Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-10-15
C,vuI.w rvrannIcaI Threats.

taking cOgniZance OF their crlmes-R power
which they can no more resist than they coulc
stop an aTalanche-a power which ia quietly but
Hurey preparing to crush them. Each day new
links are forged in the chain Of evidence agSlnss
them and soon they will be bound hand anu Ioot:
We warn them in time. while longer and IL
will be too late. And when the day OF RECKONING
comes, it will. there will be many man M
orange county who will otterly IeeIet tHa' ~ he
ever allowed scheming men to put MS neck IN the
halter"
We tell the stranger who edits the SIAN
,iu~a that the time has now passed by IN
North Carolina when citizens can be
influenced by threats and intimidatlons.-
Tie day of military tribunals, OF drum
head courts martial, of petty tyrants clothed
in uniforms, is gone. His threats are mere
bOsh. There is no other power to take
cognizance of crime but the regularly
elected officers of the law. We now live
under civil rule There can possibly be no
secret trial nor secret punishment. The
Grand Jury is the only power in the land
to indict-then the petty jury tries, and
to a known, defined offence, a known,
defined punishment is assigned. The
Governor Of the State, this mystical and
irresistible power which haunts the brain
Of the Standard editor cannot, dare not,
go outside of this.
Citizens, indeed, may be illegally arrested
and imprisoned by this terrible, this
other power which the Standard threat
ems, but the writ of Hdbeds Corpus will
release them. This great writ was estab-
lished to meet just such cases, and it is
mighty and powerful engine to prevent
oppression. No prison bars can resist it.
No would be tyrant in North Carolina can
refuse to recognize it. Nor the Governor
and his militia, nor the Legislature, nor
the Supreme Court can suspend the right
of any citizen to it's privilege. Its opera
ton is simple, quick and irresistible, and
it's benefits are within the reach of the
hnmblest.
It is the duty of good citizens to appeal
to, and abide by, the law. The same law
which infiets punishment upon the guilty,
affords protection to the innocent. When
the law is properly enforced there is no
need to resort to violence to protect life
or property, and citizens should consider
well before deciding to take the execution
OF tho law into their own hands, 1t is not
necessary to repeat here what citizens may
ITO when the law fails IT, protect them
We have on several occasions given our
opinion upon this point.
The condition of affairs in certain por-
tGns of our State demands the most serious
consideration. We urge upon every class
Of our people to use legal means to remedy
evils under which they suffer. We ask
them to deprecate resort to the use of
any other Self-preseryation IS the first
law of natule, and must and will be
obeyed. If proper steps are taken this
can be accomplished, and best accom-
l,lished by and under the law. 1t will not
he done, however, until the law is enforced
everywhere and upon everybody alike. 1t
must be the law, and not party or indi-
vidual that Furnishes These threats of
unknown avengers upon the track, OF in
visible, irresistible powers preparing to
crush, must stop. In their stead let
editors substitute the Law, the Grand
Jury, the Petit Jury. Public Trial in the
Court House. In these there is power.
and order, and liberty, and justice, and
truth.
So, too, must this call to arms " cease.
The war is over. Civil law has been re-
established in North Carolina. Sheriffs
are the proper officers to execute the law,
not captains of militia companies. That
political bng-bear sending for troops"
can have 10 terror, and the threat is cal
culated only to do mischief. Troops can
do nothing except when summoned to act
g. n part of the posse C0mitatus by civil
peace officer. And when they go out, the
Sheriff, and not the military officer, COM
mands the whole-troOps and citizens
The troops can originate no action, but
act only when ordered by civil authority.
When all these things are stopped, and
the terrors of the law-the civil law-and
not the terrors OF party or individuals or
t he terror Of some secret, invisible Jug
lie we'll
We think it is high time that our people
knew to fact that they are freemen !;
that they are under civil law; that Gov
ernor Holden is the weakest individual in
the State, because more tightly bound
down by the law that they can think, talk
and act with perfect impunity and in utter
disregard OF everything save the known
law of the land that they cannot be az
rested or molested except by due process
of law that they cannot be punished
except after trial by jury of their fellow
citizens. Oar people should know that
tor every unlawful molestation, no matter
by whom made, the offender is liable to
punishment at the hands of the law. If
Governor Holden violates the law let him
be prosecuted in every instance. If he
sends troops without the demand of the
proper civil officers. let the proper steps
he taken to bring him to punishment. If
his troops thus sent unlawfully commit
damage, let the Governor be sued as q
private citizen for the damage. Our
people must realize the fact that Holden