The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-01-27
A Significant Contrast.

Enforcement Of Law vs.. the Rule OF
Vigilance Committee,
A few weeks since Q yQnng man
was shot down in cold blood in the
town of Abbeville, on the public street
and in broad daylight, the murderer
being the distant relative OF mal
with whom the deceased had quar-
relied about some trifling matter q
short time before. About week at
ter this occurrence, the assassin was
himself brought to violent end, be-
ing shot aud almost instantly Killed
by some person unknown, scarcely a
hundred yards from the scene OF the
other murder. Referring to these and
many similar deeds committed in the
same community, the Vermilion Ban
ner said:
These homicides are Il disgrace to
civilization, and arise from too lax an
administration of the law. Jurles fail
in all cases to convict for homicide,
and thus the injured parties are en-
couraged to obtain that redress at
their own hands which they fail to
obtain from the tribunals OF their
country.
The Opelousas Journal copies this
paragraph and draws a significant
parallel between the condition of So
cietv in Vermilion and that of its own
parish of st. Landry, where Regula-
tors and Vigilantes are discounten-
anced and the laws enforced through
legitimate channels. We reproduce
the comments of the journal in full:
The parish of Vermilion has been
considerably lawless for some time,
we believe; and we do not see that
the reign of the vigilance committee
there has made matters better. En-
forcement of the law, in the manner
prescribed by law, is the proper rem
edy. Here iuries convict in almost
every case of homicide, where the
evidence proves guilt. He1e we have
good officers who tnforce the law at
: all hazards. The fear of losing ii few
: votes does not make them wink at
unlawful acts, though they may be
intended for good. A good officer
5 only knows the law, and any thing
intended to supplant the law he is
bound to condemn and oppose. We
fear that in the parish of Vermilion
there has been too much going out
side of the law to punish otfenses
against life and property; and now
every man feels called upon to take
the law into his own hands when i'll
Iiured. Juries fail to convict III every
j., case of homicide because of the popu-
lar disregard of and contempt for the
. law in such il community, where pub
lie opinion justifies and even encour-
i ages one man to kill another for minor
otfenses against person or property.
The only remedy against such an evil
r is good, energetic local officers. Such
officers will gain encouragement and
Y support among the best citizens, while
! officials of the contrary kind will de-
moralize community, with the fire.
ouent result OF vigilance committees,
5 organized by good citizens generally,
$ for self-protection against the weak
ness or non enforcement of the law as
much as against the law-breakers
+ themselves. Any community is in Il
J. deplorable condition that needs IL Wig
lance committee; and though such
: may be composed of the best citizens
with the best intentions, still it is an
unlawful body, and all its acts against
8 person or property are unlawful. A
s man, however guilty he may be, and
however clearly his guilt may be
= proven, feels wronged when punished
e by a vigilance committee, because
the latter has no legal right to do so
Retaliation occurs against some mem,
Der or members of the committee, and
. then counter retaliation by friends
and relatives; and then we have fam
: ily and personal feuds, assassinations
aud all the erils that naturally come
from disregard of law, by the good
, citizens themselves. and all effort tc
: punish offenders by unlawful force
: IN some of the parishes at least where
vigilance committees prevail, frequent
murders and outrageous deeds have
been committed. Such nay not be
= intended or expected by those who
;, first organize such committees, bui
!, these, like political parties, sooner OF
later fall into bad hands. They SCI
;; an example of violation of law, though
= with good purpose, that is speedily
} followed, for a bad purpose, by the
. bad elements wAo want no law. Look
; at the condition of this parish, with
its large mixed population, where a
successful effort has been made by the
lawful authorities to prevent the i'm
portation of vigilance committees
and then at some of our neighborina
E parishes where sneh committees have
e prevailed. Ia the latter men have
> been threatened, assassinated, driver
Il from their homes, not always by vigi
6 lance committees, but on account o
e thut taVlasS i.tfG annanHarnn hr fht