The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1883-12-01
THE ASTORIA YIGILANTEs.

mated last Wednesday in Portland. As
far as We are informed il is without |
precedent. The plaintiff was a man
who had for brief period been a res
ident of this place The defendants
were a number of well-known citi-
zens. The charge was unlawful in
fringement of personal liberty and
Illegal infiictiOn of severe punish
ment on the plaintiff by the defen- |
dants. 1t is the first instance, to our |
knowledge, where a vigilance COM
mittee was sued for damages by one
Of those with whom it had dealt.
Usually, the summary nature of such
proceedings renders any appeal to
legal tribunals a matter OF total i'm
possibility on the part OF the injured.
Some extraordinary testimony was
elected during the trial. and the de-
PENDANTS were mulcted in the sum of
$1,000.
Now that the trial is over, it would
he idle TO deny that vigilance COM
mittee was in existence in this city
last July: that it seized and whipped
some, sent others away peaceably but
forcibly, and did what most such or
carnations do without going to the
dreadful length of taking human life.
Whether the committee was or was
not justified in its action is question
that the Portland trial did not settle.
1t is matter that has been argued
here a thousand times. and il is to-
day an open question. A great many
citizens say that after the fire there
was a lawless element here that could
not be controlled by the ordinary pro-
cesses of municipal law: that that ele-
ment was a menace Of danger, and
that due regard for the peace of the
city and the safety of the citizens de-
manded that temporary organiZa-
tion be effected whose object was to
purge Astoria of those who threat
ened the peace of the city and whose
nature and occupation was in direct
opposition TO quiet and security. On
the other hand there are Il large num-
her of citizens who maintain that at
the time there was no more OF that
class than there had been at any previ-
Gus time. that whatever of pillage, rob
berry or excess that had been commit
ted after ihe fire had been done by
men who simply seized the opportu-
nlty and who were IN no way connect
ed with the class the committee
ostracised; that in seizing, imprison-
ing and whipping certain parties, the
vigilance committee went beyond all
justice and took TO itself powers that
the occasion in no way justified. In
other words a part of this communi-
~ sympathizes with those who
were sent away from here by the
vigilantes last July; another part of
the community say that the vigilan-
tes did right.
The unfortunate part OF it is that
neither side is willing To coneede that
the others have any reason for their
belief.
1t is not essential in brief news
paper article that We go at length in
10 the causes that produced the
effect They are far reaching in
their nature and can be more fairly
dealt with when they produce a fit
ting champion. 1t is but our
present purpose 10 say that
there can be nothing gained. there
can be no good result achieved by
further discussion concerning the
acts of last July. 1t is unwise to sug-
gest Next time the committee will
hang. and that Will avoid any posi-
bility Of court trials" This is not the
right spirit, and deserves severe con-
demnation from all right-thinking
men. There should he no next
time" There should he no suggestion
of the possibility OF its recurrence.
There should be nc suggestion of
imaginary circumstances wherein any
means of that sort figure. Vigilance
committees are not born of cool de-
liberation, but of urgent necessity.
They are useful in proportion to their
infrequency. There are times when
vigilance committees are unavoidable.
Self-preservation is the first law of
nature. and a man will kill to
keep from being killed, but the occa-
Sions that demand the existence of a
power that takes the law in It's own
hands are very rare. Let us hope
that il may be long before the neces-
sity arises in Astoria. The knowl-
edge that the spirit exists latent, is
however, the most efficacious pre-
ventative OF any need for its active
manifestation.