, 1882-04-14
FRIDAY, APRIL II, lSS2.

JUDGE Nreene $ Charge 10 the
grand jury at Seattle this week ap
pears in the dailes of that city. Ii
is an able, exhaustive and very
lengthy document-devoted princi-
pally to the hanging Of Howard,
Sullivan and Payne on the 18th of
January last by the public of Seat
tie, The Judge has attempted
lonely Job, that Of bringing to trial
and Furnishing those who participa
ted in the hanging Of the three men
mentioned. His arguments in ia
vor of order and the support Of con
stitutional law are perfectly sound,
but all argument to prove that there
was not urgent necessity for temno
rarily suspending that law and Wis
iting summary punishment upon
those vile murderers at he time they
were hurled into eternity will fall
upon appreciative ears. The neccs-
s;ty for lynch law is always to be de-
plored, and was perhaps regretted
as much by those who participated
in the demonstration referrep to as
was the hanging, by Judge Greene
himself. That the tendency of mob
rule is pernicious, no one will ques.
tion,b the very argument put forth
SO elaborately in the charge, that the
PEOPLE are sovereign and that laws
and courts are their creatures and
servants, would indicate that the pso
pie have right to suspend that law
and those courts for the time being
and adopt more effective measures
for the protection of human life,
whenever The law and courts seem
inadequate to properly perform that
solemn duty. The Judge wishes 10
know if "Committee of Safety" is
a necessary part of our government. t.
al machinery. The action Of the
citizens OF Seattle indicates that
they believed it to be a necessary
branch of governmental machinery
in that particular instance. The
fact is that Judge Greene, since his
advent among US as judge Of this
judicial district, has not made the
law such "terror to evil doers" as
it was before. He leans to far on
the side Of mercy in his sentences
for crimes and misdemeanors; at
least this is the universal verdict in
the district. Our criminal laws
were not intended to operate so
much in the direction of reforming
the criminals themselves by tender
exhibitions of mercy and considera.
tion for them, as to inspire such a
terror in their hearts as will PREVENT
the committing Of other crimes of
the same nature. The members Of
that "Committee of Safety" proba>
bly, regarded the Judge as being re.
sponsible for the necessity Of their
temporary assumption Of the duties
of courts and juries more than any
other man or all others combined in
he district. Whether this dissatis-
faction is well grounded or not, it
nevertheless exists, and while the
Judge is talking plainly to the peo.
pie there may as we'll be candid
understanding all round. No one
questions his integrity, but the peo.
Pile regard him as unfit for his posi-.
tion in so far as he softens and amel.
iorates the operations OF the law up.
on criminals, to the detriment Of
general society and the increase Of
crime. While Judge Lewis was on
the bench here many regarded him
as too severe, but since the advent
of his successor the tendency has
been so far in the opposite direction
as to cause a general reaction in the
way Of appre citation of the former
We do not give pub lefty to these
matters through any spirit Of cap.
tious criticism Lnt Simnlv m voica