, 1877-06-23
Equal Rights.

would not concede the large and, we
think unnecessary. space we have.
to correspondent with who's pre-
misses and conclusions we disagree,
upon a matter involving personal
rights under the law. We recog-
nize our obligations as q journalist
to give the same consideration to
the is,ussion of the personal rights
involved ina scrimmage between a
white and a Chinese laborer in Col
mans mill, that We would if the
difficulty had occurred between Mr..
Colman and Mr.. Yesler, the lessee
and the owner of the mill. And, our
very highly respectable correspond
ent to the contrary Notwithstanding,
we believe our civilauthorities have,
in the main. acted upon the same
principle. Before mentioning the
affair under discussion, between the
white man and the Chinaman, we
took the precaution to inquire of
witnesses to the conflict, without
prejudice to either party. The tes-
timony was substantially that pro-
duced on the examination before
Justice Selye, and we are bound to
say it was not such as would justify
the magistrate in holding fhe ac-
cused to bail to answer for the crime
of mayhem. It was stated by COM
petent witnesses, and is not contra
verted, that at the time of the at
tack which resulted in the catas-
trophe, the Chinaman had raised in
his hand a dangerous and deadly
weapon with the apparent intention
of striking his assailant; that the
white man, in imminent peril. .sprang
upon him and threw him down; that
the Chinaman, in kicking at his as
sailant, struck his foot against the
saw from which he received the in
jury. There was no evidence that
the mayhem was intentional or vol
untary, and nothing in the circum.
stances to justify jury in finding a
verdict of guilty, upon the testi-
mony. There is no evidence that
the Chinaman received any other
damage than inflicted accidentally
by the saw. and we believe the Pro-
scouting Attorney did nothing more
than his duty in dismissing the case
and thus relieving the county of a
large bill of expense for a trial
without a reasonable prospect of a
conviction, for it is evident that but
for the accident there would have
been no prosecution, there being no
other damage inflicted and no in
tent to commit O crime. Had both
parties been white men, it is reason
able to believe that the result would
have been the same.
It is neither strange nor discred-
table to the administration of JUS
tice, if prosecutions have been dis
missed and bills ignored by Grand
Juries in cases where it was appar-
ent that the only purpose to be SER
we'd by prosecution was to infict
upon the County a needless bill of
expense, which we believe has been
the prevailing consideration in all
the cases named by our correspond
ent.
With an instructive hatred for
every form of oppression, and a
sensitive regard for the rights of the
weaker party in all conflicts, we
have never witnessed without feel
ing of indignation any wrong or at
tempted wrong towards the inferior
races, and We must cenfess, that oc-
casionally we have seen acts of ruff
ainism practiced upon defenceless
Cinnamon, by whites more degraded
and more lawless than themselves,
which were shameful to civilization;
but we have never seen the laws per-
verted to discriminate against that
class of people ; on the contrary we
have often thought that the authori-
ties dealt more leniently with them
than they would with rheir own
race under the same circumstances.
There is great deal of mawkish
sensibility expended upon the "poor
Indians" and the "poor Cinnamon"
Neither of these races become
citizens, enter into our COM
munity, or contribute to our
common prosperity or civilization or
to the expenses of the government
whose protection they receive. The
whites suffer more from contact with
them than any of them ever suffer-
ed from the whites, and the forbear-
ance and magnanimity exercised to-
wards them is more matter of won