The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1882-01-27
THE SEATTLE TRAGEDY.
And the Press In Ignorant Hands.

The late sensation at Seattle in whicl
the three parties there accused of crime wa
lbrutally murdered by the infuriated mo
at that place deserves more than passin
notice. In the sense that all men VIII
lcommit deliberate and willful murder o
kill their fellow man while in the act O
committing another felony should be hung
it matters not so particularly IN wha
manner the result is arrived at. But i'll tn
sense that all persons should obey the Law
land that mob of 200 persons have n
more right to commit murder than does al
individual, and that it is the absolute dut'
of every good citizen to exercise their In
fuence in carrying out the establishes
provisions of law, and thus prevent th'
danger of drifting back into anarchy an'
confusion it makes an important difference
The two individuals who were accusef
of numbering Reynolds, had been examined
by the proper magistrate and had been BY
him remanded to Jail to await the action o
the grand jury before the mob had takel
of the murder of the policeman there but ;
short time before had also had prelimlna
ry examination before the proper magis
trate and had also been bound over. and
was then confined in Jail to also await the
action of the grand jury. In both cases the
l. law had taken its regular course and from
all that can be learned about the whole
affair none of these parties were likely tc
escape the ends of justice or the gal!ows.
And yet we find the editor of that sell
conceited and egotisticaly termed, ''only
newspaper of Oregon" while editorially com,
mentinc ON this horrible affair. says: ''The
people want to hear less of the alleged
majesty of the law and more OF the enforce
ment of actual Justice. They see thei1
courts organized and conducted not to pun
ish crimes but to try to find methods through
which criminals may be protected. From
first to last every proceeding in crlmminal
court is conducted with view to discover
some method to circumvent the law and
defeat Justice. The practice is not only
tolerated by the courts, but is invited and
encouraged by them. Hence courts and
LAWYERS, under modern criminal practice,
are virtually in a league against society
and on the side of criminals. so every
where, when heinous crime Is committed:
the effort is not to punish the offender. but
to find way to get him clear; and Judges,
particularly those who have been long on
the bench, constantly connlve at the pro-
ceeding, because they have learned to
worship the precedent which 1he
technical lawyer is able to cite
Every effort is made, usually with the
approval of the court. to confuse and betoS
the Jury, to entangle its judgment IN
labyrinth of phrases, to impress it with an
idea of the sanctity of technical absurdltles,
and to get verdict against justice through
adherence to meaningless forms. Juries
must be made of good material if they can
stand against this habitual practice and the
instructions from the bench. which are
usually in full accord with it.
The above quotation contains no less than
tweaty of the most inexcusable, falsehoods
and Misrepresentation that was ever per-
petrated upon a reading public.
The greatest preventative to the admins
tration of justice by court and jnry In the
usual manner is the lamentable fact that
great portion of the editorial department of
the press o. our land is in the hands of and
controlled by contemplate lot of unin-
formed persons who take the liberty of
commenting at length in the most careless
manner upon the present manner of adj
ministering justice, and the practice therein
adhered to, when they know nothing what
ever about the subject and care less about
the welfare of the public.
Lynch law makes every person the law
maker, Judge and executioner of his sup
posed wrongs. And the comments of the
vascillating sheet above alluded to is better
calculated to elicit the applause of a sand
lot rabble than an honest law abiding and
we'll disposed people. Such an utter dis
regard for the good order of society is the
reason why the Sand-lot element have dis
regarded the rights of others to forcibly re-
dress some supposed grievances on this
coast The same lack of principle and
utter disregard for the law and good order
led Guiteau into the fancied notion that he
could act as law maker. judge and execu-
toner over some of his disappointnents
and immaginary grievances and in order to
do so he assassinated the president.
And the same disregard for the public
welfare and total lack of the appreciation
for the peace and good order of mankind
no doubt causes that so called "Only
to advocate at different times
all sides and phases of every question
before the public, at one time advocating
the principle of maintaining a tariff and at
another time when the monopoly which
holds it firm in it's grasp wishes the tariff
to be removed so that it can import her
steel rails without payment of duty, we find
this wonderful gumelastic paper advocating
the antiquated and stale democratic theory
Of free trade. And again when the mob
assemblies in an excited moment and over
rides law and justice, and turns everything
INTO riot, anarchy, and confusion, the same
organ applauds judge lynch and yet circu-
ates among the people with the expectation
,f their confidence.
BlaekIeg Among Cattle.