Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-04
THE POSSE CoMIrArus.


He REFERS TO TIE MOB HERE SOME YEARS
AGO AND IN THE DEBATE THERE Is GOOD
DEAL SAID ABOUT THE DISTRICT OF coLuM-
BIA.
| The posse comitatus in the District Of Column
bia was discussed at some length in the Senate
by Mr.. Morgan in the debate on the resolution
calling for the appointment Of select commit
tee to investigate the employment Of EARNED
bodies Of men Is detectives in connection with
the differences between workmen and en-
ployers."
Senator Morgan thought the committee
should attend to q more effective organization
and employment Of the posse comitatus in the
District and the territories. He offered an
amendment to that effect and supported 1t by
saying that when law was violated the first ap-
peal should be to the people. He proposed to
nave an organized posse comitatus all the time.
HOW TO ENROLL THE POSSE.
"Suppose you were to take, for illustration"
said he, "any block or any series Of blocks ly-
ing between two streets in this city, and you
summon and enroll every man in it, black or
white. old and young from eighteen to sixty.
except those who are physically unable to per-
form ordinary military duty. You enroll them
as the posse comitatus. will say that thou
sand men are found in o particular beat or pre-
cinct or ward Of this city designated by law
Out of these, whose names are put into box,
you will draw hundred or two hundred. as
the case may be, whatever number you see
proper to draw. They are selected men to
serve in the posse comitatus for year. You
take them in before your courts here in the Dis
trict of Columbia. and you administer to each
one an oath that he will maintain and support
the laws of the United States and of the Dis
trict of Columbia, and that he will be obedient
to all lawful authority. Without simplifying
the plan of the oath. l mern to make it broad
enough to cover all the duties to be performed
by each man in subordination to those who
have the right to order him out and control
him for the given length of time during which
he remains enrolled upon the posse comitatus
snow, any citizen who refuses to obey the
lawful order Of one of these men wearing a
badge, If you please is liable to Indictment for
such refusal ANY man who refuses to assist
him in the administration of the law and in the
protection of property or life is liable to indict-
ment. After the affair has blown over and
quie.ude has resumed its sway in the COM
munity, the courts of justice will take hold of
the men who have refused to obey the lawful
commands of these sworn and selected mem
bers of the posse comitatus, this body of the
people. and will punish them for their delin-
quency. There would not be many repetitions OF
that sort OF trouble in the country after few
punishments had been administered.
NO CITIZEN TO BE EXEMPT.
"Mr. President, my point is to prevent the oc-
currence of these difficulties. Now, will go to
town like Homestead; will organize a SINH
lar posse there. putting in as many men as the
court may think necessary for the protection of
the peace Of that community, those men being
required to serve a year six months or two
years, or whatever time the law fixes. Those
men are selected from all classes Of the commu-
nifty. The preacher is not exempt because he
must occupy hisspulpit on Sunday, or the law
yer because he must be at the bar, or the judge
because he must be on the bench, or the artisan
because he must be pursuing his vocation, or
the negro because he may be a humble. an I'M
calmly. or even an indecent man, or any other
man. until the court, after looking over the in
dividual and proposing to administer the oath
to him became satisfied that he was not proper
member of the posse comitatus.
when these propositions for strikes and
lockouts and the defiance of law occur in a
community of that kind, you will find that
these sworn members of the posse comitatus are
scattered, sandwiched, all through the commu-
nifty in every direction. They debate the ques-
ton among themselves. Those not members of
the posse comitatus will say: we cannot do
this thing; We cannot violate the plain law of
the land, for the reason that our brothers. our
comrades. men associated with us in the daily
business Of life, fathers, liable to suffer
in consequence ofsthe fact that they have been
eelecteu 1rOIn the DOuv OF the people ana nave
been made agents and officers Of the law for
the preservation Of the peace. They have
taken solemn oaths that they will do it, and we
cannot put them into the difficulty and con-
straint of possible violation Of q solemn oath
and Of high public duty merely because we
desire and think it is best to organize for the
purpose of taking property away from a par
ticular company or holding it against their law
full right to it.
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION.
"By the process which thus in outline merely
suggest to this honorable committee when it
shall be raised you infuse into the body of the
people themselves, through the fact that they
are selected and sworn to preserve the peace
and to maintain the law, q degree of conserva-
tism which will operate to prevent the occur
renee Of these things. In this case, Mr.. Presi-
dent, an ounce Of prevention is certainly worth
| pound of cure.
was cutting up his immense antics in California
in the sand lots. Overturning society, the legis-
ture, statute books and Constitution, really de-
stroying the integrity and the autonomy Of q
great state. l remember that in different COM
munities in the United States organizations i'm
mediately sprang up Of a similar character for
the purpose Of taking into the hands Of the mob
the ideas and plans that Dennis Kearney had
projected for the purpose OF controlling the
people Of California.
MOB IN THIS CITY.
81 recollect was a newcomer here, having
just been elected to the Senate, and saw mob
for four days in the city Of Washington, COM
posed variously Of from 5000 to $4,000 loose
men, men Of all degrees and conditions except
respectable men, and some few fanatical men
who were respectable were in these mobs. They
marched about somewhat in military array. Some
of them had arms and some had none. They
had bands Of music and flags; they did not seem
to have any definite purpose in view except to
hold together and produce a powerful impress
sion upon the community; they we're led by a
Jew by the name Of Cohen, most remarkable
position for Hebrew to be in under such cir
cumstances; they went out into the groves around
Washington in the daytime and in. the night
time, it being in the summer season, and en-
camped there; they came into the city and went
to the grocers and provision men and levied
contributions upon them. which they did not
dare to resist; the grocery stores Of this town
had to be opened to feed the mob; they stayed
together. passed resolutions and made infiam-
matory speeches for four or Ave days continu-
ously, and after awhile they dissolved and dis
appeared.
| WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED.
~ could not help thinking at that tine that
this was comparatively small community,
there being at that time perhaps not more than
5000 or 10000 people in the District Of Co
| lumbia all told We did not have more than