Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-07-18
Che freeman
MONTPELIER VT.
WEDNESDAY. JULY IS. 1917.
Mob Rnle.

We have n very good chance to stud,
the beauties of intolerance and mob rul
in the late occurrences at Montreal. TIL,
Orangemen of that city proposed to cele
brate the Battle of the Boyne, which blast
ed The hopes Of the last Catholic King o
England, by procession last Thursday
This idea was given up on account of the
danger of rioting that such Il procession
would have made imminent.
Services were held, however, in some Of
the churches, commemorative of Boyne
Water" and mob Of debased fellows
were on the street, aud in the afternoon
made brutal attack on some women who
wore the hated Orange colors. A young
man named Thomas Lett lIackelt UNDER
took to rescue the women and in the fight
that followed was fatally shot. His death
has been laid at the door of Mayor Beau
dry who, If the Orangemen are to be be-
leved, was wretchedly inefficient or re-
gardless of his promises to preserve order.
Hackett was buried Monday, large pro-
cession Of Orangemen, protected by Il
heavy military force, escorting the remains
to the cemetery.
1t is y hard lesson 70 get learned, but
one that sooner or later must be learned
in Il country that pretends to selfgovern-
ment, that opinions obnoxious TO the ma-
jority must not be restrained in their full
expression except by the regular workings
of the law. Our own country has given
us bad examples enough of the opposite
rule. Our Montpelier mob of 1885 and all
its kindred are instances in point, and
more of them have ever helped the cause
in whose interest they were originated
In the southern states before the war,
this mob spirit which seeks to crush by
brute force the opposing idea, was rife.
Since the war old habits are so slowly got
ten rid Of that political gatherings in many
of the southern states have been the oc-
cason of outrage and murder. And at
this day it is doubtful whether in hundreds
and thousands of American towns unpop.
ular sentiments expressed within the law,
would not bring upon those who defended
them the brutal forces of the mob.
This is all wrong. In our own country
tolerance has no more business than intol.
erance. One does not toera tie his neigh
Dor when that neighbor buys his own din
ner and eats it, for the neighbor has fall
right to do it. A man tolerateS only that
which he has some business to put stop
to. The law of the land will if put in
motion, take care of the rights of the ma
jority as well as of the rights of the mi
norty.
If it so happened that dozen confed-
crate soldiers were living in this village
and they should take notion to celebrate,
however publicly so long as lawfully, the
first battle of Bull Run, it would be their
full right as American citizens to do it. III
hey should cheer Jefferson Davis and tie.
lounce the dead Lincoln, it would still be
heir right.
Yesterday in West Virginia the troops
were out protecting the running of rail,
road trains against the assaults Of n mob,
and no doubt to-day the rioters and militia
are firing upon each other In this case
The trouble is not political but business
one The thing the West Virginia mob
fights is not the right of expression of
opinion but the right to labor.
And the thing that the self-governing
American people must fight for through
The next few years, not by force ALWAYS (
but by reason always and sometimes by
force under the law,is the very self-govern,
nent which is so hard to attain to. Each
citizen must learn and observe his duty to
keep himself within the law and to insis,
hat others who keep within it also shall
De undisturbed in all their lawful under.
akings.