New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-20
ALTERING THE H4RVEST.

New-Orleans is already gathering harvest
from the seed sOwn last Saturday. The hfst
fruits are rot found TO be desirable, but they are
entirely characteristic, and might have been ue-
scribed accurately in advance OF their appear
ance. The bloody work OF the mob was de-
Tended on the ground that, the agents OF the
law having failed utterly and ignooiy 10 10
their appointed work, the people were compelled
70 rise in their majesty, take back into their
own hands the power and authority winch theS
had delegated and re-establish the august reign
Of iustice. A populace never can act directly as
a INIT. Surprising that all the people are at
given moment inspired by single purpose, they
cannot all pass into action at one tIne' pop
Mar uprising must have its select opponents.
When the time comes 10 no. 'hc
authority has to be delegated. Ihee or
four thousand persons assumed last SATURDAY
that they were the representatives. OF the pup
ular will The actors in the tragedy WERE
numerically impressive, and wheh they mauc
nublic declaration to the effect that they, the
neoplc. were taking back the authority which
thew had temporarily relinquished' 1t was 1eit
that the spectacle was imposing, whatever else
might be said of it.
But one conspicuous; defect in this logic is the
impossibity of agreeing at what point an as.
semblage of citizens takes on the attributes OF
Justice and receives a divine commission. TWO
men. for example on Wednesday night engaged
in discussion of the trial and its outcome
which ended when one of them had been killed
and the other mortally wounded. Nobody would
vent,mc 10 hold that either of these men was
maiestically taking back the authority which
, <,oIo III bv tho t,oOplp That WOULD
he absurd on the face of it. But supposing that
there had been ten or fifty or thousand men
ON each side: it is quite conceivable thao INC
survivors might now be explaining that they
WERE to all intents and purposes, the people, anu
hence impeccable and sublime. W mere Is tne
line to be drawn and who shall draw 1t! 1hefe
is no proof that the great majority OF tne GU
liens of New.Oreans in whose name eieVeh
men were slaughtered on Saturday, and who' 1or
The most part, have since kept silent, were con-
scous that any virtue had gone out from theih
into the small minority OF avengers III Is pos
sible that when they have had time to think ana
a chance to be heard it will appear that they
never did in reality take back into thelr own
hands. through the medium OF three or lour
thousand volunteers, the authority which they
certainly had delegated to Judge and oheflH
and jury.
There is much excitement in New-orleans'
and groups of individuals are constantly Iofm-
ING under the influence Of temporary argument
rs TO one or another phase of the controversy
Each of these groups is liable at any moment
to adopt the theory that it possesses representa-
tive functions. and is under sacred obligation
TO exterminate another group. 1t is obvious mat
the result would not be majestic and sublime
manifestation of the popular will, but anarchy
And vet it might he difficult to prove That every
one of these companies of combatants was not
~ we'll entitled to assume that it was dlvlnely
inspired as was the committee which me- ias'
Friday to select victims for the next day 5
slaughter. or the larger minority which as
sembled in the morning to perform the work
The most devout adherence to the doctrine that
the voice of the people is the voice OF Goa does
not imply that individuals have the right 10
assume that they are the people as often as they
choose to give themselves over to the con'roi
of elemental passions.