Daily Republican., 1881-01-10
The Riot ia N ~ ~.


The City Council has seen ft to rt-
fuse paymelt tor the losses aocruine
from the . jtob political riots in which
the National Hall at Ninth and Walnut
streets WIS gottsd, the Ezton d. h.
Church widows d 'mol!shed and the
property in cigar store on French
street and q variety store on Market
strsst above Tenth, was partially de-
stroyed. There is apparently no other
reason for not paying these claims
against the city than simply because
Council will not pay them. There is
even no excuse made to eysde the pay
ment Of them other than that the law
committee had decided that the city
had no authority to pay them. II Ia
poor consolation 10 those who had their
property destroyed tossbe told that the
courts were open and they might enter
suit against the city If they thought
they had been wlOnged. AS we'll
might debtor evade the payment OF
any debt upon the same princple. de
might say that the debt was all right
and honestly due to the creditor, but
81 won't pay until you take your claim
TO the courts and obtain Judgment. "
He knows that this would compel the
creditor to fee an attorney and the ex-
pense Of attending court to prosecute
the case would cost more perhaps than
the claim amounts to and under the
circumstances be drOpsths case ard loses
his claim, which is honest and should
be paid. This is precisely the way the
City Council is treating those who lost
their property at the riot through no
fault OF theirs but because the city
failed to protect such property from the
fury of mob in which some Of the city
officials are blamed with participating.
1t was no fault Of Mr.. Forbes, tie
owner, that the National EalI was
gutted. 1t wss.no fault Of the owners
Of the Ezion Church that. the windows
were demolished. 1t was no fault Of
the owner tofSthe cigar store on French
street near Ninth, that. his. doors and
windows we're broken in and his prop
erty trodden under foot and part of it
stolen. 1t wAslno fault.of, Mr.. and Mrs.
Sedgwick that their variety store On
Market street above Tenth, was enter
ed by an infuriated mob that ed the
goods over the floor, that haggled The
counter and cases with axes and
swords, and that came SO near killing
an innocent colOred man that his blood
bespattered the walls and counters OF
the store. Whose fault was il? 1t
was the fault of the city in not pro
tecting the property OF citizens from
mob vi0lerca. 1t was the fault Of the
city authorizes, because they allo gei
some of the city police who .shopld
have been on duty protecting public
and private property to become leader
in q parade that, degenerat5d into a.
mob ana destroyed the property re
ferred to,
The action of the City COuacil in the
case is cowardly, and smacks consider
ably of dishonesty. Ii the City Coun-
Gil is not to pay these damages Where
can the injured persons !ook for re
dress ? There will be no, security for
either lie or property if the action Of
the City C0uncil is to become a set cri-
serion for The future. The whole of
The damages it is said only amounted
to about $400, but the same principls
applies the same as if the loss had
amounted to $4,000. If it is wrong
to pay this $500, Of course the city
should not do it, but if wrong, then
the city should have said go in plain
language, and not have irsulted the
claimants by virtually acknowledging
the justness of the claim but We (the.
City CourciD will not fpay IL without
being compelled by the courts to do 80.
This is not the way the Democratic
members of the City Council transact
their own personal affairs, but they
should be equally as scrupulous and
honest in conducting the affairs Of the
city as their own indi7idual matters.
We are gladrto see that. Mr.. Rodney
backed by the other Republican mem.
bers ofECouncil, has given notice that
the matter shall not rest where the
Democrats have left1it.
TIE PETITION for the impeachment
Of Derrick B. Morris, the Sussex JUS