Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-02
DAILY .IN1EIuGENCER.
TuE CINCINNATI RIOT.

youth, IS years of age, killed an Old
man for his money, under c;rcnT
stances Of peculiar aR0ravati"n- ~
vas soon after arrested and held Tor
trial. A Jury cor victed bin OF usn-
slanoh.er. in face OF convincing b-I-
mopy that be vas guilty OF mofoei III
the hrst degree. The Judge pfes.cin.
a. Oh. trial sen.enced him 70 serve ~
wars in the Ohio state Prison fsa1-
,a and a.t4r tie ssTtiiet vs.
rs,dered. a public meeting ~"'
IN give expression to the opinl'n q
.o,.s ,soardinp the verdict oil tue Jury
Tae call was signed by many re'''A p'f
.;.;zana and the meeting was et'%f'c '
nv 10000 people. Speeches W re "'ao',
bu. no overt act was counseiieo' uh'"
;rsf az the audience were about as
inc sone one called out. 10 'he Iah'
Published dispatches from Ciueinhau
ra,a.e the details Of subsequent occur
s Far two DAYS and nights tha'
.;,r wsa the scene Of n not second Only
n that of New York city IN 1900 ahe
that Of Pi.t-burg Ia 1871. biooo H"'
Aown freely, vast amount OF properly
has been destroyed by a maddehed ''oD
aud the whole militia force OF the efea'
State Of Ohio has been called INTO re-
onisi,ion 10 anell the rloto0s proceed
ipos and restore order. Probably from
Is TO 100 persons have been Killed ana .
vary large namber wounded In TINS mao
revolt.
The facts AS above stated show no
uood reason nor excuse for such an Out
break. The cause must lie deeper than
!. anparent TO the superficial observer
There were at the time this infuriatsd
mob attacked the Jail seven prisoners
confined therein, each OF whom had
taken the life of fellow man. lhis
was known to those outside and against
them, a. we'll as the young man befner'
vas the attack made. We believe that
the origin Of this riot dates back OF the
dsy on which it began that 1t spranP
from wide spread and fast increasing
lack of confidence in the ability OF laws
and courts to mete out justice to male
factors, and thus protect the public. Ii
cannot be denied that there Ii prevalent
everywhere a deep seated distrust OF
iuries and courts and Impotence At the
tardy execution of just sentences.
Judge Lynch's Courts have III the past
few years had much more to do with
the punishment OF criminals than those
legi,imately constituted.
Ia il not moreover true that under the
laws, precedents and decisions which
now control the administration of ouI
courts, il is next to impossible 10 obtain
an intelligent juryI IL it not fact
that premium Is placed upon igno
rance and imbecility, so much 40 thai
trial by jury Is in many cases 81.
travesty2 1t may also BIO questioned
whether the fault is not largely with
attorneys whether professional zeal II
rot often carried to excess IN the de
fence Of criminals 10y seizing upo!
technical defenses aud avoiding tin
main Issue Of guilt or innocence. Ia i
the duty of a lawyer TO clear his ellen
at all hazards, If to Go 80 justice mus
be trampled down 2 Is 1t not rattle
the duty of an attorney in such case
only 10 see that the person he defend
has a fair, open mai, that the fact
plainly presented, and that the law ap
plicsble thereto IL properly set forth
Yet how few, If any, lawyers take thu
view. Engaged in case, il il at one,
assumed that duty to q client doe
not consist alone III aiding him To Oh
tain justice, but that suoh duty in
oludes, If necessary to achieve success
the use Of every device known to til,
profession in escaping from an homes
Interpretation and enforcement of tn,
law. We think that there are limits
where ones duty to a client ceases, ane
that higher allegiance winch every citi
zen owes the whole people begins. ant
that lawyer has no more right 10 sell hi
brain and skill against the dictates o.
his conscience than has a journalist I,
prostitute the columns of his paper il
u,terances against the public vel. are.
1t may not have been the skill o
JEALOUS but unscrupulous attorney,
which caused that Cincinnati Jury (,
fail i'll its clear duty. IL may hav,
been the innate viciousness. or imbs
cility of the jury itself, or it may hav,
been combination of both. What
most deplorable, and forms anothe
dark page in the rapidly -iucreasin,
record Of riots in our country. A
has been the history Of sueh uprising
elsewhere, the innocent are Away
those who suffer. In Cincinnati, goo,
men, women and children have beei
stricken down, vast damage done I,
public property and. worse than all. tn
Law has been set at defiance BY PEG
pie whose highest object should be 4
uphold it. II for two days, withou
apparent justification, n great city lik
Gu o!nnati can be dominated by an in
furiate assemblsge, what would cnsu
were there deep-seated and ineradiaabl
wrongs to avenee. such as melted tn
French revolution. or such ~ now fin,
frequent and bloody expression in Ire
land and Russia II some day tn
people conclude to right the wrongs in
fiicted by corporate monopoly In thu
direct. although irregular. method
what will become Of those predaceou
and arrogant aristocrats who tn ns
talk and act "a II inspired with IN
spirit Of Mr.. Vanderbilt's declara,io,
that "the public be damned"
IOkElsN TRADE.
During March, as reported by Roths