Respect For Law

Highor-law policy is a vory dangorous ono, espccially uuder a liepublicau Goverirutent. lt is nirnply taking the law into ouu's own hands ; in other words, individual rcbellion ; and when practieed by numbers, revolution. This doctrine can not be countunaiiced in civil afFairs in any case; ho wever 'inerrterrous, without leading to the most daugerous couse q lences ; for, if adopted for one puipose, luough a good one, and by one set ot peoplo, nowever upright tbeir intenti'ona, that adoption becoines au exainple, an onconiagouient aad a justitieation to bad men to pursue a siuiihir course for the very worst purposes. The high woy otan who robs fot gain, or the incemliury who kindies a tire tbr re enge, niay justity his conduct in digregarding t:ie law ot' the land, as well as another who overridus law for a Ïcs3 flagrant purposo. Two inf.tftiieeri ■: t ' liimr-law doctrine put in pr(icticc'uii-now bnforu tho countrj-, by two vei y diüVrt'iit b'jlies, iu place? fur :ipnrt, and tor uttefty i'.isiJfiuilar objeets. I ii one ciisi) it is tho United States fcien:itc: :it Washington, to euforoe aiaeasure of party power, and in the other, the workingni'-n, at New York, to 'uoinpel obedience to thcir decrees. Friday night last the rnajority of ;)n' Benate, by mero torce of numbers and power ..'í eaduranoe, violated a rule of tbat body basad 011 commoii senBe and justice, and whioh was unto thein a law, i:nd by that -uiotiiis engrafted a disputed muasurc of pttrty legislatiou upon a regular appropriation bilí. TIn: Btiwding rule of th Sennte provide that na itmendiBetrt of a.n appropriation bill sliall be rooei'íed making legislativo provisión other tbao such asdirectiy rekitee t an appropiistion contained in tho biü. 1ud tiance of-this rule, a bill whieh had previously passcd the fSenato and been lostin the Houbg, called the supplemontal enforcement act, was attnohed to tho mis cellaneous appropriation bill asan amendmvnt, fir the purpose eompolliug the House to adopt the obnoxious aot, under penalty of losilig tho bill. Having thus fiubstitule'A the highor law of individual will ior tho parliaraentary law, the inajority of the Séato pussed the bill us thus illegally amended, aud Bent it to the Houso. The latter body refusrd to nccopt the hybrid document, and (iooinod it to lay upon the Speaker's desk. The olmoxious mensure had for its [iurposo the placing of every voting preciïlct throughout tho Union undcr thé surveillance of roilitiiry power, and was advocated and opposed on partisan grounds, But', irrespectivo of its merits, tho aetion of tho Seuato inajority in breaking down the barriera of parliamentary law is of evil example, and calis for tho severest condemnation. If the standing luw of a logislative body can be disr'ofciirded in this instancC) if niaj' iu ar_y othor, and mob law niay prevail in tho Senute. Groat enoouragenicr.f ia also given to zoalous and ' ill-infurnioii peoplo to overrido all law wlten they thus seo the lawmakeM thomselves settinp at nnuglit the lügal restrictions by whicb they üiü provented from carrying out their individual will.