Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-05-07
Force Law in Florida.
LETTER FROM PRESIDENT HARRISON AND

LETTER FROM PRESIDENT HARRISON AND
REPLY FROM NORTHERN MAN.
WASHINGTON, April 27.-Attorney Gen
eral W. H. II. Miller has directed Robert
g. Weeks, the recently appointed United
States marshal for the northern district OF
Florida, to enforce the process of courts in
his district, alleged to have been obstruct-
ed. The order is based upon the following
letter from President Harrison:
"Erecutive Mansion, April "a, 1S90.-To
the Attorney General: have had frequent
occasions during the last six months to con-
| fer with you in reference to the distractions
offered In the counties of Leon, Gadsden,
Madison and jefferson, in the State of Flor
ida, to the execution of the process of the
courts of the United States. It is not nec-
essary to say more of the situation than that
the officers of the United States are not suf-
fered freely to exercise their lawful func-
tions. This condition of things cannot be
longer tolerated. You will therefore in
struct United States Marshal Weeks as soon
as he has qualified to proceed at once to ex
ecute such writs of arrest as may be placed
in his hands. If he apprehends resistance
he will employ such civil posse as may seem
adequate to discourage residence or to over
come it. He should proceed with calmness
and moderation, which should always attend
public officer in the execution of his duty,
and at the same time with irmness and
courage that will impress the lawless with
wholesome sense of the danger and fulfil
ity of resistance. You will assure the of
ficers of the law and those who have foolish
ly and wickedly thought to set the law at
defiance that every resource lodged with the
Executive by the constitution and the laws
will as the necessity arises, be employed to
make it safe and feasible to hold = federal
commission and to execute duties it imposes.
Very respectfully,
''BENJ HARRISON"
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. April 27.-Mr. F.
W. Hawthorne, editor Of the Florida Times
Union. has addressed an open letter to
President Harrison in reference to the order
to Marshal Weeks, in which he says:
The source of your information is doubt
less the official channels of the Department
of Justice, based upon allegations of officers
of the court for this district. How worthy
of credence these are you can best judge by
the following circumstances: Shortly after
your appointment of Charles Swayne as dis
trict judge an under officer of his court
openly boasted that it's policy was to be
one of persecution of democrats to the bit
ter end, a threat which naturally pnt them
on the defensive and provoked widespread
suspicion of Judge Swaynes tribunals. On
July 5 last the Judge appointed jury com
missioner in open and fragrant violation of
the United Sta es statute, and another Of
ficer of his conrt has only recently been
charged with an admission that this act was
unlawful, but was done to make the convic.
tion of democrats sure-a charge which he
has never publicly denied. The marshal
of this court ordered his deputy to elect for
| Jurors only "true and tried republicans
another open violation of the statute which
directs that the selection shall be made
without regard to party affiliatiOn; under
this arrangement the grond jury contained
twenty-five republicans in total of twenty
three members. Indictments against demo o.
Gratis for political offenses were then found
by wholesale, in many instances upon the
most unreliable testimony, and the people
generally aroused to high pitch of iudig-
| nation and fear. In cases that came to trial
the rulings Of the court were often partisan
and unjust, and still the packed grand jury
kept grinding out indictments.
Do you wonder, then, that the citizens OF
Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson and Madison
counties, where large number of indict
ments had been found against men known
to be innocent of any wrong-doiDg, shrank
from appearing for trial before o court thus
constituted to convict the guilty and limo
cent alike? Many of these men were poor,
living among neighbors similarly condition
cd in life, little known outside of their i'm
mediate communities, and confronted with
serious difficulty in securing bail. Do you
wonder that they eyaded arrest? That in
nocent men preferred privations and hard
ships in concealment to facing court con
stituted to convict and holding open the
doors Of the penitentiary for them? If il
some instances men have been rendered des
perate under these circumstances, can yor
wonder at it? The condition in these coun
ties has been truly deplorable. They have
had the sympathy of their own people anc
of the State in general. They ask you tt
consider these things.
The people of these counties are not offer
ing obstructions to execution of court pro
cesses. They object to being held fespon
sible for isolated individual acts. They are
not lswless, nor do they seek to set law a
defiance They are industrious, God-fear
ing and law-respecting people. They have
been grossly misrepresented. Constitute {
district court to mete out justice, not injus
tice, and the people of Florida will hold il
10 as high respect as do the people of any
State in the Union. speak from the stand
point of Northerh man who, coming hith
or with Northern training, affiliations, asso
Citations and prejndces, has quickly Learned
the temper and the true worth of the peo
pie of Florida and cannot suffer them to bt
msligned without protest"
DR.. Aeker's English Pills