Year: 1874




Whatever may be the faults Of Attorney
General Field, he has never given counte-
nance to mob law, and his recent emphatic
denial of the charge that he was pandering
to the mob in his efforts to protect the pub
Lie interest should be duly considered by
all who are foolish enough to think that
mob law will ever be permitted to supplant
lawful authority in this State. As despica-
BILE as he well may consider the sneak
thieves and public plunderers that at all
times infest society, it is safe to conclude
that he also entertains q commensurate
detestation of the red-handed murderers
that in one shape or another are daily max
ing victims of their fellow creatures.
And if the Attorney General was called to
discriminate between murderers, and class
ify them, it is very certain that he would
rank the political assassins as the worst of
murderers. Next in the scale of infamy
he would doubtless place the meters to
mob violence; the men who for selfish
political purpose pander to the mob with
the hope of finally sHpplanting lawful gov
ernment by mob violence. 1t is true that
in this country this kind Of adventure in
crime has never met with any permanent
success because the people are too intel
Egent to be led astray in sufficient num-
bers yet the crime OF the designing bad
men who strive by unlawful means to get
into authority is none the less deserving
of condemnation because an effort to do
SO can seldom be made without the sacri-
fee of human life.


There may be, at this time, no danger
from such source, but inasmuch as our
people have suffered in the past from the
unwholesome agitations of pestiferous agi-
tators, it is well t. at the Attorney General
devote a portion of his time to those persons
who are engaged in advising and aiding in
the creation of unlawful organizations of
men under the name and style of vigilant
committees, etc., for the avowed purpose of
doing that which properly belongs to
government to perform. We call the At
torney Generals attention to this not in a
frivolous but in a serious way, because
the men who are urging the forma-
ton of vigilance committees, etc., are daily
engaged IN the most bitter denunciations of
State and city officials; thus showing what
their motives are for calling upon the mob
to organize and patrol the city at night. It
will not do to tell those who understand
these things that it is to put stop to rob-
berry. No. 1t is not the sneak thieves they
are after: for if that was their purpose they
would act with constituted authority IN
stead of denouncing and endeavoring 20
overthrow it. In this, then, they must he
regarded as the allies of sneak thieves,
ready TO sneak into possession of the
government for the sake of reaping a
harvest Of spoils, that, according to
Democratic teaching. honestly belong to
the victors. ITO the victOrs belong the
spoils" is an old war cry of the Democracy.
The Attorney General is we'll aware Of this,
ard therefore understands the clamOr about
public plunderers For every dollar OF
public patronage that is actually received
nents of that party imagine they see ten
yea, perhaps ffty-and the thought that
they are not in the enjoyment of the
spoils maddens them to desperation
In this mood they are ready for any
experiment, even to the trial Of
vigilant committees, if they will serve al
a means of revolutionizing the State gov
ern ment after it is fully ascertained tina,
Congress can not be induced to legislate
the present State officials out Of place


Now, while all honest men will join in the
work of correcting the evil lessen taught
by the Democracy many years ago, thai
"to the victors belong the spoils," and viii
ioin hands with the Attorney General in az
honest effort to put stop to public plum
| dering, they will expect him to defend tht
State government against Democratic ma
| chinations to become the victors as a meanl


of once more enjoying the spoils. No pan
| dering to the mob must be allowed tina
looks to supplanting lawful authority by
self constituted body of vigilants.