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Show TltKlSOX AUAINT Till! STATU. Tun unusual ipt-ctaclo of tho chief Justice of a commonwealth presiding over court of oyer nnd terminer literally a trial court wot beheld In l'llbiburg, Pennsylvania, yesterday, Tho occasion wai tho chirgtng of tho grand Jury with reference to the crime of treason, having In special view of course tho recent troubles at Home, itead. It Is held that as treason la tho highest crime against the state, II Is proper that the highest Judicial functionary func-tionary lu the stats should hold the court In which tho proceeding! are Initiated and conducted, and lie lice the extraordinary procedure spoken of. The announcement that proceeding! of thli character would batind against the strikers wai received with geniral aitontshmcnt not only lu Penntyl anln but everywhere cite In the country, by nearly every one. who was cognltint of the clrcumstaucet of that awful battle nt Homestead In July last. Looking at It from one polut of view II wai considered that Indictments for murder and perhaps for urion and wll ful destruction of properly would be Inevitable; but that the full measure of tho criminal icalo was to be Invoked was not even thought of. Of courso the charce will rest upon tho strikers' h v-lug v-lug uiurped tho function! of thuitate In resorting to armed resistance of tho PInkerlout, In which cue, we taku It, the defense will bo that tbo latter were themselvta an unauthorized mob seeking seek-ing by force of artui to overcome thoso who, until thus menaced, were acting within the pale of the law;lnothtr words, that they were Justlllod In meeting force with fotce and only cm-ployed cm-ployed to muoh of It ou their own isrt u was necessary to repel the hggrus on. It Is a most Important cate and Its progress will be watihed with the greatest Interost. Buch a proceeding has not taken placo In our country for so long a time that this circumstance alone Invest! It with thu utmost attractiveness. Whatever the outcome, of courie there iju bo no greater penalty than that provided pro-vided for murder, the next crime in degree death. |
