
es," upon which the Chronicle relied, have
been produced and given their testimony
They are principally negroes, officers a
members OF the very military organization,
and of the very company charged with the
perpetration of the outrage. Not one OF
them testifies to any "assault with stones
and bricks" or of any description hatev-
er. The only evidence upon this point of
a positive character is by the negro COM
mander of the military organization, who
stated unequivocally that "he heard no
noise or interference previously" to the
firing. One witness testified before the
Coroner's jury that single small stone
was thrown, at the corner ON Clay street !;
h.,f ha Grir of fho AZ
Mulberry street, two whole blocks beyond,
and evidence taken shows that the firing at
this point was premeditated, and the duty
assigned to the rear guard, who were pro-
yided with ball cartridges for this purpose.
1t is difficult to characterize properly the
Nervousness of this wantOn. unprovoked
outrage. tits easy, however, to trace it 10
incendiaries, nowhere more recklessly vile
and unprincipled than in the city of Bal
timore, stimulating the unbridled passions
OF the ignorant and eXcitable negro race to
the perps -ation of the blacklist crimes
that ILL l-begOtten wickedness can conceive.
The forbearance of the white people of
Baltimore under the circumst .nces, and
the promptne-s and efficiency of the police
in preventing an immin-lt and terrible
riot are truly to be commended, as is also
the immediate order of the police authori-
ties prohibiting all professions or assem-
blageS of armed men within the limits of
Baltimore other than the regularly organ
lied militia of the State, and forbidding
parades by night of bodies of men, wheth-
er armed or unarmed, without special au-
thority from the proper officers.
Similar Outrages have too frequently of
late been perpetrated by armed bodies of
degrees in many of the Southern cities, and
have compelled the PRONUNCIATION, in many
instances, by the military commanders or
their subordinates. of orders precisely SIM
liar to those issued by the Baltimore Board
of Police. The assemblage of armed ne
groes throughout the State OF Louisian,.
had become source of SO much danger to
the public peace, that General Mower, COM
manding, long ago issued an order OF this
description. Similar orders have, we be-
lieve, been found essential to the public
peace in Mobile, Savannah, Richmond and
other cities, where negro riots have often
required the interference of the Federal
troops. A.~ ttat
The lesson from all this is plain. The
eXcesses to which the Radical incendiaries
are everywhere stimulating their passive
and ignorant dupes, the freedmen, will re-
coil upon the latter, and invoke upon them a
terrible punishment. The laws must be
enforced. The public peace must be main
tanned, even at the expense of curtailing
the licentiousness of the newly entran-
chised freedmen, the pets of the Radical
faction, now rapidly becoming .powerless
itself. s-- es-s.e
| 1t would be well for the police authori-
ties OF this District to ponder upon the
facts presented 1t is stated that the negro
population here have been for some time
secretly arming themselves. There has
been no provocation for such proceeding,
and it certainly bodies no good to the pub
lie peace. An ounce of prevention is worth
pound of fcure.-Ndtional Intelligencer.