New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-09-14
SOME PRESCRIPTIONS. /.

When United States District Judge in
North Carolina arrested Kirk, and arrayed
himself against Governor Holden, the
Louisville Courier-Jounal said he was
righteous judge, and worthy Of the bench.
When he subsequently declared that if
Ku-klux band broke mans head, or
burned down mans property, each
member of the band was individually re-
sponsible in his purse for all the damages,
then the Courier-Joundl said that if any
rascal wanted to buy court he could buy
the United States Court in North Carolina
for ten dollars.
What decency or self-respect is there in
this coarse, malignant and UNNECESSARILY
vulgar insinuation? What honor can a
man have who asperses to-day where he
applauded but yesterday? 1t appears to
US that the Judge must have been wrong
in interfering with Governor Holden,
when his action is Endorsed by a party
who can be so far wrong on another CUES
ton about which there is no doubt.
Given that proposition which is per-
fectly plain is submitted, with another
which is doubtful in both its facts and its
policy, and the referee unhesitatingly de-
cides the plainest question wrong, what
are we to think of his decision on
the abstruse point? If he errs to our
senses, and against what is patent, how
can we allow him to give Judgment in
what we doubt, and which is obscure?
The C0uier-Jounal said the Judge was
right in interfering with Governor Hol-
den. That is subject about which we
do not know the facts, and upon which
we do not feel prepared to express an
opinion; but the Louisville paper said it
was just and good. AS it only knew the
facts as we did, its sudden conclusion may
have originated from the circumstance
that the interference released a set of dis
reputable Democratic rowdies from the
grippe of a man who seemed to be
disposed to make them feel little Of
the suffering they had been in the habit
of inhicting. The presumption is in favor
of this conclusion for no sooner does the
same Judge set the law before these same
incorrigible scamps that he had released
from Kirk, that if they burned down
any mans house, stole or killed any mans
hogs, MANNED or bruised any mans horses,
or hurt any man, then they should suffer
pecuniary damages Individually for what
injury they might do collectively, than he
is assailed by their sympathizers.
That two and two make four can not be
palmer than this. If twenty despicable
wretches combine, paint their faces, and
prowl around in the pursuit of plunder,
or in the interest of assassination,
they should be held to several and dis
tinct responsibility as well as to a CO.
partnership in criminality. And Yet this
plain and open declaration Of justice the
Louisville Corier-JoWnol says is an evil
dence Of judicial corruption, simply be-
cause the penalty falls upon its own par
tisans.
It is submitted that we have right to
question its judgment in the Kirk case
when it manifests such incompetence to
deal honestly in the Ku-klux case. Pro-
badly the Judge was wrong in not allow
ing Kirk to deal with the Ku-klux of
North Carolina as he saw best. Some
little wrong might have resulted, but it is
almost certain the KH-klux would have
been abated