Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1889-01-18

, important field Of their labors, and show In
necessity for the supervising power and iniiu
cncc which they supply
ONO NATIONAL GUARD.
Heretofore the annual cncnmpmonts OF thl
. National Guard have been by regiments o
6rigades, but the past year the whole comman,
bic the different organizations to becomt
acquainted and the offccrs to learn how 4,
handle, feed, drill and transport such force
The results were excellent Over i've Thousand
men, representing infantry, artillery and cav
airy were present in camp, Each organization
We'd with every other TO come up TO the highest
standard OF discipline and efficiency, The grand
parade on tho closing day OF tho oncampmnni
was, without doubt, the largest and most credit
able military display ever made In tho State
1t is greatly TO the credit OF the guard that with
so little help as Is afforded them, aud with SC
little opportunity for dril and general training,
they should become so proficient In all tina,
| constitutes good soldiers.
NoS.pARTfsAS BOARDS OF ELECTIONS
and registration laws arc no longer expert.
| ments. Wherever tried the experience has
been such that the people would not willingly
| dispense with them. They not only make ccc'
niisS more p thsn they Cost IN time "bor
money You should extend, with only such
| notifications as may be necessary 10 give APP
| propriate application, the provisions OF the laws
| OF this character now pplicabc 10 only tho
| larger cities, To every city OF the State having
| o population at the last census OF not less than
| 1000. Honest elections will not hurt nnybo iy
| that is honest. No one desiring the purity Of
| the ballot will make complaint on account OF
/ any increased cost or lnCfcuSe OIL inconvenience
| that may arise by reason OF such legislation.
II is immutcrial what may be tho views OF
others.
mcnt YOU urc requested to bear in mind and bo
governed by the views expressed on the subject
in my former messages as to tho necessity for
fixing responsibility, whcrc tho power OF np.
pointment should be lodged, etc.
CLERKS OF ELECTIONS IN TOWNSHIPS
There should be also such change In the cleo.
tion laws as TO require that the two clerks, nt
each thrOullOnt
the State, should be OF opposite politics, us Is
now required IN the cities. An election should
re ut, but also TO give every one confidence In
that result, For this reason no important part
OF the election machinery should, in any case,
be In the hands OF only ono political party.
WHITE CAPS.
For number OF years past, the newspapers
have from time to time given accounts OF n
of the country outside OF Ohio In violation of
the personal rights OF citizens, by organized
bodies OF men, styling themselves Regulators "
white Caps" ctc. During all this period IL
was gratifying to observe that no such out
breaks occurred in Ohio. No one believed e. at
any such organizations existed in this State,
and Ill law.abidlng citizens wondered why they
should bo tolerated anywhere. II was quite u
surprise, therefore. when on the night OF No
vember 18th, issS, there suddenly appeared in
the town OF Sardinia, Brown County, near the
line OF Highland County, q band OF horsemcn.
variously reported as numbering from thirty to
nifty persons, wearing masks and calling them
selves White Caps, who proceeded TO the rest
dence of a humble citizen by the name OF Adam
Berltrs, whom they aroused from his slumbers
:ook from his bed and house, and whipped with
u number OF lashcs, because he had not, so far
us any cause was assigned. In some particular
real or imaginary, lived us they claimed no
should. II was "a startling crime calculated, u
allowed TO go unchallengcd, to lead to rapid
spread OF such Practices shameful disgrace
TO our Stltc and ultimately. to bloodshcd and
general decentralization md disregard Of the law
and the established legal tribunals and meth
DDS for the redress OF grievances.
ttN.sa tf,nNt ts,,t,, 81.
by which IL was disclosed that q regular orgnni-
zation had been formed Of n secret oath bound
character, with growing membership, includ.
ing IN It's ranks some prominent, respectable
and responsible citizens; md that they were
proceeding upon the theory that they would 10
strong enough 10 take the law into their own
hands defy the local authorities and bring
prosecutions against their members to naught
II attempted. The declared purpose OF the order
was to protect society from petty crimes and
misdemennors for which, 1t was alleged, tho
tedious and expensive processes OF the law NJ
fordcd no adequate relief. II was manifest that
the organization must be broken up ut once.
