Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-02-27

looks upon the rights and the wrongs
of the poor man and those of the
rich; to both classes the same world
metes out justice in different ways.
A usually law-abiding citizen justi.
fies lynchlaw and other severe meas.
ures on the ground ofself.protectlon
to guard the safety of virtue, to save
the expenses on the county, and the
like arguments. Perhaps the same
man would allow himself to be
ground to death BY unjust taxation,
bad political government, and other
wrongs, before he would think oil
changing bis vote to try another
remedy. When men are reduced to
beggary by fraud aud injustice, and
take the Law into their own hands,
this same man who pursues a. sim.
liar course for his own safety, de.
nounces his fellow.man for what he
justifies in his own behalf. Taking
still higher ground, has virtue new.
er sustained a wrong from such
mems hands; and if the men with
out sin were to have cast the
first stone, perhaps few would be
thrown. Injured innocence and the
protection of virtue do not require
extra brutality and profanity; and
if the intention had been to carry
out the law in q spirit of justice il
could have been done in a more hui
man manner; but none of these mo
tlves could have applied to men from
other counties.
The arguments we hear from the
socalled orderly men about the
written and unwritten law, are as
fallacious as they are Inconsistent
with justice. If two hundred good
men are justified in executing an
unwrltten law for supposed good
purpose, what should deter two hun.
dred men otherwise aggrieved
whether good or bad, justly or I'M.
justly, from executing an unwritten
law that would apply to their case,
and soon there would need be no
law at all, but every man the execu.
toner of his own law, that the fit.
test might survive. This would
band against each other the good
and the bad elements in every com
munity. state or country, and if the
criminal element would exceed in
strength and numbers, according to
such reasoning it would be right
for them to kill off those against
them and take possession of their
property. Tae miners, for instance,
have powerful combination of
capital against them; they must buy
at the company's stores at exorbit
ant prices, they pay the company
high rent, and if they don't do as
required they are thrown out Of
house and home in mid-winter
Surely, the protection OF their wives
and children, their very life and lib
erty would be cause enough to jus.
tify them in taking lite and destroy
ing property. So with other out
ragged labor. In the cities many OF
the poorer classes have to comprom
Use their virtue to prolong their ex
istence. Should not the men be
hung who take advantage of such
helplessness. In London, poor, de.
fenceless children and young girls
are forcibly robbed of their virtue
by crowned heads, by great men in
the State, leaders in church and so
ciety, and what remedy has out
ragged n0cence-NONE. Accord
ing to Berkeley County reasoning,
would not the London mob be JUS
titled in butchering half of the great
populace. But here the offence is
on the side of greatness, and there
fore is sanctioned by public opin
ion claiming to be honorable and
just. Look around in this country
are there not hundreds of men
stained with crime of the deepest
dye; unlike the dumb outcast color
ed man, they had the advantage OF
home, church and education; yet in.
stead of being denounced for their
crimes, the people set them up for
shining lights.