Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-02-26
Four Millions,

IlOt, du lueutEtCblOb, vi NlolSEI duu war
like outbreak of men, or whatever else
if may please people to call it, began at
Martinsburg, Vest Virginia. aud rap
idly spread itself until on the 24th OF
the same month 1t had disturbed the
peace and good order of the people OF
fourteen States. While Its government
was not as complete ss the government
of the DAVIS Rebellion in 1861, its
attraction greatly exceeded that Of
Confederate management, and it gath
cred adhereEts an huUdred-fo.d more
rapidly.
The authority at Martinsburg, where
the outbreak first manifested itself, was
unable to make even a show of resist
ance to the strikers, rioters, or insur-
recticnists. and the Governor of the
State was called on for help. lie
promptly responded, and at the head of
such military as the Commonwealth had,
be marched to the focal point Of tie
disturbance in his State His troops
were unable to cope with the insurrec-
tionIsts were driven from the field,
and be himself pelted with stones. In
such helpless condition be dispatched
to President Hayes for aid. The Pres
ident promptly responded, by issuing a
proclamation, dated at Washington, on
the 18Th day of July, 1877, against
the ''insurrecuonary proceedings" and
at once gave orders for the movement
of United States troops to support his
proclamation.
Ga the both of the same month Gov
ernor Hartranft issued a proclamation
against the insurrectiOniSts in PenDsyl-
vauia, who were overriding Pittsburg,
Reading, Scranton, and Wilkes5arre,
aud seriously menacing Harrisburg, the
capital of the State, aud in an hundred
or two other places throughout the
State mauifestiDg themselves in such a
way that there was no mistaking their
purpose-that, if success attended their
efforts at the focal points, 1t was intend
ed that the whole territory embraced
BIZ their movement should fail to their
coutrol.
So threatening to the State Govern
nent had affairs become on the 22nd of
July, that United States troops, under
General Hancock, were marched into
Philadelphia, and thence sent TO differ
ent parts of the Commonwealth where
their presence was deemed necessary,
and one of their feats was to capture a
company of insurrectionists that had
thrown q train of cars of the track
near Johnstown, Cambria county.
We write, or restate the above facts,
TO keep the truths fresh aud green in
the mind that the disturbances were
not of local character, that they were
not confined to county, or counties,
)r 10 State.
Under an old law, on the books in
this Commonwealth, an effort has been
made to hold Allegheny county re-
sponsible for $1,000, 900, SAID to have
been destroyed by the insurrectionists
IN aud about Pittsburg, thus clearly
localizing the trouble. The sense oi
the country is, that if laws are on the
books of this Commonwealth that re-
1uire the respective counties to pay for
damage to property that 10: of worth
less men may commit, the sooner the
laws are repealed the better.
II is doubtless true, as Pittsburg
Gays, that If it be possible by false con
strnction tn require that city and the
county of Allegheny to pay damages
that grew out of genera, Insurrcc,,vn
in more than q dozen States, it will
nearly, If not entirely, bankrupt that
place and county.
The loss of property, under the cir
cumstances Of an InsurrecliOn. may be
hard to bear, but il is not as hard tO
bear as to cause people who had no
agency in the work of destruction to
pay for the loss.
If the men who caused the destruc
tion were punished or compelled to pay
the damages, the principle of justice
could be seen but to allow the guilty
to escape and compel those who bad not
the least agency in the matter to pay,
would be to do wrong through legal
enactment, and make a precedent in
which principle Of justice cannot be
seen
PittsbGrg feels that she cannot pay
the damages, and her appeal to the
State to belp her Is based Oh the argu-
'uent that the insurrection had such pro-
portions that it extended to other places,
that the State authority interfered TO
quell IL, and therefore it involves the
State, and that if ybody is liable for
damages, the whole State is liable.
Pitlsburg is correct in denying that
the trouble was of local character
The outbreak did not even begin there,
and did not end there but she is not
correct in her conclusion when she
wishes 10 throw the responsibility on
the State for damages because of the
proclamation of Governor Hartranft,
for when she takes up tLat line of argu-
ment to find a place to lay damages
she cannot make a period at Governor
Hartranft's proclamation aid stop there,
for that is only half way. She must 60
further to reach a conclusion to such
argument, she must 60 the proclama-
t,on Of President Hayes, which ante
dated that of the Governor two days.
President Hayes grappled with the in
surreetion twO days before Governor
Hartranit issued his proclamation.
Il the proclamation Of the Governor, and
the moveUent OF State troops bind the State,
under the application Of the same principle,
the proclamation of the President, aud the
movement Of United States troops bind the
National Government.
The Presidents proclamation was is
sued July Is, 1877, and the proelams-
tien of Governor Hartrantt was issued
July 20, 1877. 1t certainly was not a
county outbreak, confined TO Allegheny
county; it certainly was not a State
outbreak, confined to Pennsylvania, for
j. existed 40 a dozen or more States.
It seems like the application of per-
nicious idea, to require the industrious
People of a county, and State, who save