Berkeley and Jefferson intelligencer. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va.) 1802-1810, 1805-04-26

change III the state cons lth'loh ON aH'"'
ing universal suffrage. will in NV opini-
on certainly and rapidly destroy all pro-
lection to property, and all security to
personal liberty and ourrePublioan con-
stl,utlon i'll sink INTO m:b;crHct, the
worst d. ali possible governments.
:" can only Lament that the main pill
lar of our state constitution has been
thrown down, BY the establishment OF
mUprrAoIs"fr0gr. B' this shoe k @la'te,
the Nhnie building totters to is hAse,
and wM crumbe INTO ruins b, fore many
Years elApSe, unless it be 'e>t1'rd 10
its original state. II III. lndcpe n,iencv
OF YOUR state nEg~., which Your h'lI OF
rights " ls~ls declares TO be essential to
the impartial ad1ninisIration of Justice,
and the great seoul to the rights and
liberties OF the ps"N}c> shall be tax n
AwA>, bN the rAitI AlNon at The hill, pass
ed for that purpose, il will pIeuPrttte
the destruction OF our Whole state con-
sutuuon, aad there will be> norAng l,tt
in 1t, worthy the care or support vi !I,e-
men
Admitting these opinion. 10 have be-
intorrr, ana unIounti, q, this Nsp"n'trnt
dsn,es that there wa. AM Ia" VI I> h lur-
bid hun to c<,,rt>, til, IN, in ,hMg~ to
E'AMl iur> and he CONT ndS tnAt lht n
can be no oil nee, Wnhnut ,he breach Ul
some law. ] hcNtr "~. nee ct d' HV"-
,i,m consists, in publishing ats wh',h,
at the time ~nrn lteN N,te AHhe. we're
turbldd, II > nI law. Admitting .he ~
preston ol % Iii, al Opinions b, :, Hy3r,
in his chang to jury, TO br im.y"?vr
and very dangerous acts hi'h nAt hclrG
forbidden b\ law cannot be p':nr>hth.
Hence the nee, >>iN ut new penal Laws;
" h.. IT are ir',r' 'ine 10 TING .GaNod for
the prevention of acts MT before I"rbtd-
den bot found b> t>r,r1enCe to re OF lam
ger0us tendency. 1t has been the PrAct!ce
IN NhlS country, EYER SINCE the beginning
OF the r, olutionM his h $, pArAt, q US trum
Great Britain, 5inr III, jung To e<prcss
from the bopIh, bv Va, OF hA Er to Tie
grand lIrv4nI to enforce f. INC utmost
of their Hfn7'r, such prtiu,"l op,nlnns
as hey tho | correct and "s~I'l. here
hArt<At-h in.tAn, c. IN Win h th> g'>lA-
,iye bodies of this ,oln,rN, have re, ON
y1t ndr d this rat ct ,',e ln"Gr> -nf
it ~a> adopted II, the 'u' 3 VI nc sn-
preme court e th1 Cntt, Il States, =,
soon as the PRESENT A"IelAl aNstem was
eSt+ulisnei. IL IL, lrHi >lltIrc OF the
United St.tts ,rns;i-rcd this IrA,.l,e
as nIrSrh,, vous, t!"gvt"us or liable to
abuse, they III. sht have forbidden it bv
law, u me p,nAlu'. Of wh,,h, such
judges as might ait, rwArds r.nHgr's>
u, would he justly subj, otrd, 81 II t
tor1i|,lirg y, the egst"tnre h bv "
to it an i'm uhcd san,uuR and Tor that
legislature to punish IT bv way Of I'M
pearhIHsnl, wound be 20 convert into
Crime, bv an, e1 post iAt'0 proceeding.
an act whiCh when It was done and At all
tine before, they had III, meelveS virtu-
ally dc ClArcd to he innocent. SuCh cos
duct would be ute rlv sn5verslve OF the
fundamental prin. iple>on which free 60
Vcrnment rests and wuuld lorna pre-
cedent for the most sanyuln4rv and ar
bltrary prosecutions, under the tetms ot
law.
Nor can the correctness Of the potiti-
cal opinions thus expressed. have any
inaueace in deciding ON the guilt or IN
nocente Ola iudg-'s conduct ia express
ing them. For II he should be con.rt
dercd is guilty or innocent, according to
tbs supposed correctness or Incorrect
ness of the opinion, thus expressed BY
him, it would follow, that errour IN po.
hticAl opinion however hcnest!y enter
tanned, mi sht he a crime ; and that \
parry In power might, under this rretr1t,
destroy any Julg=, who might happer IN
a charge to a grand nrN. 10 say some
thing capable OF being CO. str Tod by them,
into political opinion aGVerse 70 their
own system.
There mig hit be some preface for sav-
ing, tina, Tor a Ig4 to utter 1editiou.
sentiments, with in!enttn excite sediti-