Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-03-31
Aauraster Nntelligenrcr.
r.. wsyp,u0 of the Riot.

The Warning OF the hI0t.
The warning Of the Cincinnati riot Is
ooe to be improved. It was riot such
AZ any day may be experienced In any
eommunity. The exciting cause was
discontent with the local administration
ofjustice and IL is easy to conceive that
a little cause may have like effect In
other places. And so far as this may be
the cause OF riots, the easy way To avoid
them js 20 make the administration OF
Justice worthy of respect and confidence.
That it Is not thus worthy generally, we
cannot affirm. We cannot so declare In
our own county of Lancaster, which we
know best, and where there exists the
same occasion for popular discomfort as
prevails in Cincinnati. Probably TINS
NAV be said of many places and no
donbt Il will continue to be said until
such popular commotion as that in Gin
cinpati clears the moral atmosphere OF
the bench aud bar, securing men OF
honesty, intelligence aud capacity for
Judges, who will be capable of maintain
ing an honorable practice of the law at
the bar, and of obtaining at least honest
yerdicts from the jury box. The good
Judge is the one thing needed for justice
sake for the judges unlimited power
can never fail to cause the scales OF jus
tice to hang in balance.
1t is true that tn sction OF the jurE
and not the judge aroused the anger o.
Cincinnati : and That the people put tue
blame upon corrupt and collusive law
yers. The Judge declared from the
bench that the Berner verdict was an
outrage but If it was dishonest one
the Judge was himself responsible for the
outrage, IN that 1t became possible under
his administration of justice. If there
were lawyers ut his bar, or jurors or
officers of any degree, who corruptly
secured this verdict, it was in the judges
place and power to discover the blot,
to remedy the evil and purify his court.
No one can deny that the Cincinnati
mob was wrong to seek to remedy the
wrong they suffered in the way they did
but yet 1t seems to be the approved
American method and the logical out
come Of the popular sentiment which
sanctions lynch law, and of the official
supineness which permits it. The spirit
OF the Cincinnati mob was the very iden
tcal spirit which led the people o
Uniontown to persecute the jury whicl
acquitted Dukes; and the very sam
spirit which secured for Mutt, who she
Dukes deliberately in cold blood, tn
popular sympathy that demanded b
acquttal.
The law said that Mutt was guilty {
murder IS clearly as it said that Bernt
was murderer. But public sentimei
was against the laws execution upo
Mutt while demanding it upon Berner
so that this public sentiment upon whic
is founded public commotion, is NJ
aroused by the violation done to the lay
but by that done its inadequate sense
Justice, In striking confirmation Of tn
we see the Cincinnati rioters springin
to arms through indignation at the fai
ure to hang a murderer, themsely
doing murder. Their action was Il
upsetting of all law ; and demonstrate
vividly the very small respect entertaint
for the law by the people of this countr.
1t is because it is SO often unworthy {
their respect because justice so ofte
fails. The decisions Of the courts are s
fallhlo that they command no respect c
themselves and the great cause Of thei
failure to command public conidenc
lies in the weakness of the judges
1t is u SCandaious shame that we pl
upon the bench the class of men that v
do. They are politicians, from the ST.
preme court down, and the law is n
their mistress. II is wrong that pOlit
should enter into the administration
justice. and SO long as it does justice W
be despised and lynch law prevail al
riots occur ; until riot grows to reyol
tion and our government is upset.