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About The Hesperian / (Lincoln, Neb.) 1885-1899 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1891)
SIBHI THE HESPERIAN lcm, as lo the capability of man to govern himself. In it was the gcim which has vegetated, ami still is to grow ami expand into the universal liberty of mankind. Hut, with all these glorious results, past, present and to come, it has its evils too. It breathed forth famine, swam in blood, and rode in fire; and long, long, after the orphan's cry and the widow's wail continued to break the sad silence that ensued. These were the price, the inevitable price paid for the blessings it brought. Turn now to the temperance revolution. In it we shall find a stronger bondage broken, a viler slavery manumitted, a greater tyrant deposed. In it more of want supplied, more disease healed, more sorrow assuaged. Hy it, no orphans starving, no widows weeping. Hy it, none wounded in feel ing, none injured in interest; even the dram-maker and dram-seller will have glided into other occupations so grad ually as never to have (clt the change, and will stand ready to join all others in the universal song of gladness. And what a noble ally this is to the cause of political freedom; with such an aid its march cannot fail to be on and on, till every son of earth shall drink in rich fruition the sorrow quenching draughts of perfect liberty. Happy day, when all appetites controlled, nil passions subdued, all matter sub jugated, mind, all-conquering, shall live and move, the mon arch al the world! And when the victory shall be complete when there shall be neither a slave nor a drunkard on the earth how proud the title of that Land, which may truly claim to be the birthplace and the cradle of both those revolutions that shall have ended in that victory. How nobly distinguished that people, who shall have planted, and nurtured to matu rity, both the political and moral freedom of their species. Abraham Lincoln in 1S42. The recent uprising, or riot, or whatever it may have been, in New Orleans against the imprisoned Italians has excited a great amount of comment all over the United States, and even in Europe. It is of interest to note the public opinion of the murder of the Italians at New Orleans. Many northerners extend little sympathy to the mob, look ing upon the murder only as a tragedy, without regard to its causes. Living far ofl, they may look at it in a cold way. It is a question what they would have done in the same cir cumstances. The Italians were not murdered because they were Italians, but because they formed an association, whose baibarous deeds no civilized nation would endure. The actions of the mafia were so terrifying that the jury was afraid to convict its members. Since there was no other means of preserving order, the people seem justified in taking the law into their own hands. It is, however, to be regretted that a punishment more in harmony with the deeds of a civil, ized people might not have been inflicted. With great unanimity our newspapers have condemned the action of the respectable mob as -bloodthirsty, and as worse than foolish. There have been but very few papers or organizations that have upheld the shooting. The Hastings board of trade has the doubtful honor of being among the number. In Italy, of course, there has been much feeling aroused over the unfortunate atlair. The government of Italy has instructed its representative- at Washington to look into the matter with a view to securing indemnification from this government. Italians in all the large cities of the United States have met and passed resolutions demanding the punishment of the participators in the lynching and shooting. The government at Washington has taken official action in the matter. It will thus be seen that the killing has occasioned trouble oi no mean importance. What the final outcome will be is not easy to predict, so many arc the factors entering into the question. The mafia, so much mentioned in connection with the tragedy, is a secret organization, Sicilian, not Italian, formed for the purpose of robbery nnd ol murder. The organization is thought, on good information, to be extensive throughout the United States. It was this organization, accused of only forty murdcis, that Chief of Police Ilcnncssy, of New Orleans, was endeavoring to ferret ojttwhcn he was killed last October, llcnnessy had collected information from all parts concerning he mafia as well in Europe and in Sicily, its birthplace, as in America. The leaders of the mafia, believing, and with good reason undoubtedly, that Ilcnncssy was possessed of much damaging evidence against them, plotted to kill him. On the night of October 15 last he was murdered. Evidence pointed clearly to several Siclians as the guilty ones. They were arrested and brought to trial. The evidence brought against them during the trial was of a very plain and a very damaging character. In the opinion of the judge, of lawyers, and of the community generally, the defendants were clearly shown to be guilty. To the surprise of all the jury acquitted the whole batch of defendants in the case. It had peen known all along that great influence had been brought lo beat upon the jutors by jury-fixers," and that money, almost unlimited, had been contributed to aid the prisoners. People, however, thought that the jury would not dare to bring an acquittal in the face of such clear evidence, and of such strong public sentiment. Yet the jury acquitted the prisoners. When it became known to the citizens, several prominent citizens signed a call, published next morning in the papers, asking all good citizens to meet that night at Clay Statue, prepared and ready to take action. The good citizens met in a mob. Action was taken, prompt, decisive, discriminating The mob went to the jail, burst it open, shot thirteen of the defendants, and hung outside two of these. Two defendan not proved clearly to have been implicated were left untouched The mob then dispersed. From all accounts the mob must have consisted of many of the most prominent citizens in New Orleans. Thu results and effects of this wholesale tragedy will cer tainly be varied and various. One serious phase of the mat ter is the international complications. Italy demands redress for the killing of at least two of her citizens, that number of the men killed not being American citizens. Our govern" inent can do nothing, for the whole affair comes under the jurisdiction of the state of Louisiana. An investigation may be instituted. That is all. The good citizens in the mob un doubtedly thought that they were compelled to take justice into their own hands and to set right the afiair of the helpless and inefficient courts. They believed too that such a sum mary act as they committed would be a terror to evil-doers, especially to leaders in organizations like the mafia and to those that tamper with juries. They felt that a thorough trial had been given of the law and of the courts and that these were unable to perform their proper part. Hence it became necessary that the people in their sovereign power as a last resort should rise up and wring the ne,ck of hideous and rampant crime. Hut the people forgot what a degrading confession they were making. Hy their act they practically acknowledged that their courts were totally incapable of cop ing with crime; that they were thoroughly rotten with cor ruption; that the administration of justice there was r. flat failure; in fact that organized society in New Orleans was no better than a barbarous -community. i Moreover, instead of administering a deserved rebuke to
