New-York tribune., 1885-09-20
THE ROCK SPRINGS MASSACRE.

The situation mt Rock Springs, wyoming,
continues to be dangerous and unsatisfac tory,
and the action taken concerning the late shame
fuI massacre of Chinese is so inadequate as to
challenge the sharpest criticism. The official
agents. of the Chinese Government have
visited the scene of the outrage, and Colonel
Bee. the Chinese Consul at San Francisco,
who is himself an American lawyer. has been
making inquiries, the result of which empha-
sizes the necessity for Federal intervention.
The plain truth appears to be that no depend
ence can be placed upon the local
authorities for justice. This is perfectly
Ineligible under the circumstances. The
white miners who committed the
crime dominate the neghborhood. The whole
community is directly or indirectly Interested
in them. They furnish business to the store
and saloon keepers, and the prosperity of the
place depends almost entirely upon their sue
cess in driving out the Chinese, whose trade is
not as rule worth having, and who, moreover,
are not physically capable of defending them
selves. For these reasons it is probably futile
to expect any serious prosecution of the MUIR
derers by their neighbors; in fact. Colonel Bee
asserts that there are miners on the Grand
Jury.
His further assertions that none of the men
engaged in the outrage was an American born
citizen, and that many If not most
of the criminals were not citizens OF
the United States. if true, need not
surprise any one, for experience has long since
shown that the liberation of other natiOnalities
which is so marked characteristic of the born
American is seldom manifested by new -cOmcFs,
who have in many instances shown a most
illogical inclination to deny to others the free
dom which they themselves only attained by
becoming citizens OF this Republic. Whether
the murderers of the Chinese were
or were not citizens, however. is only a side
issue. The main consideration is as to the
duty of the Federal Government to punish this
crime, committed not in State, but in Terri
tory, and which therefore remains directly
under National jurisdiction There is no ques-
tion of compensation involved probably, tn
Chinese Government having itself created prcce-
dents excluding demands Of that character by re-
fusng on more than one occasion TO pay money
indemnities for the murder of foreigners within
its territory. But the vndication of American
law and the faithful fulfimcnt of treaty obi
cations are in issue, and the Government can
not afford to trine with these grave cOnside ra-
tons.
The position must not be embarrassed by
attempts to entangle it with discussions as to
the policy of Chinese immigration. That has
absolutely nothing to do with the matter. The
Chinese who were attacked at Rock Springs occu-
pied position which might just as easily have
been occupied by italians, Poles or Hungarans.
They were working for little less wages than
the white men, that is to say. The attack upon
them was wanton, brutal and needless. They
had been ordered to leave, aud they were
leaving. There was therefore no excuse for
the outrage, which was an atrocity without
paliation. But it is to be feared that unless the
Government takes charge of the prosecution
it will collapse. 1t is already evident that
very little is thought of the massacre on the spot
and that the miners concerned in it fully ex-
pect to escape all punishment. III they do 90
escape it will be a National disgrace as well as
an act of perfdy to a friendly Government.
Besides the shame of such a failure Of
Justice however, there is a distinct danger !;
the danger, namely, that such an un-
punished outrage may be taken as a
precedent, and be repeated whenever men
of weaker race are found in circumstances
similar to those of the Chinese at Rock Springs.
The Federal courts can be relied on to admins
ter justice in the premises without fear or
favor, but this cannot be said of the Territorial
basis for change Of venue.