The National tribune., 1891-03-26
THE NEW ORLEANS AFFAIR.

1
was the situation at New Orleans which was
intolerable 10 any right-thinking American
citizen. We may be entirely too careless
about shedding blood in private broils, but
the existence in this country Of organized
assassination, by oath-bound secret societies,
such as has cursed Italy for centuries, is
something that our people will not permit.
Every instinct OF frecmen revolts against it.
In addition 10 more than her proportion
Of native criminals, New Orleans has long
been plagued by the presence Of fugitiyes
from justice in other cOuntries-frOm Mex
leo, South America, and The Mediterranean
Nations. The great Improvement in the
Government OF Italy in the past few years
has driven out Of that Kingdom horde
Of banditti, and other malefaciors, and
these have found the climate of New
Orleans especially agreeable TO them.
They have brought with them the or
ganization Of the Malta, which has been the
terror Of decent people of that country
from time immemorial 1t Immediately
began its nefarious work, and assassination
and blackmail became the order OF the day
in the italian colony. The honest, law
abiding portion of the colony were terrified
by it as they had been in their native land.
A Chief Of Police attempted TO interfere
with il, and he was assassinated. An attempt
WAS made TO bring the asSassins TO justice,
and though the proof against them was ire
futable, the jury was either bribed OF fright
ened into bringing in a verdict of Not
guilty" Tie outraged people of New Or
leans felt that the time had come for stern
measures, and they took them with fierce
energy that left nothing TO be desired. In
The death of ii of its members at the
hands Of the indignant people the Malta
received the worst blow known in its in
famous history. II, after this, the Malta
thinks it can flourish, or even exist, in the
atmosphere Of this country, it is sapguine
indeed.
The Italians in various parts OF The coun-
try have very foolishly worked themselves
up into great excitement over the affair,
and are taking and acting in a way that
they will regret, or should regret, if they
intend to become true Aaerican citizens
The fact that the lynched men were Italians
has little bearing on the case. They were
not lyuched because they were Italians, bat
because they were the leaders and agents Of
a society for assassination, and had plotted
and carried out the assassination Of an
officer of the law, FOR the purpose Of defeat
ing justice. Had they been native-bOrn
Americans, Germans, or Irish, il would have
been the same thing, but people Of those ma
tionalities would have approved the lynch
ing, instead Of condemning it. The Ger
mans had fully as much reason for getting
excited over the execution of the Chicago
anarchists, but, on the other hand, the Ger
mans as a body cordially sanctioned that
execution.
The solid, irresistible fact is that the peo-
pie Of this country and foreign
born-are inaezibly determined that the
laws shall be obeycd, and life, property, and
human rights be held sacred. They viii not
tolerate the Malta, Anarchistic bomb-thIow-
/ ing, or any other murderous wickcdness,
whether imported from abroad or deyelopt
al home, and the men, no matter what their
nationality, who attempt such things, will
find as short a shrift and rs violent an end
as the II Mafa;tcs who were blown into
eternity from the New Orleans jail