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Show THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS. Under the above caption the Chicago Herald of the 5th inst. has a very sensible sensi-ble article on this subject. Chicago has been and still is infested with Socialistic and Nihilistic societies, and these societies soci-eties were liable to become a source of j danger to the peace of that- city. This decision spoken of will solve a problem for Chicago. The Herald says : The decision of the United States Supremo Su-premo Court in the Presser case, involving the constitutionality of an Illinois law disbanding dis-banding all military organizations not authorized au-thorized by State authority, was unfavor-able unfavor-able to the appellant, as he and his attorneys might have known that it would be. The appeal was based on the assumption that the provision in the Federal Constitution to the effect that no State shall abridge the right of the people to bear arms amounted to a denial of the right in any State to say who should and who should not bear arms. At the time this suit began the Socialistic organizations in Chicago were menacing the publio peace. They had a few military companies com-panies of their own, which were in the habit of parading freely and openly, boasting of their ability to overcome the military power of the State. As these commands were not snbject to any lawful authority and were liable to be used at anv time when passion might get the better of their leaders in resistance resist-ance to municipal and State power, a bill was passed by the Legislature making it unlawful for such organizations to exist without license from the Governor. As they persisted per-sisted in their parades a few of the leaders were arrested and fined, and it is the appeal of one of them which has now been decided adversely in the court of last resort. So long a time has elapsed since the occurrence occur-rence of which this suit was the outgrowth, and the feeling then occasioned has so thoroughly thor-oughly died out, that not much attention is likely to be paid to a ruling which, as soon as passion gave place to reason, all must have seen was inevitable. The police power of the States is absolute, and, in exercising it for the common safety, rights guaranteed by the constitution are not invaded, but preserved. It is not denying or abridging the right of the people to bear arms to insist that they shall satisfy the State authorities that their purposes are lawful, for otherwise they have no rights in the premises. |