New-York tribune., 1871-07-15
UHAT WEDNESDAY PROVED.

The telegraph has borne over land and sea
the tidings of last Wednesdays riot and its
bloody results. The thOughtless will infer that
New York is subject TO the sway of its worse
elements, when in truth the very contrary was
demonstrated. That we hare such elements in
unusual abundance and propOrtion-the drain
age of European jails, fugitives from the quest
of European sherifls and poIce-is undOubted.
There are not less than Fifty Thousand deni-
zens of our City who live by crime Only-whO
have no idea of living otherwise. Proba-
bly, twice that number live by pander
ing to lewdness, intOXicatiOn, and other
forms of degrading sensuality; and from this
to outright felony the transition is easy and
frequent Together with their habitual dupcs
and victims through the slavery of perverted
appetite, these classes are very strong in this
community; and they furnish material for a
riot as naturally as boys run to a fire. But,
numerous as they are, the dangerous classes
form but a small fraction of our City's vast
population, of whom at least three -fOurths,
including nearly all who live by useful indus
try, are instinctively on the side OF, Law and
Order, and ready to prove it by their acts.
The bloody riot of Wednesday showed this,
truths:
l. There is no need that riot should ever
be endured or permitted. To prevent it, it is
only requisite that the official guardians of
the public peace shall never pandcr or trucI,le
to the mob spirit, but make it always and
everywhere clear that they will in no case fail
10 regard and treat a riOteT as their deadly
foe, whom they have no wish to conciliate,
but stand ready to eXtinguish if they must.
Pdlavering a mob, whether before or during a
riot is cOwardice in the face of the enemy
and treason to q high trust. The only Ian
guage in which men in authority should ad-
dress rioters runs thus: "You scOundrels
drop your missiles and weapons this instant,
and disperse, or you Ishall be peppered with
"volleys of musketry forthwith, and plowed
"by grape and canister so soon as we can
hurry up the big guns!n Tenderness toward
such villains is cruelty to law-abiding people.
II. Authority will always be respected so
long as it is respectable. Gov. Randolph had
lust such elements of disorder to deal with as
our rulers; yet the Orangemen paraded
wherever they chose in New-Jersey, and no
one was hurt or frightened. Irish Catholics
are a mighty host in Jersey City, Newark,
Paterson, New brunswick, &c yet the Orange
men were not mOlested wherever and however
they saw fit to honor the triumph of William
over James. 1t would have been just the same
here had our rulers been Randolphs.
Ill OF all the calamties that cnfeeble and
destroy State, divided, vacillatng cOunsels are
the most swiftly ruinOus. The Hall-Kelso
veto of the Orangemen's parade was atrOcOus
but that alone would not have bred a riot,
because the Orangemen would have bowed to
it, protesting against the outrage, and given
ND their parade. We should have had the
triumph of usurpation to deplore, but no
butchery. But when the Mayor proclaimed
one day that the Orangemen should not parade,
! and the Governor on the next proclaimed that
they should if they chose, and he would see
| that they were protected in so dOing-this
! later manifesto appearing on the very morn
! ing of the Orange anniversary-a riot was in
evtable. Either the Mayor or the Governor,
| had he alone spoken, would have been obeyed
! since they both demonstrated, and III exactly
opposite directions, they could not be.
| IV. Given a nucleus, a rallying- point, the
forces of Law and Order must always i'm
menseiy prepOnderate over those of their
natural antagonists. Here was a not insti-
gated and impelled by traditional devotion to
| Roman Catholicism yet the Roman Catholic
Archbishop and clergy promptly and vigor-
ously denounced and reprobated it. We are
| confident that a large majOnty.Ot the Catholics
| of our City needed the counsels and obeyed
| the iniunctions of their chief pastor, deeming
! them sound and wise. The Police and Military
/ of our City Gra largely composed of Roman
I Catholics who ohcyod the call Of duty as
cbeerfuly and thoroughly as any Protestant