Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1872-10-23
Mob Law.
rAs only way - Prevent %.

ful thing. II iAShaIe ter oAe q ule3
inherent defects OF &Repsblic.S Goy.I
erument, cxtendinKhs ~ 9oss u tho
United States, ossFa vast extS:it 81
territory. Ever since the foundation
ofour governmental haspreyailed to
limited extent,and has had its period
ical breakiuys-ous IN certain locali-
ties. II has been NEST generally con-
fined TO the frontier states at their
early settling up, when society was
iu q disorganizcd state, and when the
courts scattered a, great distances
from each other, failed to furnish
prompt and complete remedy for its
disorders. But now and then 1t
breaks out in the most civilized conf
mumities, where tho facilities for OBJ
tanning justice and visiting punish-
ment upon Offenders would seem to
be complete.
Since the war we have had exhibi-
tions Of this violence in tho best
portions of Missouri. In Cass, john
son, and lately in Lafayette county,
society has been shocked BY the up.
rising of outraged citizens. 4 strik-
ing feature Of these mobs, il that the
very best citizens Of our slate have
been engaged in them. While mob
violence can not be justified, still
there must be some strong ground of
complaint, SOME powerful and urgent
reason that drives good and, hereto
fore, law-abiding citizens TO form
Combinations for their protection.
What is il! II is plain TO every OBJ
servant citizen. Tie courts hare
failed to do NcH. duty. The officers
chosen to administer the law, have
themselves evadcd and violated it.
Ia the eyes of the community, they
have shown themselves greater often
derS than the criminals sometimes
arranged before them. hut whom
they fail TO punish. Judges. Circuit
Attorneys, shcriffs and all officers of
the courts, have been equally guilty.
1t is Il fact which cannot be dispu-
ted, that while. the county court in
Lafayette has been tho chief instru-
mcnt of abuse and oppression. the
civil courts have afforded very little
protection to life and property.
Willful murders have been CON-
mitted, aud yet what murderer has
been punished? Horses, cattle and
other property have been stolen from
the citizens, and yet what remedy
have they found in the courts
Every single offender escapes who
has prominent friends to mork fol
him, or money enough to buy his ira.
: through.
The criminal side Of our courts /.
mot'oniy dead, but stinks in the nos
{ trils of the people. The base subter
! fuges and bubbles of lawyers, thu
collision between judges and circuit
, attorneys, the bribery of witnesses
! the corrupt tampering with ~juries
make our criminal trials but solen,
and ~aggrnyating mockeries.
Now ifthe most Outrageous murders
are bailable o~ffcnscs. if criminals car
neither be confined nor punished, lei
the expense Of keeping up a county
Jail he abolishcd-let the buildin. be
torn down and the rocks sold ut pub.
lie auction. Let us no longer have
all the machinery aud expense Of
I criminal law without any Of its ben
+ Gifts. s4-s =
There is 10 better class of citizenl
in the country, than those of Lafayette
They have been taught to reverence
law and ordcr--thcy have been nc
t customed to look to the courts foI
the redress of all their wrongs ; ant
II before the war, when there was purit t,
on the bench, a high II of homo
among lawyers, and fidelity to swor,
duty among all the officers of thu
court, they looked not in vain. How
n is it now? Do not the courts fail il
their object and mission? In steat
: of being corrective of the evils ant
e disorders of society, have they no
become like ~''citics of refugee" t,
;. which offenders fec, as il were, to es
i capc the punishment due to theiI
y crimes?
] When this is the case, is it All,
wonder that citizens take the Law
= into their own hands ? However
: much we may dcplorc this state o
4 things, is it any wonder that whe,
r the courts fail to protect the people
;. the people should resort to SOM
method to protect themselves? W
d may expect such outbreakcs i'll ever!
e community where the laws arc no
faithfully administered. No commu
nifty will suffer itself robbed and i'm
t posed upon with IMMUNITY. Their
nay he long aud patient enduranc
e of such ills, but the day of wrath will
o come. We may throw up our hand
y in horror, when that wrath organize
c the people into n mob, and the moi
e wrcaks its vengeance upon wron.
C doors, but it is the natural result
Of n failure on the part Of til
courts to protect the, people; an
}, render them secure in their lives an,
y property. The only cure for the evi
u is to purify our courts ami max
them ihe true guardians of. tn
peoples interests. Let Judgcs, AT
torncvs. Slicriffs and all other off
u Gers but do sheir sworn duties. lie
bribery, corruption and fra,fd b
banishcd from the halls Of justice
y Let there be NJ sucl. thing - aris
tocratic offenders. Let neither faint
~ influence, nor the wealth aud socia
position of the parties have any IN
iueaee In preventing the infiictisl
J. Of the penalties Of the law, but lie
. equal and exact justice be melted on
to all violators, high and low alike
= Then mob law will be unknown an,
q peace and good order will reign Il