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Show 150 The mob responded with" three cheers for the Mayor," and he withdrew, leaving them 11either dispersed nor paeified. It is understood that the l\Iayor subsequently returned, but it was then too late for an efficient exertion of his authority. 'J'he rioters had commenced ~heir work. The g::~s lights in front of the Hall were extinguished, and an Impetuous onset made, flrst upon the north and then upon the eastern side. The Sheriff's efforts, as every one must have anticipated in such cir· cumst:1nces, were of no avail, and his c:11l on the miscellaneous crowd for that assistance, which on other occasions would probably have been ensured by enicient measures beforehand, was equally unsuccessful. After some stre~wous, but fruitless .efforts, therefore, to stem the swelling torrent, he also \~Jthdrew, and the obJf'Cl of ~lttack ~vas left wholly at the mercy of the passwn-maddened, and doubtless rum-lllflamed assailants. From the cries with which they cheered each other on, it was manifest that they regarded the city :lllthorities as willing, if not desirous that the work of destruction should proceed. The tale of what followed we need not recite at length. It has already been written in ruddy crimson on the clouds of ~Jcaveu, and been read by. the thronging thousands of the astonished city, 111 the nnnutural glare wluch reddened the darkness of that terrific night. Encouraging each other with loud shouts, they rushed to the assaultshattered the windows, ami batlered furiously at the doors, the strength of which for nearly twenty minutes resisted the attack, but at length gave way, ami left free access to the interior. Then came the plunder of the book depo.sitory and the scattering of its contents among the crowd-the flash of the lighted torch along the deserted aisles-the heaping of light combustibles ~n the sp~aker's forum, an~ firing .the p~le-the. wrenching of the gas pipes from their places, and. addlllg thcu· qtncldy l~nulled current to the rising flames-the shout wlueh greeted the outbursttllg conflagration, as it rolled up,~ard along the .walls, ami roared and crackled in the fresh night breeze, wh1le the motto of the beautiful Hall, "Virtue, Liberty and Independence," shone cleclrly for a moment in the Uazzling light, and was then effaceU for ev~r-the fiend-like ~ry which went upward as the roof fell in, a blazing nun-and smou!Uermg and blackened walls alone remained, in place of the costly anti splendid edifice. The fire companies with their engines had come early upon the ground, but not a drop of water was thrown upon the Hall, till its destruction was ensured beyond possibility of prevention. Till then, the firemen confined their efforts to preserving the surrounding bnildings, and such of their number .as were disposed to play upon the object of attack, were prevented from domg so by the mob. ~n the morning of ~he 18th, at 8 o'clock, the members of the State ~,oc1cty a~recably to a.dJournment, met together by the ruins of the Hall. l here, wllh the smoking walls above them, and traces of the destruction around them, they proceeded to business. One of the Vice-Presidents of the Soeiety presided. A 1~otion was made ant.! carried to adjourn to Sandiford Hall, wl~ere the resolutiOn was passet.l, authorising the publication of this address 111 the name of the Society. As the Hall was too small to contain ~ven the members of the Society, and as at such a crisis, it was deemed Important th~t our meet!ngs, i~ held at all, should be public, and open to the commumty, the Society adjourned to meet at such time and pl<tce as the Executive Committee might decide upon hereafter. The committees which ha~ been app~inte~ at a previous meeting were continued. fhe foreg:nmg !s, we feel assured, a faithful presentation of the facts ~onnec~ed w1th th1s outrage. We now ask our fellow citizens, what action IS required at the hands of freemen and lovers of order, and law? Men ADDRF.SS OF TilE 'EXECUT1VE COJHi\IITTt:r.. 151 high in authority have manifested an unholy sympathy with the prejudices and passions of the mob-the chosen guardians of the public peace, have manifestly yielded to the popular clamor-and suffered their authority 10 be made the sport and ridicule of lawless men. Ought we to be-ean we be instrumental in retaining men in oflice, who have thus proved unworthy of their trust-and left the property of the citizens a prey to violence. At·e not all who love right and approve just law and desire peace and good order, bound to withhold, in every form, their support and their sutrrages from every applicant fo1· public favor or oflicial stations, who will not ex. p:icitly avow his disapprobation of the recent lawless proceedings, and his determination to uphold the supremacy of the law, and to maintain, so far as iu him lies, without regard to the popularity or unpopularity of the right, or of its exercise, or its possessor, every right of C\•cry portion of the people ·r We pause not now to notice in detail the many and gross calumnies against us which have been industriously circulated throughout this communitv. SuiJice it fot· us to dedare that of those which have reached our ears ;lOt one is warranted by unexaggerated truth. The voice of that truth is now lost in the hurricane of popular tumult. But, we feel conscious that in the hour of reflection and calm consideration which must follow the pn~sent excitement,-when rea~on shall assert its prerogative over pre· judice and passion,--that justice will be awarded us by all upon whose good opinion we place a value. Possessing our souls in patience we abide our time. Strong in our own integrity and uprightness in this matter, with unaccusing conscienc·.es, and regretting only our lack of zeal and energy heretofore in the cause of holy liberty, we feel ourselves called by the events of the past week to renewed and more eflicient efl'orts. Not in vain, we trust, has the persecution fallen upon us. Fresher and purer for its fiery baptism the cause lives in our hearts. \Ve now know and feel our responsibilities. Called, e\•en in our weakness, to stand forth as the asserters and defenders of freedom in the place and hour of her extremest peril, woe unto us if we falter through the fear of man! If, shrinking from a manifest call of duty, we yield up great J>HINCII'LES a sacrifice to popular fury,-if to save life and property we offer up all that can make the one tolerable or the other useful, we commit a crime against God and humanity, which words cannot measure. \Vere we to yield a single principle at this crisis the voice of a world's execration would justly brand us as TRAITORS TO Lunmn:. Citizens of Pennsylvania! your rights as well as ours have been violated in this dreadful outrage. The blow has been aimed at the universal right~ of man! The sacrif,ce of a beautiful temple dedicated to liberty, and bearing the motto of our state, "Vm'l'uE, LwERTY AND lNDEI'EXDf:NCE," has been made to SouTHERS SLAVERY-to a system whose advocates unblushingly declare that the laborer should every wh.ere, at the North as well as the South, in Pennsylvania as well as in Carolina, be made the property of the employer and capitalist. In the heart of your free citywithin view of the Hall of Independence, whose spire and roof reddened in the flame of the sacrifice-the deed has been done,-and the shout which greeted the falling ruin was the shout of Slavery over the grave of Liberty. It was such as greeted the ear of the Russian despot over the dead corses and smouldering ruins of conquered \Varsaw-such as the Turkish tyrant heard amidst the ghastly horrors of Scio. \Ve ask of you as men jealous of your own rights, and your own liberties, to reflect upon the inevitable consequences which must follow the toleration of such an oulrage. If you have studied the history of past republics, you have not yet |