Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1886-01-21
AF1ER THE RIOT"
A Very Remarkable Article From a
Leading Journal Of Cincinnati.

of murderers. We have burned our linz |
courthouse, with records Of three quar-
ters of century, creating confusion
which whole generation will not sufiice
to settle. But what Is that side Of a
iailfuI Of murderer. saved from popular
excitement? We have converted Just, /.
popular impulse against the lrcstralioH
Of law before crime into a wal between
an unorganzed people, irctused to acts Of
blind vengeance against the authorities
who killed them to protect the murderers.
We have planted in the peoples nit ds
cause of innocent blood crying from the
ground, but we have saved cur jailfdl Of
murderers, not having even saved our
honor.
The reign Of law and order is restored
in Cincinnati that law nd order which
makes murder the safest trade, and which
has made imrotent the administration of
law against crimes Of society. We have
vindicatcd all practical forms and rules
and traps and tricks which makes the
trial of a murderer a farse and dc.Fades
the judiciary to the sole end of having
known and proved murderer saved from
conviction, and Of promo ting the trade Of
criminal lawyers. Is any citizen Of Gin
cinhati content with lis salvage except
the jailrul Of murdnrers aud the criminal
class, and the trade Of the criminal law
yers? Is there any decent citizen who
feels that these slain citizens should be
UNANIMOUSLY buried as male!actors, while
the jailful of murdcrors are to be held
innocent until after the exhaustion oil all
means TO put witnesses out of the way
and to fix juries and Of every trick of law
they shall have been convicted?
Howcve, unfortunate the action, the
mass of men that mott .,'f2m the q. meet
in: at Music hall to the Jail and began an
attack upon it were moved by an Impulse
on the side Of iustic and law against the
reign Of crime before which the law had
become impotent. Unthinking persons
speak Of such popular impulses as :
crime, forgetting that the right to pro
tect itself against crime is right Of socle
ty, and is conferred by i, on It's agents
and that society does not lose its n2h
because its agents have become impotent
The increment was a terrible mistake
because it was made by sudden impulse
without organization, or plan, or material
Let the sober Judgment Of the publ
keep just discrimination between til
f-st impulse of the people and the sub
seouent acts of blind vengeance Of
crowd maddencd by bloodshed. Thi
affair is wholly different from any sue
conflict between rioters and authorize
in this country and must not be judge
BIZ any Of them. 1t was not the work
men against workmen, and against tn
property Of corporations which were try
ing to get along without them. Nc
was it like the riot against draft. The E
were riots against law, .iustic, public SCI
timent and property. Blu, this began
an uprising Of the people on the side {
iustic and law and order, where the al
ministration Of the law had fallen
serve the public safely. The fcelin
which suddenly took an impulse OF NOV,
ment was felt by all of the law abidin
citizens Ill-judged as it was in actio
without organization or deliberation, in
city where the means of supporting tn
regular authority can SO quickly be sun
moned, the feeling which moved it WAS
true representative Of healthy public SCI
t,ne3t
"Neither experience, observation, NJ
public discussion has taught the peep
of Cincinnati that the administration
criminal law is On the side Of justice, la
and order. They have seen that i
chief end is to give immunity to murdc
ers. The Berner verdict is but an il
cidynt in this failure of justice. III
odious verdict in the Berner trial is II,
SO bad as that imbecile quibb,ing Of ii
supreme court which twice set aside ii
verdict Of murder in the McHugh cas-
There were exceptions III the Bern'
trial as valid AS those On which the 81
preme court set aside two yerdicts it
McHush.
The feeling Of the mass that stood b'
fore the Jail Friday night was that whic
pervaded the whole people, Its action
was mistaken, but its feeling was no crimt
for it was the public sentiment. Not b,
fore in America has there been such a
array Of people and justice on one sid
and of police force and military supper
on the other Such an array was mos
deplorable. To FIRE into such a peopl
fsr the protection OF murderers aealns