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