Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1822-02-13

beautiful, Is mere udiiS tCCOdfhS iuso
confused barharity; that a paltry re-.
ward often converts into jurymen, the
ignorant or the idle, md finally that to
save money in the administration oflus-
tice we reIinquish or IMPAIR justice itself.
In truth, however, if the fees here al
lowed to lawyers and other officers OF
court, be compared with the rates OF
Virginia, the court expenses Of this
community will, | apprehend, appear
singularly great. AS this point will on
subsequent occasion, be more directly
urged, i leave it in order to contemplate
part of our judicial system, which, let
us hope, is without example and without
parallel. In the year 1916, asenator of
the United States, whom it has lately
become fashionable to suspect of vener-
ating the rights of the people, devised ,
law by which the right ofappealfrom our
court to the supreme court was limited
to cases whore the matter in dispute is
of the value of $1,000. This was in
the stormy days of faction; but party
spirit, usually SO obstinate and SO loud,
became flexible and silent when your
oppression was the object, and the law
passed with contemptuous unanimity.
Its proposer was member of the mi
nority, and this was perhaps the solita-
ry instance in which he could then
have prevailed fl rightly understand
the generous people of the Union, into
none of it's represented portions could
this law have been introduced without
exciting rem onstrance too loud to be
neglected. Even in England, mon
archica country, itwould have reused
that spirit which the proAigacy of her
rulers has failed to provoke. The Court
of Kings Bench, it's highest tribunal
which is purely judicial,is obliged to de-
termine forty shilling causes, and thus
the poorest peasant is made equal in his
rights to the proudest baron. Fellow
Citizens, you are freemen by birth
many of you have shed your best blood
for liberty--you well understand your
rights. Why then are you made the
victims of law which even the subjects
of King would disdainfully trample
on? If any thing can make this impe
rial rescript more abhorrent, it is the
circumstances attending it's enactment.
At the contemporaneous term of the
Supreme Court, many appeals had been
carried to it from the Circuit Court, land
the number of reversals exceeded that
of affirmances. Though it's passage was
unopposed, some of our citizens boldly
expressed their disgust, and | am assur-
ed of Senator's having asserted that
the Senate supposed it to be perfectly
acceptable to the inhabitants of the Dis
trict. Such is the parental care of con-
gress! Such its estimate of our republic
canism! But the argument was rapid
and plausible: 1t feared no very lively
sensibility to their civil rights frsm men
Invested of political freedom. The un-
doubted ability and integrity of the Fe.
no argument in behalf of the law: rea.
son and experience protest against their
decisions being ultimate, and that SIM
ply because their tribunal is in most ca
ses original The law in question ad-
mits, indeed, appeals in particular and
important cases, involving the value of
| ,Sloo, on petition to ajudge of the SUI
preme Court: but the right of the citi-
zen hangs on the discretion of such
judge, and if any of you desire to be
informed in the doctrine of petitions,
consult the annals of the Revolution.
If the discipline of Congress is Sc
we're, their favour is fatal With Ii
berality, now essily appreciated, they
have multiplied our banks, and thus
overwhelmed our solid wealth by a food
OF fictitious capital, and enervated our
energy by the facilities afforded to
expensive luxury. The consequen.
ces of such system must have been
obvious to any enlightened observer
who would delay to view them: sys-
tenn which like the box Of Pandora e.
mtted countless ills, but unlike it
scarcely left hope behind. Trace this
legislation to its cradle, and you will
possibly find some financial protector
whose intimacy with member of Con-
gress facilitated his views:-This nom
Der was influential, either personally or
as representing great state like Vir-
GINA; he asked a charter for bank in
the District: it was granted, for it SEEM
ed better to gratifya representative than
to watch the interests Of community,
who had no right remaining but the
right TO murmur. Many bank charters
made by Congress for the District, have