Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-07-17
CLEARFIELD, Pa, WEDNESDAY, JULY II, 1878.

: rest that now afilicts us. The insecu
: rty of to-day has a vastly broader ant
! deeper source, and until sanctity fo
law shall be taught, alike by precep
, and example, in the high and in tn
sacred places, violence will be the grow
! ing remedy for real or imaginary
, wrongs. II contempt for law were con
fined to mere breaches of the peace
and the occasional destruction Of prop
, erty, it would be no cause for serion
concern. A few moro policemen, will
periodical military parades and thu
, conviction Of some of the lawless lead
, ers in the courts, would remove th,
, veil, and restore the country to ordel
! and safety. But when the violence o
: the victims OF want is but the illustra
} ton of a contempt for law that has al
} places for its temples and all seasonl
for its own, it is idle to dream of wei
. ordered society, or public and privat,
security, or faithful government. In
deed, it is but the beginning Of the enc
Of public order, and OF the supremacy
OF any form of wise authority. If you
will dispassionately analyze the breadth
and depth of this appalling enemy o.
every benefcent attribute OF our civil
zation, you cannot be blind to its
threatened omnipotence or indifferent
J TO its unspeakable disasters. If it was
; but exceptional in its sores on our po
} litical and social systems, the vigor ol
healthy public sentiment, quickened
visible dangers, voiced in our legisIa.
tive halls, and enforced by administra
tive power, could be trusted TO correct
it but when the fountains ard streams
are polluted, only the angry hurricane
and flood which tear up sources and
courses, can grapple with it, and then
the issue may be only destruction and
not restored purity and tranquility.
Turn to the fountain of national au-
thority at Washington, and note the
contempt for law that pervades legis-
lativo and administrative circles. The
terrible crucible in which the vitality
Of free government was tested to ena.
Bile it TO survive opposing frauds in the
choice Of u ruler, seems TO have effaced
almost the last semblance of sanctity
for law or justice, not only in present
partisan conflicts, but also in the ex-
haustive strategy of what we must call
our craftsmanship, in maneuvering for
future political battles. When it be-
came apparent that under our laws
sovereign states could bo made the
playthings of triclSstcrs, and the solemn
verdicts of their people tossed from
post to pillar between contending par
ties, by perjury, forgery, and violence,
who that reverenced law and govern.
ment would have been content until
the integrity of free people had been
emphasized by the most complete stat
utory safeguards against the possible
villainy Of succeeding contests ? And
yet year and half of lawless parti-
san efforts, ever multiplying in partisan
devices to serve only partisan ends,
have been the offering to Inundated
and distracted people from their one
sanctuary where the majesty Of justice
and the majesty Of law should be un
challenged. A feeble voice has occa-
sionally besn heard proposing a reme-
dy for the wrongs which all confess In
the abstract and which all dispute in
application TO their own political house
holds but while unfaltering party
lines could be commanded to shield or
expose crime as party interests dicta-
ted, there has been no party willing TO
protect our tree institutions by making
future electoral crimes impossible. And
If we could pause with the accusation
Of mere neglect to perform this impe-
rious duty, the cloud would not be en-.
tirely without its silver lining but
when tho truth commands me TO warn
you that trusted leaders Of the great
opposing political organizations are
struggling for advantage Of position TO
profit by the lawless solution of the
Presidential contest OF 1880, you must
appreciate how contempt for law is
securing even government itself from
its own sanctuary. This is grave, a
startling arraignment of those who are
charnged with the safety OF our free in
stitutions but no intelligent and dis.
passionate citizen can study the re-
cords made by the present Congress,
in both branches and by both parties,
without fully and fearfully realizing
that it is just. And is it not logical ?
Can the thistles which have waited
their seeds by overy breeze and from
every element of society, bring back to
us harvest offgs : The growing con-
tempt for law that is running its course
throughout the land has welcomed its
countless tributaries as they formed its
rivers, its lakes, and, finally, its bois.
ferrous ocean of lawlessness. They
have been swollen TO frequent angry
floods from social circles they have
bubblcd in boasted filthiness from the
cndeavors of pothouse politicians they
have wandered in sluggish murkiness
from faithless preachers and wayward
flocks they have roared as raging riv-
ers from the public theits, the private
deialcations, the betrayed trusts, the
purchased offices, the business dishon-
esty, which make up the chcquerod
history of each day, and they have
whispered in the hidden courses which
Green among the rank weeds of demor.
alization. The tolerance. the assent of
the people the sovereigns Of the rcpub.
| lie 10 the pollution of the priceless in
beritance. These have met at the
National Capital "a the rivers meet the
sea and we can there behold the diff
fused and varied contempt for law rc.
aected back upon ourselves in the law
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