The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-05-29

case. Their action would have been but
violence, murder and brutal assassination,
and would not only have invited repeti-
ton of violence and murder on the part Of
tramps, but would have overthrown all re-
spect for law, and, IL suffered to 90 un-
punished, would have given the county
over to the rule of mob law and placed all
good citizens in fear of constant acts of
disgraceful savagery.
As much as we would condemn such q
resort to mob violence and murder, and the
subsequent remissness on the part Of the
proper officers of the law, 1t is not going
too far to say that such might have been
the result if the Brandon tramp murderer or
the Clarendon incendiary, if there was one,
had been caught Immediately after the
commission of the crime. In such a case
what could the governor of Vermont have
done ? Could be have done anything more
than the governor of Mississippi has done ?
Would he have not been utterly powerless
to act He could not force the police off,
GERS to search out and arrest the criminals,
could he? He could not interfere with the
prerogatives of the grand jury, and COM
pei them to indct the rioters, could her
He could net stimulate the officers by a
promise of reward, could he If the
judges, sheriffs, states attorney, police
officers and juries should neglect or refuse
to do their duty, he could not remove
them; suspend them from office, or other
wise help himself, could he
The fact is that in a similar case, the
governor of Vermont, like the governor of
Mississippi, would be utterly powerless to
act. Governor Stone says that he has
urged the judge to call an extra session Of
the court for the purpose of bringing the
rioters and murderers to an immediate
trial, and this is all the governor of Yer
mont could do-and, even, that could not
safely be done here in Vermont. For has
not the press of the country been ringing
for the past six weeks with the shocking
inhumanity of Vermont in forcing to trial
a man charged with murder, arson and lar
ceny-crimes equal in atrociousness to
those committed at De Kalb, and humid
red fold more cowardly.-within four
months of the time of the commission of
his alleged crime
Aside from the want CT power, it does
not behoove Vermonters to talk over loud
about the administration of criminal JUS
tice in Mississippi. With the sente nee of
death pronounced on condemned murderers
commuted in almost every instance, and
others pardoned or reprieved without re.
gard to the constitution or laws; with men
convicted of intent to kill-only the physi-
cal strength wanting to make complete act
Of murder-rardoned after less than five
years incarceration; with pardons granted
right and left to hard ned C inn Ills who find
their way back into prison after tss than a
weeks liberty with prete ded courts as.
Stunning, without law or authority, to SEN
tence men to etate prison with an outcry
raised-and executive clemency interposed
because of such outcry-when men are
convicted Of capital crimes after fair and
impartial trials; with sci, c,men NJ glect-
ing or refusing to hold inquests in cases
where there is reasonable suspicion that
one of the most horrible of double crimes
has been committed; with all this, and
much more of the same sort, how much
better off is Vermont than Mississippi
Would it not be b tier if it were left for
the state which is without sin to cast the
| first stone?