The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-06-02
Supreme Indifference.

of supreme Indifference as to the habet
corpus episode of the last few days.
1 was, according to them, q tempest in
tea pot they had virtuous regrets at see
ing q judiciary become so much inter
+ ested in 80 trihing o matter, and showed
majestic contempt for a controversy be
tween q couple of lottery ticket venders
At the same time the public cannot bu
remember that . portion of the press o
this city has not been above devoting a who'll
page at o time to the advertisements Of on
of those ticket venders and pocketiDg
considerable amount of it's i'll gotten gains
The supreme indifference, and the superb
contempt, and the laborious belittling o
the Issue, though apparently directed
equally and impartially against both par
ties, are not above snspicion. The excite
ment was all working one way. If posse.
had been called out by the respective
sherifRs, Mr.. Howard's posse would have
amounted to a dozen or two of his own
employee while all the able. bodied men
in the city would, if necessary, have gladly
joined the other. II Mr.. Howard had him
self owned and published a lottery "orgau,' u
it could not have adopted a shrewder line
than to pooh pooh the Issue as unworthy
the attention of the public.
But fact the public feeling which
really did exist, the "advertising mediums''
to the contrary notwithstanding, and which
exists to day sufficiently strongly and
universally to take summary measures if
this were not an essentially law abiding
community, was not enlisted in a mere
squabble OF rival gamblers. 1t was an
exhibition of the deep seated public in
dignation that has long existed among us
at the fact that the lottery iniquity is
legalized at all, and particularly that 1t Ia
made a monopoly. There is no reason
why the same principle of monopoly, if
proper in this instance, should not be
extended to every other business. The
democratic principle is supposed to be that
every kind of business is open to every
body on the same terms. Certainly gov
ernment may put conditions to it's exercise.
1t may require license to be obtained it
may stipulate a certain degree of skill or
OuS GhCoO apply GQ
everybody alike, and no one who meets
them is excluded. Upon the principle of
monopoly it is absolutely prohibited that
any body shall exercise a certain calling,
except specified persons.
This is one of the worst features of des-
potism. 1t assumes that all right vests in
the king and that he can concede such
portions thereof as he may choose to such
persons as he may prefer. The poisonous
principle of monopoly probably crept into
this country under the despotic government
of the old Spanish regime, and like every
other faint is hard to eradicate. If Louis
lana were the Island of Cuba we should
not be surprised to see monopolies sold out
to indivduaIs, not only in the lottery, but
in many other kinds of business. 1t will
be an evil day for America if this fearful
poison should spread. No wonder that the
people are uneasy at it presence. Every
instinct of republican self-preservation ie
shocked by the contact, and hence the
general interest in a conflict which ouI
advertising mediums" sought so sedu.
lously to ridicule as an undiguified judi
Well, the popular feeling WAS too i'm.
perious to be trifled with and it triumphed
The Governor, willingly or unwillingly
abandoned his proteges and thereupon they
surrendered. We claim that this is Nc ost
encouraging symptom. Little by little the
body polite of this State is recovering
healthy tone and in the same ratio it il
sloughing off the diseased scabs and ulcers
that had accumulated during it's sick nes
and imprisonment. The Democraticparty
has been blamed for retaining in Office GER
tain vagaboRds and professional parasites
but the Democratic party, too, was still
feeble from the wearing of chains. 1t coult
hardly afford to kick the fellows who wer,
so officious in pretending to unlock it,
fetters although they were already drop
ping off.
The little episode of last week is q synp
tom of courage and reaction and health