The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-08-01

from Indianapolis 70 seattle have not hes
itated 70 do their whole duty; they have
not only recalled the people 70 sober
sense Of the utter folly and injustice of
slsxlsss coadnct. but have clearly explained
70 shs common mind that from purely
practical. selfish. commercial points OF
view lawIsssness costs q cofnmuEity very
s dear. The frankness and neral courage
Of the Federal judges was Of immense
service at time when the governor Of Hill
nois did not do bis duty; when the mayor
OF Chicago begged the community to yield
70 the mob; when the mayor Of Spring
field, H., encouraged rioters to obsiruct
trains; when leading papers in Chicago
denied the duty Of the authorities OF the
United States 70 crush the rebellion and
70 assert the night and power of our
free institutions 10 protect themselves
against usarpation and anarchy. II
was time for our Federal judges
20 speak with unwonted frankness. to be
not only fearless judges, but wise ex-
Founders OF the wisdom Of the law. and
the necessity Of its vindication against
violence, If We did not mean 10 let our en-
lghtened civilization slip back into the
barbarism of q camp OF Tartar nonads or
village Of Iroquois Indians.
1t is to the disgrace of public opinion in
California that the only San Francisco
paper that discussed the labor riots with
courage and intelligence was the Argonaat,
q weekly paper. Not daily paper in San
Francisco spoke the truth with courage
and intelligence. The Argonasa CARRIED of
Ak the laurels. Surely what would have
become of New York city during the
draft riots of 1858 if Greeley in the Tribune
or Raymond in the Times. or the New
York Evening Post had been 50 craven and
so stupid at such critical momentf
Nothing but the courage of the press and
the police of the city saved IL from even
more frightfui scenes than were enacted
in July, 1868.
Chicago will have to pay dearly for the
luxury Of electing Altgeld gove rnor and
Hopkins mayor, for the law of Illinois ''to
indemnify the owners of property for dam
ages occasioned by mobs and riots" pro-
vides:
"That whenever any building or real or
personal property. except property In
transit, shall be destroyed or injured In
consequence of any mob or riot composed
of twelve or more persons the city, or, II
not in city, then the county in which
such property was destroyed shall be liza
BILE to an action by or In behalf OF the
party whose property was thus destroyed
or injured for thres-fourths of the damages
sustained BY reason thereof"
transient success had not Chicago elected
a socialist Altgeld governor, and q pol
troon politician mayor. Chicago will
probably have TO pay several hundred
thousand dollars for the riot. just as
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, had to
pay an enormous sum for the destruction
wrought by the riots of 1877. And Chicago
is paying for this riot because her people
elected Altgeld governor and Hopkins
mayor. Surely If our Federal government
had been as stupidity made up as vas the
state and municipal authority of Illinois
there is no knowing how long this rebellion
might have ragged. But eur Federal
judges have acted fearlessly; our Federal
executive answered promptly the call for
troops to sustain the courts, and order
was restored.
However. the political Neros in Chicago,
who fiddlsd while the riot was raging, will
probably find out that il does not pay. as
Judge Hanford points out, to encourage,
excuse or extenuate lawlessness. Your
mob always begins with profession of
peaceful purpose and always ends with
pandemonium, and Judge Hanford is
eternaliy right when he warns every COM
mGnity, every state. that there is no
money. no prosperity, no growth in mobo-
cratic violence, in disrespsct for and dis
obedience to the supreme law of the land,
which stands for the safety of the state;
for the greatest good TO the greatest
number.
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