Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-01-28
JUDICIARY ESTABLISHMENT.

repeating this law, the old iyitem' a"
hmora lie member rom North Carolina
has toll US the judges of the ougteme
Cour. ihould attend in me itates to ae-
qare a competent knowledge ct local
j # u.iors. and for this purpoie ihouid
con,;nne 70 riie The circuits. l believe
there is great ole in Tending young men
to ,rave. trends TO enlarge their views,
and give them more liberal ideas than
tho might o:hsrwiie poieis. Nay, if
they re!idc hong enough in. foreign coun.
tries they may become acquainted with
the manners of the people, and acquire
fome knowledge Of their civil inltitu-
lions. But am not quite convinced
that riding rapidly from one end OF this
country TO the other is the belt way &c
ftudy law. I am inclined to believe
sha. knowledge may be more convent
eauy acquired in the elolet than upon
the high road. II is, moreover, to be
prefumed that the 6ra magiarate would,
in ielettirg perfons to fill rhefe Offices,
take tie beR characters from the differ
ene parts of the country, who already
poiIeis the needtul requirements. But
admitting that the Preiident ihould not
duly exerciie in this reipeet his difere-
,ionary powers, and admitting hat the
ideas of tn. gentleman are correct, how
wretched mutt be our condition! Theie,
OR Judges, when called on to exercHr
their functions, would but begin to learu
their trade, and that too at period OF
lie when the intellectual powers with
no great facility can acquire new ideas.
We mutt, therefore, have double fer
ofjudgcs. One e. Of apprentice Judges
to ,ide circuits and learn, the other fet
of matter judges to hold courts and decide
controversies.
We are told, fir, that the repeal ak
ed for is important, in that it mayettab-
iiih rrsselons, for ,has It 5, rot nierrly a
queAion on he propriety of ditbandins
a CORPS of fixseen rank and file; but
that proviGon may hereafter be made
not for Gxtecn, but for 6xsecn hundred
or iixteea ,houiand Judges, and that II
may become necefary to turn them to
the right about. Mr.. PreGdent, l will
not, i canrot prefume, that any fuch
.proviiion VII ever be made, and there
fore cannot conceive any fuch necef-
fifty; will not ilppoie, for ] cannot
{uppofe, that any party OF faction will
ever do any thing 70 wild, 70 ex'rava-
VACANT. But l will ak, how does this
franse fuppoGtion conha with the doc
,rine of gentlemen, that public opinioo
is fuaicien, check on the legiila,ure,
and laIic;cnt fate guard to the people.
Put the cafe to its consequences, and
what becomes Of the check Will gen.
-tlsmen fay it is to be found in the force
OF this wife precedent ! Is this to con-
troll faeceeding rulers in their wild, their
mad career ? Bet how I? Is the creation
of jsdicial officers the only thing COM
mitted to theii difcretion ! Have they
not, according to>the doctrine contend.
ed for, our all at their difpoGtion, with
no ether check than public opinion,
which according TO the fuppohtion will
not prevent them from committing the
sreateft foilies and abfurditiess Take
then all the gentleman ideas, and com.
pase them together, it will refuls that
here is an iueltimable treafure put into
the hands of drunkaris, nadmen, and
tools.
But away with all thefe deroga.ory
iuppoitions. The legllasure may be
truaed. Our government isa iyitem OF
Pituitary checks. One legislative branch
is a check on the other. And ihould
the violence Of party bear both Of
them away, the PRECEDENT, an officer
high in homer, high in the public conf
dence, charged With weishty concerns,
refpcnEble to his own reputation, and to
the world, .hands ready to arrea their
too impetuous courle. This is our iyfem.
1t makes no mad appeal to every mob
in the country. II appeals to the fober
e = u 4 "