Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-03-20

\ at the mercy of that merciless Mo-
| loch, rabid mob, which respects
nothing that force and violence can
overthrow. The temple Of freedom,
the halls of justice, the sanctuary of
divine worship, the sacred asylum
of the home, the holy Bible-all of
! these. and all else that we hold dear
are marked for destruction, the mo-
ment this fell demon can command
the following requisite to its accom-
| plishment. Almost every ship which
lands upon our shores, comes laden
with more or less Of this explosive
element of the old world, whose
sworn commission is the overturn-
| inc of the foundations of our Chris
tian laws. 1t is not the Chinaman
with his leprous faint and filthy hab-
its, his opium, his Confucianism, his
idolatry, his cunning and his greed,
that endangers our country. 1t is
the bald atheism, the blood-thirsty
hatred of all true religion and law
and order, the wild spirit Of revolu-
ton and demolition, which comes to
us from across the Atlantic that is
threatening ruin and woe. This
spirit of violence reaches far beyond
the inner circle Of desperate men
who infuse life into the agitation.
The socialistic club sends the echo
of its voice far out from the great
city, into the homes of quiet retreat
amid the mountain fastness or scat
tered over the level plains. The
whole frame work of society is dis
quieted. Even sober-minded and
Thoughtful men are in state of ner-
vous and feverish unrest, which
makes them too often fit subjects to
be wrought upon and to be used by
others, TO do, what upon reflection
they would not think of doing. A
mob is raised in one of our large
cities, as in Cincinnati, by unworthy
and vicious men; and soon there are
found of the very best men--busi-
ness men, working men--in its ranks,
aiding the worthless rufiians and
blackguards in their devilish work
of arson and death. This is warn
iiag. tes---neeeeatle and pcace-loving
citizens. against allowing themselves
to be sweptinto the fierce maelstrom
by the delirium ofexcitement. They
are not only doing a wrong thing,
but they are strengthening the hands
of those who intend much worse
things. They are effectively help
ing unrighteous an INSCRIPTIONS men
to destroy the foundations of law
and justice. | am persuaded they
would not for any consideration, lend
themselves to such works, would
they but pause and think.
Our minds have become so famil-
lar with the doings of socialism,
| nihilism, mob-violence, strikes, lock-
outs and lynchings, that one almost
begins to wonder whether, while we
have been idly dreaming and trifing,
some strong arm has not reached up
and seized hold upon the hands of
| the great clock Of the centuries and
turned them backward, and brought
us again into the shades Of the dark
ages. Or whether some unfriendly
genius has not spirited us away, while
we dallied and slept, and left us
within the realms Of some old pagan
land, where law has not been known.
cannot help asking; Why is it that
our own quiet and orderly and law
abiding community had needs be
disturbed by visit from this unkind
angel, under the cover Of the night,
and the sacred aegis of our law thrust
rudely aside by men who bore no
commission to take human life, eth
er from heaven or from earth; either
from God or from man This meth
cd of avenging crime is most solemn
ly to be deprecated and frowned
upon by every true Christian citizen
| have little doubt that among the
band of men who invaded this town
on the night of the 18th and 10th of
February, and took the prisoner from
the Jail and hung him, there were
many good and true men, perhaps
even Christian men. But they lent
themselves, thoughtlessly it may be,
but none the less really, to help for
ward vast system of lawlessness
which is fast rushing on to the ter
rible chaos, the whirling vortex of
anarchism and redrepublicanism.
And "if the foundations be destroy
ed, what can the righteous do ?"
What can the unrighteous doY What
can you do, fellow citizens
1t is a great pity for good men to
aid bad ones in their evil works; for
quiet, orderly and cooley men in our
county to join hands with atheistic
socialists and ninilists in their wick
cd N cra crnincA ho ,.ol; c,....