Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-05-19

created. TO thoie perions and,to all thefe
who may be charged with offences againit
the nation, the contribution has fecased
the ex.itence OF. national courts, and it is
"a eroIssevafon of The contribution to leave
the organization of thefe courts materially
detective.
Il cannot upon this occafion become
"a quefion of any importance whether
yoar courts are more or lefs sxpenfve
than fate courts. The people have not
left this queaion in our hands they
have declared by their confitutioa that
the courts ihall exit they have faid that
confidence is NOT, and ought not to be
repo(ed ia fate courts for the deciiion Of
national caufes or canles ofsa civil nature
between citizens of different fates they
have left nothing upon this fubjea for
us TO do, or to decide, but what relates
to the form Of organizing the national tri-
bunals.
All arguments therefore which are
calculated 70 prove either the merits or
defect of fate judicatures are irrelevant
to the pretent qucfion. The conaitu-
tion having declared that the Judicial
power lhall be yeaed in one iupreme court
and 10 interior courts, and that the ju-
riidiesion of thole courts ihall extend to
a great variety Of caufes, it only remains
to organize them in fuch a form as to rem.
der juaiee fpeedy and certain. And this
the people hayea right to demand at our
hands. IheParties in civil actions are
entitled TO tribunals where jufice will not
lun.ber for the want OF judges to decide.
the unfortunate who are uled of crimes,
and the people who are interefed in pub
lie profecutions, have an equal right to
require, that the innocent, when accuied,
fAaIl befpcedily l.ied and acquitted, & hat
the gully fhall be as fpeedily condemned.
The arguments then which reiate to
the purity Of fate juaice ought TO be laid
entirely aide, and gentlsmen on both
iides of the hcufe ousht TO admir- that The
Legislature mutt provide for fuch an orga-
nizatioa of the courts as will fecure the
fpeedy and certain administration of jaf-
tice: and the quei}ion will again return,
was the old organization of the circuit
courts, and which is to be revived by the
preient bill, adequate TO theie objectsf 4
: After all that has been faid, after the
experience IF ten years, | might fafely
appeal to gentlemen to decide whether
thar fyitem was calculated to accomplish
thefe objects J Sir, there is Rot gentle
man on this floor who can lay his hand on
his heart and pronounce 70 prepoaerous an
opinion.
Indeed fome gentlemen have admitted,
and particularly gentleman from Vermont
(Mr. smith, who was up yefterday, that
the old fyeem was obviouay defective,
and ought TO be changed, but that gen.
tleman had not the goodneis to inform US
what changes he would propofe TO remedy
thefe obvious defctas. If gentlemen are
really defrous of improving the fyaem, |
why DO they purli.e the path of defruc-
rione They admit the defects Of the old |
fhem they mutt admit the advantages
of the new one, and yet they hafen for |
ward to deeroy that which is good; and |
to revive thar which is bad, without pro. |
pofng a Jingle improvement TO render it |
toierable. Sir, this does not look like Il
diipoftion to improve our judicial ar
rangement, il locks more like a deterni- |
nation toproitratc our national courts in
the duff, and to elevate the judicatures eff
2ates on their ruins.
ITO be co4fuued.)