New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-01-31
REMEDIES OUTSIDE OF THE LAW,


A Mississippi item informs us that the
people in Vicksburg are beginning to talk
about citizen patrol for the protection of
their property. Yicksburgis a Democratic
city, entirely under the controliof officials
selected by "the people" Yet there is
dissatisfaction. Murder, burglary, lar
ceny, assault and battery, and all the
other crimes incident to much greater
town prevail to such an extent that impa-
tience is manifested at the slow operations
of law, and they are about.to seek rem
edy in that great bane of the South-pop-
ular violence.
The REPUBLICAN has before explained
that good community will always have
good officers, and that it requires cor
rect and healthy public sentiment to en-
force criminal laws. Policemen, criminal
magistrates and prosecuting attorneys are
powerless unless they are seconded by
witnesses and juries. These are supplied
by the people themselves. We have seen
the difficulties encountered by the officers
of the law in this city. Witnesses are
frequently bought of, or restrained by
public sentiment from coming forward.
1t is impossible 10 find jury of twelve
men who can agree upon a verdict against
man charged with capital crime in
case where politics can by any possibility
be introduced by ingenious counsel, or
where the accused is rich. The long list
of acquittals in cases where the prisoners
have richly deserved the halter or the
penitentiary for life is well calculated to
discourage The most faithful policeman,
the most jealous district attorney and the
most inhexible judge. One or two jury
men saved Wickliffe from conviction; and
one alone was sufficient to battle Colonel
Fields most earnest efforts in a subse-
quent great State trial, while his eleven
colleagues thought the evidence perfectly
convincing. Perjured witnesses and
jurors are held to no sort of moral re-
sponsibility by the public unless they
give testimony against the popular favor
ties or bring in verdicts against popular
crimes.
Instead Of calling out citizen patrol,
the good people of Vicksburg had much
better organize public opinion on a
healthy basis. If they will turn their at
tention to seeing to it that the penalties
of the law are rigidly enforced against
very few persons who are generally con-
sidered privileged offenders, they will
soon have quiet time. Witnesses who
tell the truth should be protected and
honored. Juries who find verdicts strictly
according to the facts, and judges who
see only the law and are blind to the
standing of the prisoner, should be held
in high repute. Under such condition
of affairs policemen will be encouraged
and rogues disheartened. The citizens
patrol can stay at home at night and at
tend to their business in the day time,
thus saving themselves much personal in
convenience and pecuniary loss. There
never was a vigilance committee that ex-
listed long without being finally captured
and controlled by the very class Of men il
was organized to exterminate. On the
other hand, the enforcement of the law by
the consent of the governed, and by
means of their personal assistance, if
necessary, assures the permanency of the
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