The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1890-09-01
THE VOICE OF LAwLEssNEss.

people seems to have been reserved for
the coterie of the Sentinel, which made
the platform, and the Democratic con-
vention, which, it is hoped, Endorsed the
resolution without understanding its
purpOrt. The assault was inspired by
the same spirit of malignant lawlessness
and the same contempt for law and or
der which led its authors, as editors of
the Sentinel, to champion the cause of
the condemned Anarchists who were re-
sponsible for the Haymarket massacre
In Chicago, and the leaders in conspir-
acy to overthrow law, destroy social or
der, and fill great city with pillage. in
cendiarism and bloodshed-a conspiracy
to fill Chicago with the fiendish excuses
which characterized the reign of terror
which their brethren of the Paris Com
mune held in Paris in the spring of 1871.
The men about the Sentinel Office who
permitted that paper to declare that the
instigators of the Haymarket massacre
and the organizers of bands ofs
armed Anarchists for the avowed pur-
pose of overthrowing social order, "were
the victims of the most fragrant judicial
outrage in the annals of the Republic
may have been expected to prepare the
resolution denouncing the majority of
the Supreme Court. 1t is an illustration
of the idea of "tRe fitness of things
that the man who wrote the editorial in
the Sentinel declaring that the men who
convicted the Chicago Anarchists "were
jury of towards and lickspittles," and
that ''the proceedingsin these cases are
foul blot upon American civilization"
should be selected to read a resolution
calling members of the Supreme Court
by name, and declaring that "they de-
serve the contempt of the people of In
diana" If the Sentinel coterie could
have expressed their malignity in the
free-and- easy vernacular of the edi-
torial writer, the more formal language
of the resolution would have givenplace
to the phrase, "D-n their cowardly
souls" which that paper once applied to
members of the same court. Such
things are expected of the Sentinel,
but they were not expected of
a large committee on resolutions,
and body of men representing
the Democratic party of the State, and
containing many men who must appre-
ciate the Importance of maintaining the
reputation of the judiciary. The judici-
airy is the branch of the government to
which the people 60 for justice and the
redress of wrongs. In this country all
of the higher courts have for years MAIN
tanned high reputation for intelligence
and impartiality. Defeated suitors often
dcnounce them, but it is done in rage or
ignorance. The intelligent people of
Indiana to-day, regardless of party,
have confidence in the integrity of its
courts. The lawyers of the largest ex-
perience, in good repute, belonging to
both parties, will not hesitate to express
their confidence in the integrity of the
Supreme Court now as in the past. Men
of legal attainments and high character
are, as rule, selected by both parties
for the court of last appeal. It's history
and its decisions justify such confidence.
1t is most important that such a tri-
bunal should enjoy the confidence of the
people, because when there shall be
general distrust in the integrity of
the courts on their part, the State
is on the verge of lawlessness.
Confidence in the courts impaired, peo-
pie will no longer appeal to them for
justice, but will take into their own
hands the righting of their supposed
wrongs, and, as those who believe that
they have been wronged cannot obtain
pecuniary redress, they will resort to
violence, and social order will soon give
way to the spirit of lawlessness and an
archism, and life anf property will not
be safe. Intelligent men of both par
ties understand this, and, therefore,
Democrats as well as Republicans depre-
cate such assaults On the reputation of
the highest tribunal in the State as that
in the Democratic platform, and de-
nounce those who are responsible for
them. Scores of thoughtful Democrats
who have read the resolution of the SEN
tinel Office do not hesitate to express
their disapproval of such malignant
recklessness as that which declares that
the Supreme Court of the State .'de-
serves contempt" If the people of In
diana believed that such were the case,
good citizens would have cause for gen.
uine alarm; but, fortunately, they do
not entertain any such belief. Never
theless, this fact does not, in any way,
mitigate the assault which the makers
| of that resolution and the Democratic
| convention have made on the structure
of public security. The Anarchists ex-
cuse for lawlessness is the injustice of
| the courts, and it is that spirit which de-
tends the Chicago monsters and which
speaks in the resolution assailing the
Supreme Court.
Sim COY IN NEW ROLE