The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-08-02
THE BAYONET AND BULLET.
Not Lawful Unless Called Out by Courts
of Law.
An Admirable Letter from VIM. BrlndIe, ESQ.,, Of
Philadelphia, Pa, to the Editor Of the Pitts.
burgh Post
PHILADELPHIA, July q, 1877.

Il AhlhhDhbThlA1 Ouly AfJ loifs
Col. Jas. P. Barr, Editor Of the Pittsburgh
Post:
DEAR SIR-This morning read YOU
good and timely advice to the President
of the Pennsylvania railroad company
which was unwisely rejected. You re.
minded him that he "hadit in his power to
restore peace and preserve society" You
implored "him not to assume that the
military can settle anything but defiance
oflaw."
The same advice was given here early
on Saturday morning. The railroad man
ayers, confidently relying on military CO.
ercion, rejected all advice, and concluded
to give the bayonet and bullet in answer to
demand for bread, or living wages for
the risky labor in the world; and the re-
suit of the unlawful use of the military
was the deplorable loss of life and of mil
lions of property. Before your taxpay-
ers are made to pay for the loss of prop
erty by using the military in an unlawful
manner, the railroad managers should be
held to a strict accountability to the civil
law by the Courts. This is not a mill
tary government or despotism-as yet.
The military can only be used lawfully
as posse cOmitat,ts,to aid the Sheriff or
United States Marshal in executing a
writ of Court. The Courts are the 0nly
proper authorities to call out the military 1t
will be for the Courts to say who are re-
sponsible for the loss of life and property
One party of persons can no more take
the law into their own hands than an
other-both are equally answerable to
the offended majesty" of the civil law.
The idea that it would have destroyed
the authority and compromised the dig
nifty of railroad officials to have confer
red or compromised with an oppressed
people, demanding relief, however illegal
and improper may have been their mode
of seeking redress, is simply absurd. Lat
terly, railroad officials have been hatter-
ed with the idea that they are the kings
of free America. 1t is great mistake for
them to listen to such servile hattery
from those who are "loyal' to them, and
regard themselves as The only 8OvereignS
in this country.
The adoption by Congress, in October
next, of the propositions of the Ohio De-
mocracy, will enable Congress to pay off
and pay up the Federal debt; in par mon
ey, which will settle the labor question
on firm and enduring basis. Let the peo-
pie of all parties rally around that noble
standard, and endorse those propositions
by hundreds of thousands of majority,
and the business of the county, in the
plenty of par money in circulation, will
instantly revive and be made prosperous.
The peace ofatiS city was preserved, by
not resorting to the use of the bayonet and
the bullet, n answer to a demand for liy-
ing wages, or for "work or bread" Had
a shot been fred here the result would
have been quite as disastrous as in your
city. Theresult the experiment taught
them wisdom here, and more than pro.
we'd the wisdom of your timely advice, so
unwisely rejected.
Yours truly,
WIN. BRINDLE,
No. 319 South 10th Street.