The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-03-20
The New Orleans Massacre,

.
. bribed. IL is u worse blot. n, RS Is mol
probable, this secret organization Of Grim
and murder exercises such u terrorism thi
when there was disagreement of the jur
those who were for conviction dared NJ
stand out against those In the pay of th
criminals. The courts are the last bulwor
Of civilized government, aid when the machir
cry ofjustice is systematically interfered will
whether by corruption or terrorism, stat
Of affairs Is reached which Is no better lha
anarchy, which indeed IL bound to breed an
archy.
Il is blot and q melancholy one that tn
abnormal ana artificial immigration Of recen
years, an immigration worked up by steam
ship agents, land grant railroads and labo
contractors, and aided by the allnshouse ant
prison authorities of the old world, hal
brought to our shores the material for such |
murderous organization as this Malta. Doubt
less, from the nature OF the subject, there II
some exaggeratiOn as to the extent and
power Of this society, but there Is no fail
room for doubt that New Orleans has beer
to large extent, under It's malign power
It has robbed and blackmailed and assassin.
ated for years, and no class of society has
been free from Its ravages. 1t has organized
In criminal bands the very dregs OF the city,
and by systematic killing Of witnesses and
buying of evidence and of juries, has bee n
able to defy justice. The same organization
extends into other cities. The Boston police
are convinced that there are rudiments Of 1t
there. 1t Is closely akin to the criminal
gangs that have so long held reign of terror
over Southern Italy, and which the italian
government has had such tremendous diff.
iculty to even partially overcome.
The prOvocaton to IA resort to lynch law
under such circumstances was undeniaby
great for New Orleans. 1t was augmented
when these hounds of crime, rejoicing at the
cheating of justice, openly trampled upon the
American flag and insutingly ran up the
colors of Italy instead. But the good citizen.
ship of the city ought to have been able to
reach a remedy In better and more effica.
cious, though slower way, than by mob
and could have been If 1t had reso.
lutely set itself to the work. There was
wrong with the administration of
the courts that permitted such juries to be
1t could have been altered. Jurors
who were brlbed could and should have been
pros ecuted. Jurors who yielded to terror
could have been braced up with an assurance
If protection. The miserable ex.convict pri-
vate detective who has long been known to
hang about the courts TO debauch juries could |
have been cleaned out with all his assistants. |
officers of the law could have been employed |
n sufficient number and of sufficient integrity |
o make the detection and punishment #
urther crime reasonably sure. How inf.
,itely better this would have been than the |
course that was pursued, and that included
n Its killing several men against whom
here was no evidence of guilt.
A sharp lesson as to the need of putting
ome restrictions on immigration Is afforded
~ the conduct and talk OF some Of the Ital-
ans since the slaughter. In a score of cities
hey have held public meetings TO call for re-
senge, utterly regardless of the criminal so.
,iety that was the original source of the
rouble. A committee Of u from Chicago IL |
IN Its way to Washington to see President
Harrison and the Italian minister. One of |
hem said:
III the Italians In other cities will follow
,ur example, there will be raised I'm a few
lays fund Of 100000 to aid the work of
occurring justice or revenge. l believe the
illing In New Orleans will result In war,
ut II the Italian government does not force
0 complete and satisfactory Issue the
eparation necessary, viii say now that
n army of Italians will assemble In New
orleans which will fully and effectualy
venge the murder of our cOuntrymen.''
Mayor Shakespeare of New Orleans has re.
eived letter purportiA9xto come from the
fafa notifying him that he and the leaders
Saturdays mob must die at the hands of
he society.
The danger of International complIca-
ons has been exaggerated. All but three
nd perhaps more of the murdered men
ere naturalized citizens and Italy has
othing to do with them. The three and the
hers were Killed In violation of law, not |
lrsuance of 1t, and all the fedora. govern. :,
ent can do Is to urge the state authorities t
prosecute the slayers, as Secretary Blaine 9
rs done. The rule was correctly laid down !
' Secretary of State Daniel Webster in I
81, after a mob outrage on Spanish citi- a
N in New Orleans, when be said:
''These private individuals, coming VOL q
ltarily to reside In the United States, have =
rtainly no cause of complaint II they are y
detected by the same law and the same adj
Illustration of law as native.born citizens"
Secretary Evarts of the Hayes administra.
N followed the same line when he held
at with reference to the protection of aliens +
e government is bound only to exercise II
ue diligence" II 1t does that 1t Is not re- I"
onsible. Secretary Bayard after the muir. p
r Of the Chinese at Rock Springs, Wy, In. y;
ted to the Chinese minister that the VIC Al
MS had voluntarily resorted to that rude "
remote from courts and from all "a
'al methods devised for the protection Of W
e and property, took their chances and were ca
led by mob and tie United States are not u
ble "for the acts Of individuals committed ~
violation of Its laws" In BOTH the Span. II
and Chinese cases the government paid p!
'ney to the victims or their representatives ~
with the distinct declaration that the pay ca
mt was an act of courtesy to q friendly it
lion. Very likely the same will be done in y. "
s case, and it Is certainly all that can be re. 81
Ired. Iii
II,
The farmers who saw themselves SO u
ltly euchred out of an iude ne ndent aori. -,