Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-05-15
FUrILHTY OF RESISTANCE.

III n
The power of the United States, le-
gally and constitutionally expressed, is
resistless. So it is with the power of
an individual state, when expressed in
the same manner. In all the many at
tempts that have been made to resist the
execution of the laws of the United
States, the general government has AL
ways succeeded, in the end in maintain
ing the laws, securing their due enforce
ment, and IN restoring order. Our citl-
zeus, taken as class, are law-loving,
law-abiding people. If measure, in
the method provided in the constitution
and by the laws of the land, is enacted
into a law, we yield due obedience there
to, no matter how repugnant it may be
to our own Judgment and opinions. We
know that II rests with us, acting Though
prescribed forms, to right our own
wrongs and obtain laws or code of laws
i'm accordance whit he will of the ma
iority. subject only to the limits imposed
nv our own votes. Whenever an attempt
has been made, forcibly or otherwise,
to resist the enforcement of the laws or
4eny the authority of the government,
il has always been suppressed by the very
mower that was resisted. The rebellion
Is an Illustration of such resistance and
its utter overthrow. There was an at
tempt in the early history of the coun-
S,A reminded
dispatch in our Geographic columns, yes
terday morning. 1t was what IS known
"a the Westernor Whisky lnsurrection,
! and had its origin in the refusal OF the
residents Of western Pennsylvania to
! nav An internal revenue tax on the man
ufacture of whisky. After feeble ana
somewhat protracted resistance, in which
! there was some rioting, the people quiet
| Nv submitted to the law. Since the pas
sape of the present internal revenue law
or. rather, since the present system
was inaugurated-ther has been more
or less trouble and opposition, attended
in some instances by loss of life. 9th
or opposition there has been of more
determined or obstinate character, but
attended with no violence. The grayes'
case of the kind has, as our kilograms
Yesterday, informed us, ended. Inc
attorney for the New York Central rail
road company announces that, to-day
the company will pay over to Unltec
States Collector Bailey the $4OO, 900 ta1
claimed by the Government. The an
,nouncement is accompanied, to be sure
with the statemant that, "the paymen
will be made under protest, and pro
ceedings will at once be Instituted 10 re
cover it." This, however, is proper, lie
Ultimate and, as another would say
E CIRCULAR order" We commend thel
course. for their example will be al
, powerful in similar cases as well as a
instructive lesson that the only RICH
| course to pursue is by cheerful sui
: mission to the law, and peaceful re
: sort to courts in cases OF doubt or diff
q Guilty
n There is, also, owing to our compile
b system of government, another specie
s of resistance to law. NOTWITHSTANDING
v that our paramount allegiance is due I
n the United States, yet we owe an equ'
q allegiance to our State constitution an
il laws, except in so far as they may col
q fict with the organic law of the Unite
n States. Hence person may be traltt
i to his State, in rebellion against its go
e eminent and in open hostility to ana r
n sistance of its laws, without necessaril
e committing crime or doing an act COZ
@ trary to the laws of the United State
o Something of that nature was attempts
o in the very first years after the organ
Il cation of the government, in establls
n ing the State of Franklin in the we
,e mart of North Carolina. The atteml
proved abortive, ending only In turns
h Inc the materials for writing an inte
/ esting episode in our history, The do
Ie Rebellion" in Rhode Island was, at o.
e time. threatening complication, b
!, sno ,iv ended In smoke, These trouble
It however, settled one question viii,
n had. before. been in doaht. It was q
IN cIded by the Supreme Court of the q
= ed States, in case involving the affai
,e of Rhode Island, that in case of a poll
D. cal contest, with two persons each clail
ae ING to be Governor, and two bodies ca
+ claiming to be the Legislature, that