Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/309

DELAWARE COUNTY. 285 clause is added; that they will stand by each other as long as life shall last. ^^That the avowed and declared object of the associations is to prevent by force^ the collections of rent, and that the express duty of the armed force, is to resist the execution of process issued for that object; but that the cases of resistance by force against the execution of legal process, and the discharge of their duties by the officers of the law, have not been entirely confined to proceedings for the collection of rents, but have been extended, in some instances, to other legal process. That these associations, and organizations of a disguised, masked, and armed force, are not confined to the county of Delaware, but exist to a great, if not to an equal extent in several adjoining counties, and that the organizations, armed and unarmed, wherever they exist, have and avow a common object, make common cause, and act in entire concert and co- operation. " That in all the prominent and flagrant cases of resistance to the process and officers of the law, in 'Delaware and other eounties, the members of these armed bands of disguised and masked men, have been prominent actors; and that, in the county of Delaware, before the passage of the law above referred to, this resistance had been carried to such an extent, as to re- quire the utmost exertion of the power of the county to pre- serve peace and order, and execute criminal process only. " That early in the month of May, after the passage of the law of the 15th of April last, above referred to, the sheriff of the county of Delaware, applied to the Governor, under the 2d section of that law, and received authority to organize an armed guard of 400 men, to aid him in the preservation of order, and the execution of civil and criminal process, within the county. That a strong feeling has existed in the county against that provision of the law which charges upon the county, the expense of such an organized and armed force, the citizens