Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-07-19


| dress TO the federal grand jury in
Chicago was as follows:
Gentlemen of the grand jury: You
have been summoned here to INQUIRE
| whether any Of the laws of the United
States within this judicial district
have been violated. You have come
IN an atmosphere and amid occur
rences that may we'll cause reasonable
men to question whether the govern
| mnt and laws of the United States
are yet supreme. Thanks to resoIute
/ manhood, and to that enlightened in
telligence which perceives the neces-
sity of a vindication of law before any
other adjustments are possible, the
| government of the United States is
still supreme
You doubtless feel as I do, that the
| opportunities Of life, under present
| conditions, are not entirely equal and
| that changes are needed to fOrestall
some Of the dangerous tendencies Of
current industries. But neither the
| touch Of the incendiary, nor the
| weapon Of the insurrectiOniSt, nor the
infamed tongue Of him who incites
to fire and sword, is the instrument to
bring about reforms. To the mind of
! the American people, to the calm,
! diSpaSsiOnate sympathetic judgment
of a race that is not afraid to face
| deep changes and responsibilities,
! there has as yet been no appeal Men
! who appear as the champions of great
changes must first submit them to dis
! cuSSiOn-diScuSSiOn that reaches not
simply the parties interested but the
| wider circles of society, and must be
| patient as we'll as persevering, until
the public Intelligence has been
! reached and a public judgment made
! up. An appeal to force befOre,~that
! hour is a crime, not only against the
| government Of existing laws, but
| against the cause itself, for what man
! of any intelligence supposes that any
! settlement will abide which is in
! duced under the light of the torch or
! the shadow of an Overpowering threat.
With the question behind present
| occurrences, therefore, we have as
ministers of the law and citizens of
/
! law as it is must first be indicated be
fore we turn aside TO inquire how law
or practice as it ought to be can be
effectually brought about. Govern
ment by law is imperilled, and that
issue is paramount. The government
of the United States has enacted laws
designed, first, to protect itself and its
! authority over those to which, under
the constitution and laws, it extends
governmental regulations. For the
| former purpose, namely to protect IL
self and its authority as a government
it has enacted that every person who
entices sets on foot, assists or en-
cages in any rebellion or insurrectiOn
against the authority of the United
States or the laws thereof or gives aid
or comfort thereto and any two or
more persons in any state or territory
who conspire to overthrow, put down
or destroy by force the government
Of the United StateS;'' "Or to levy war
against them, or to oppose by force
the authority thereof, or by force to
prevent, hinder, or delay the execu-
ton Of any law of the United States
! contrary to the authority thereof"
shall be visited with certain penalties
! therein named.
Insurrection is a rising against civil
! or political authority; the open and
active opposition of number Of per-
! sons to the execution of law in a city
! or state. Now, the laws of the United
States forbid, under penalty, any per
son from obstructing or retarding the
passage Of the mail, and makes it the
| duty of the officer to arrest such Of
| tenders and bring them before the
! court
If, therefore, it shall appear to you
that any person or persons have will
fully obstrIcted or retarded the mails
and that their attempted arrest for
such offense has been opposed by such
a number of persons as would consti-
| tute general uprising in that part1cu-
lar locality, and as threatens for the
time being the civil and political au-
thority, then, the fact of an insured
! ton within the meaning of the law
! has been established. And he, who by
speech, writing or other inducement
assists in setting it on foot, or carry
ing it along, or gives it aid or comfort
is guilty of a violation Of law. 1t is
| not necessary that there should be
| bloodshed; it is not necessary that its
dimensions should be so portentous as
to insure probable success to consti-
tute an insurrection. 1t is necessary,
however, that the rising should be in
opposition to the execution Of the laws
| of the United States, and should be so
| formidable as. for the time being, to
| defy the authority of the United
States. When men gather to resist
the civil or political power of the
United States, or to oppose the exc
cuticn Of it's laws, and are in such
force that the civil authorities are in
adequate to put them down, and a
considerable military force is needed
to accomplish that result, they become
! insurgents. and every person who
knowingly incites, aids or abets them,
no matter what his motives may be,
| is likewise an insurgent.
This penalty IS severe, and as l have
said, is designed to protect the gov
eminent and its authority against di-
rect attack. There are other provi-
sions of law designed to protect those
particular agencies which come within
| Tinted States To insure their IN