New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-22
THE HONOR OF NEW ORLEANS.

THE HONOR OF NEW ORLEANS.
A DILEMMA FOR THE OFFICIALS OF THAT CITY
WITHOUT GOVERNMENT OR LAW
TO the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: Are the authors Of the massacre at NewOrleans
willing TO abide the end by the logic OF their pos'o"
They say, In effect that government ana IA" III .n"'
city and In the state of Louisiana had iaieu anu @a'
when Government and law fail. society Is rem''eo 10
its original powers among which Is the right to protect
Itself By inudical methods, in short, 10 XIII "io"'
trial.
Assuming that as an abstract proposition this was
true AT the time Of the massacre, IL OF course SUN
continues true For, up to the instant OF INC ecOnS
under the Henry Clay statue, New Orleans ana Ions
lana presented no other greater INDICATIONS vi pob
u.itbout aovernment or law OF any kind than tiey
present today or than they usually present Inv
courts sat regularly. the Governor Mayor, ono'i''
Judges, jurors, jalcrs and all ofhcers csSehua W "
organized state and city were duly nstaeu III ."oi
offices and pretendng TO be exercising their functions
and yet it is known that the state was "i'',o"'
government or laws and the people were rcii'''u !"
the primitive right OF the armed to XIII tile disareu
Th, leads b. the p0stulae that in Louisiana ana Ne"
Orleans the test Of the people being WITHOUT so'ein-
mcnt is not found In the fact that they arc "i'ou. W.
organized body Of officers purporng 10 execute 'o ~"
but I'm the fact that they fail to convict OF muruer "'
10 punish those who take human life without INC au
va
with the added feature that, whereas thosc WIN Wv"
Chief Ucnncs,v's life are not known, and never hi'u
bccn known TO either the authorities or the peopc'
those who took the lives OF the scllian prisoncis i
amply and well known 10 all the world
The failure to convict and punish those VINO law
es,y take life being the test of St;ue anu Guy oe7
without government or law, Louisiana ana new
orleans are now I'm that condition., ana VIII 80 con-
unue ca far AS any power within those communities
may no exucctcd TO be exercised for the punishment
Of the leaders I'm the recent massacre no such po"o
il may be assumed will be exercised from wlthih IL i
also pretty generally assumed that 10 Such PoN'.
can he exercised by the Government OF inc '"''0"
States under our Federal Constitution, uhic9' 'ne
Governor Of Louisiana shall call for the ala Oh INC
v,onol Government which he is not at all likely tn
do a. he has no desire or intent that the authors OF
the homicide, shall be disturbed In any way.
Hy This route we arrive at the conclusion that inc
United States Is a country In when the power Vi '"O
National Government within State Is not mae'''"
to enable 10 be efficient In securing the punishment
Of MURDER provided the state government WIDTHS :"
connive AT the murder and screen the murderers' III
short a state can as easily run murder-hole Us
Lottery busInc,, or a gambling den, II the tastes anu
habits Of the majority incline them to believe that the
rla, Of people usually slaughtered at the muiucr"'
ought 10 bc killed. do not wish to argue agauS'
any Of these propositions but merely to trace 'he'h
to their logical results. 49,,
Louisiana and Newt Orleans be communities "'"''
arc now without government or law, and II the theu
states As National institution has the power merely
10 carry letters To- these communities but not TO po'uc
them with "A government or law adequate 10 Tue pu'l,"
mrnt Of murder, then these communities are III '
same position a, the private UilianS ana coF''s VI
,ldcr, wcrr toward the Emperor Of Morocco "he"
tb, United states in the carly days Of our KepupHo
took them I'm hand the like class oil ueSperauoc
+, the ,or,a were toward the Emperor OF emma
uh.n the pcope OF outside nations found II he'eS-
,ary to protect their own subjects IN tn"' .o''''
without regard to boundary lines or To the io'' Vi
dlnIomacv We believe that Mr.. Gladstone once ~
gardcd the same facts applying "Ithih 'ie uo,a'
of the King Of Naples. Upon TINS theory u'o n'ne
If aly whose iron clad, and steel cruisers are Sau "
lac ~ the hice,t class would have the right 10 Schu
several Of them up to New Orleans and unless gov
crnmcnt aud law could be shown to have Deell ,bc
massacre under p' I,;oIy he not this right the
n I ttss must have been in the wrong in II, cont
vrsy win Alsicr, And II Italy has this righ, omrl
are not the authors OF the ni'Son The Legitimate
Consequence, Of being without government anu hr
ont law behind the nag OF nauoh"i,y mn IN Dis
-, ,,r themsclve, the right 20 lnNolNc III. "t99.
&c Throughout the world while they deny TO II
Inc power t. guarantee domeTu't ,,oI "''N
ri,L, ~ accused person, 10 a falr tFlhl " min,
nucr The assassination mill which Is Kept rrur n
at the south with much NiEor Is "' nmmon
,niutry A standard Of honor WIN "Io ,it 60 AZ
clcscd sections Of our country are bctber the
ngf Nakt
cnsc Of n"nor Of the very first ctzfn, Oi , N"M
orleans admit, Of their taking refuge behlhu to ~,
a., 49, Green them from the due ana proper
International consequences Of LIVING without 1891 r
ment and without law while theN ucuy w ~ I!ntn
,,,n,d resist any exercise "f the power OF III, lmr
.,,trl Ia restore among them by military anu ON.
,'cr,i,, that STATE Of government ana law w'u ucN
,rei.nd ~ lie without such an inquiry Wo.,u ,c'
i,. ,',.lon me or the other oi three hypotNescS-
,,h.r ,cr .D,r of honor does admit Oh thelr 'dhe
,,rn r,fir, I'm such Il danger: or they do not u'llN
~, ,',e he powcr Of the United states To restore
",,.crnmcut and law among them. or thy ASK i.'
urotrrtou AGAINST Italian lnterventon' upr,a,.'"
naval or military. at the hands OF inc 'oN W
BE- initcd ot,te, II the first OF these hypotnc>V,
-, ,,,,c th. urrrduou~ will be disposed u uNunt
ybothcr honor" that l. 50 frequently whterFi pS ~,
,ood ~ IN, unarmcd and the dcencec'S the Hahncice.
In -oucd or bound. Is a much better uil VU.ti'
honor n, II j. more expensive II the HrCohu Dc No.
,ho, tho Tutcd state, should promptly accept tht
,mv,t,tion 10 restore government ana law III NV
n-,nans hy irving cOnvctmg and furnishing prohablI
a ure, nah leader tried. convicted or puhlsl,u
IN thc southcrn states. II the third be t1i" theh Nr
i,.imc should notify to the King Of Italy the fact tha
,he fty of Sew orleans I, open Ia restoration %
,,r In thc manner I'm which law l. usually lcNtoren
,thim the territory of one nation by the menoi-war Of
another. " ~
f,,sttt