ON AMERICAN SOIL 185 



part of the wide world, and a more or less revolutionary 

 uprising would have been the necessary and unavoidable 

 consequence of similar events in Europe; but the Ameri- 

 can imbibes with his mother's milk not only a certain 

 respect for law and order but an undeniable talent for 

 self-government, which saved him in this instance from 

 mob violence, notwithstanding the fact that the munic- 

 ipal authorities showed a woeful lack of power, yea worse, 

 a great weakness for ill-gotten gains. Thus every indi- 

 vidual suspected his next door neighbor and was ever 

 on his guard to protect his own belongings against the 

 fancied or real covetousness of the other; each one kept 

 a watchful eye by day and night. People went about 

 troubled in mind and ghastly in mien, for they never 

 knew what news the homecoming might have in store for 

 them. In order to meet this ever growing distrust and 

 worry, the citizens had to determine upon some very de- 

 cided course of action in order to protect home and prop- 

 erty. Thus it happened that toward the end of May, six 

 of the most respected citizens inaugurated a movement 

 which was destined to bring about a radical change for 

 the better. These aforementioned men, having quietly 

 invited their most trustworthy acquaintances to join them 

 in secret in a well known hall on Sansom street, succeeded 

 in calling a gathering of about sixty picked men of the 

 most reliable merchants and tradesmen, all residents, both 

 Americans and foreigners. Each one appeared well 

 armed and bound to secrecy. This assemblage knew that 

 they were called for a purpose and proceeded at once to 

 select from among their number temporary president and 

 secretaries, after which they decided upon a constitution 

 and by-laws, laying down some sort of program for the 

 newly created secret society, the purpose of which was 

 given out in the following condensed announcement: 



"The undersigned citizens realize that if the present 

 state of affairs should be allowed to continue, a total up- 

 heaval of all that right and order call for would have to 

 be expected, as the action or inaction of the local munic- 

 ipal authorities has given convincing proof of their lack 