But II was diticult to ascertain who its mem
bers were, and to command the evidence ncces.
sary TO support prosecution ard secure con-
viCtion. No one who belonged 10 the organization
could be found who could be, under any circum-
stances actual or promised, induced TO give tes-
,imonE hat would impiicatc any felIow.mem-
mined TO accept us better than the uncertainty
of waiting for testimony, which otherwise
might never be obtained and then resorting to
legal proceedings, with the uncertainties, de-
lays and expenses always attendant thereon.
the following agreement, which was signed by
members of the order Us settlement OF the
whole matter, viz:
I'VE, the undersigned mombers OF the organ.
ization known as White Caps, do hereby agree
and bind ourselves to procure the immediate
OF said organization; and IS c do fur
ther promise and agree that there shall be no
more raids whippngs. threatenings, intimda.
tions, terrorizing other violation OF law OF
any kind whatsoever by said organization or
the members thereof, acting either together or
separately; and We further agree that II this
stipulation on our part be violated by any MEM
bers OF said organization, who may refuse to be
controlled by us, we Will, in such event, do all
in our power TO give information and TO aid tho
officers OF the law in bringing them TO justice.
ITO all who in good faith sign and keep tho
above agreement, the State hereby promises
immunity from further proceedings against
them
In pursuance OF this agreement. the orgnniza-
ton has been permanently disbanded. and tho
State has been put in possession OF nll the evi.
dence necessary TO secure convictions should
there be my necessity TO resort to the courts.
The men who have signed this agreement are
sufficiently responsible in charac cr, and iinan-
cially, TO make their guarantee that its terms
Will be observed perfectly satisfactory. Their
names are withheld only because making them
public is not calculated to promote the public
good.
For some time after the whipping OF Berlses
there appeared from time TO time newspaper
accounts OF other whippngs by White Caps,
but there was no truth in any OF them. Since
tho Bcrles incident there has been no whip.
by the White Caps or any member OF the or
gunization. At various places throughout tho
State there have appeared what are popularity
styled white Cap notices." but in every in
stance where they have been traced TO their
origin and In almost every instance this has
been done-they have been found to have been
the work oC either practical iokcrs or evil.
minded persons acting upon their Individual re.
sponsibity. without connection with any kind
sumed the namo OF White Caps only for tho
purpose of shelterng themselves from liability
for their onenscs.
The criminal law applicable to such cases
should be amended. Under the law, as IL now
exists grand jury can not indlct for crime eN-
cent in the county where the crime Is alleged
to have been committed. Neither can the ac-
cuscd be prosecuted except in the county whore
indicted, or an adjoining county. SO far as tic
constitutional provision on the subject Is con.
q trial in any county OF the judicial district,
without regard to whether II was adjoining o
county where the crime was committed or not.
The Limitation of the statute Is q wise and Just
one in all ordinary cases. but experience with
the Paulding County Reservoir matter and
with the Brown County White Caps has taught
that instances may arse where prosecutions
could hardly be made successful with these linn
itai Ions in force. The law should be so amended
as to give the right TO the State TO institute a
criminal prosecution and conduct IL to the close
in any county OF the judicial district In which
the ofIense is committed, against parties VINO
malic ously destroy the States property, or
band themselves together, for the purpose OF
violating the law. in such numbers as to ma 6
u lnpTlCllc ADlt 70 lnulct unu prosecute tncN II
the county whorc they commit their ocenses.
The exercise OF this rifht might be protected
from abuse II limited To cases where SO ordered
by the Supreme Court upon application OF the
General. II is fair 10 assume that
the Attorney General would not ask for such ar
order. or, II he did That the Supreme Court
would not grant II unless upon satisfactory
evidence that II was necessary TO secure and
serve the ends of justice As the law now.
stands, It has b"en demonstrated that parties
may form organizations of such large member
ship and SO permeating all ranks OF ofsociety, thnt
in the event OF onens"s against the laws COM
mitted by them It Is impossible to secure either
m indictment or u conviction, and that In like
manner they may with mpunity destroy tho
property Of the State Consciousness OF this
fact encourages the commission of such onenses.
Another difficulty encountered in dealing with
this matter should be mentioned, II arose from
q lack of funds NJ the command OF the Cover
nor with which TO pay the expenses OF the in
vestgation and other expenses necessary to
be incurred II is embarrassing MS well as bad
policy, thqt he should be required, when sud
denly confronted by such emergencies, to hire
or incur other expenses on credit, or
advance The money out OF his own pocket. Iio
should be provided with funds to meet such
cases. II Is not probable that the State will
ever have n Governor who would abuse his