The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-03


what impunity they may continue their opera
tons against property and life But the failure
of justice has for its close following shadow IN
this country the court of Judge Lynch, and this
judge is always demonstrative in precise proper
ton to the absence of known means for theft
BILE prevention of his assize.
AN AGITATION THAT CAME TOO LATE
Pittsburg Dispatch.
The trouble at Cincinnati was that the agita-
ton against the abuses of the criminal courts
was not commenced soon enough If the effects
OF INSCRIPTIONS practice, jury liking ana legal
chicanery had been exposed in time to insure
peaceful reform before the people were goaded
into frenzy, all this trouble would have been
saved. The same was true of the railroad riots
in 1877. Had the abuses of railway management
which aroused the passions of the people been
checked by public discussion in their very incep-
ton, that deplorabe outbreak would never have
taken place, No time can be ill-timed for pro
testing against fraud or dishonesty, aggression
upon public rights.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR ABUSES.
New York Tribune,
1t cannot be too strongly emphasized that the
people themselves must be primarily responsible
for whatever abuses are tolerated in this coun-
try, and that they have no excuse for revolution
or riot such as may be urged by the subjects OF
autocratlc and deSpotlc governments The sta
bility of Ourinstitutons rests entirely upon pub
lie virtue and intelligence and if these are not
sufficient to guard against blind outbursts of
violence, the unhealthy reaction against proceed
ing apathy there is other protection for So
ciety to fall back upon Ordered self-govern-
ment in short, demands individual conservatism
and obedience to law.
NEWSPAPER ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE MOB.
Winchester Herald.
A popular meeting of 5000 strong is what
captured the Cincinnati press and destroyed
millions of property and hundreds of lives.
Cincinnati newspapers have been awakened,
after three days carnage to speak out in favor OF
law and order. 1t took three days for them to
determine whether the mob or this now eXtolled
Flaw and order" would succeed Is the
press of Cincinnati band of watchmenl Watch
men, tell us of the night The enemy has been
there three days, and now it is time to quit.
The 5000 respectabes have crawled back into
their holes, and are superseded by the roughs
and cut-throats.
REVISION OF CRIMINAL PRACTICE
New Albany Ledger.
The matter of revising our whole system of
criminal practice is one of the very first import
There is disputng the fact that the
people in great many, if not i'll all parts of the
country, are becoming very FESTIVE under the eX-
listing order of things. 1t does seem in
many instances that the laws are
made to protect instead of punish criminals.
This sentiment drives men into mobs who
would otherwise never become law breakers. 1t
is that idea in mems minds which is to be re
moved as the first step towards restoring
healthy public sentiment on the subject of mobs.
SIMPLE MACHINERY DEMANDED.
New York Evening Post
The moral of it all is that what we need to
aim at in all our reforms is simplicity of ma
chinery so that popular supervision may be
intelligent and constant. In other words our
institutions should be adapted especially in the
cities-as they now are MOTTO the needs of a
busy people, and not to those of an idle one;
for no matter how much we preach to men
about neglect of their political duties, they
in,
trivance for promoting their happiness and
will refuse to believe that they live in order to
carry it on.
ABUSES CANNOT BE ARRESTED BY MOB RULE.
Boston Herald
Under our system of government abundant op-
portunities are offered for the correction of the
maadmlnlStratlon of Justice by peaceful and le
gal methods If the time should ever come when
these methods should prove insufficient, the
abuses could not be corrected by the lawless rule
of mob: but we should be compelled to adopt,
in self-defenSe. a Stefmer and more autocratic
form of control That are approaching a
state of affairs in which the only alternatives
held out are anarchy or despotism is a supposi-
ton too monstrous to be for a moment enter
tanned.
FRUITS OF THE CRINIINAL-LAwYER SYSTEM.
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.
The gathered horde of murderers in the bat
tered jail, that is overshadowed by the ruins of
the Courthouse were not assembled by acct
dent They are the representatives of our
criminal lawyer system Many others as guilty
as they are at large, and their crimes forgotten
by all but few. Some are the foremost men
at our primary meetings, and have positions in
the public service, where they are enabled to
gather harvest of black-mail and set up ward
meetings and pack conventions and bride dele
gates a.-d stuff ballot-boxes.
A RESULT THAT Is NOT SURPRISING.
Newark (N.J.) News
A..
the wickedness and folly of such np1isings
against lawfully constituted authority. 1t is easy
to point out their terrible effects, the wrongs
and ood-guiltiness and excuses to which they
lead. But the cause in a case like this is none
the less dsgraceful. There have been so many
instances of late in which the jury-box has
proved the shield and shelter of undoubted
crime, that if the courts can afford no remedy it
is not surprising that the people try to take the
law into their own hands.
CHANGE BY LEGAL METHODS.
New York Sun.
The voters of State make the Constitution
and the laws under which the inhabitants live,
and they can change either or both Cincin-
natl found some Of the laws of Ohio so unsatis-
factory and iniquitous in their operation and
practical results as to be unbearable any longer.
Can anybody believe that if the intelligent pub
lie opinion of that city, sustained by the united
and vigorous voice of the press had demanded
suitable change in those laws, the demand would
have been disregarded by the legislative powerl
We think not.
BAD EFFECT OF THE REACTION.
Connersville Examiner.
The laws delay constrains the mob element to
wreak vengeance on the innocent in return for
the failure to punish crime. After incalcuable
mischief has been done in this direction a
action will set in. and through the strict admins
tratiOn of justice, untempered with equity, many
hardships will be wrought upon comparatively
innocent offenders.
WARNING TO THE SALOONS.
Richmond Palladium.
Let us make this predictions That if the
saloonsts in our large cities go on as they are
decent public sentiment, the time is coming
when the people will rise in their indignation