The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1825-11-21

drinking, and all the evils which follow m
its train. One of our militia field, might
afford any other idea than that of = Crm-
pus .Hdrtius. Bacchus IS more the reien-
ing Deity than Mars and, if the old war
god could descend and view the mixture If
white spirits and black. blue spirits and
grey" whose app stanre would exhibit ra-
Their Disposition tn "alow in q hor-sty
than be chained tn his car, he would
driv" his indignant wheels ever their neck..
and swear, like Herr, the 5lh. that he had
"never seen such piiilol rascas."
II we were disposed To he merry an an
occasion in which we conceive such deem
interests to be involved, We might. without
any effort, draw nm humorous sketch of
the exercises of a Virginia muster-day.- -
II would require neither genius to invent.
nor fancy to ampllfy. A literal deta, 81 the
occurrences which actually take place
would b. al-suflicent; and like all picture.
Dame has shaken off ceremony, and ap
pears m her garb of unadornrd sinnllcity,
it "ould be n richer treat tnau any cares,
tnre, ho"e'e embelIished by the esagg-ra.
tons IT vivid pencil or lntrrpnla a by
thu creations of a fruitful wit We should
not even allndr tn this disgrsr.fuI aud .,e-
grading part Of The subject at all, were II
not to sho" lhe glarlng injustice oft,e de-
clsIon of The late tourt of Enuli,y h-ld IN
bynchbGrg, Tor the assessment of (inrs,
for the cd Battalion OF the SD Regiment.
lnopposltlon to iii former decrsronr, aud N
violation of the spirit though IN perfect ac-
cordance, we admit, with the hiier oftiI,
Militia law, that court assessed the fines for
non-attendance at these buriesqmts on
military porades, during the last year, in
Discriminatory al 81, when heretofore, we
believe, it has never exceeded Is cents, px-
crpt in particular instances, when citizens
had manifested determination, 90 all oc-
casions, 10 slight the reqslsilious of the
law. Why the old rule was departed from,
in this solitary instance, we contrHs we are
At Il loss Ia know. Whatnew occasion has
arisen, which, in the estimation of the off
GERS of that Battalion, called for more tN-
rmplary punishment for the non-prrIor.
nance of duty than has heretofore been
deemed requisite and just, WE have not had
the good toriune To learn. Why dat the
lar ieare so ia,gea .feid open for The crrr-
Else ofo sound discretion By the Courts n
Enquiry? IT seems To us, that, if the mem
hrrs of the Court rad asked thpmspI,r.
this question, and renecte ed for a singh mo
memt, they would have at once perceived,
that Us design wa 10 atFord them the OPP
portuniiy of placing the fine to the MINI
tend muster seldom occurred, and At the
mGrtmum, when Cases of delinquency
were universal and aggravated. Here, AS
on almost every other subject, the happy
mean between the two extremes would
have been more Just. as il would mdouht-
eddy have been more satisfactory. IN me-
dio tutissinns IBIS, should have been tn.
maxim Of thu Court. Instead f that
however they verg.d IN the oppressive ex-
1rcmc and. what Is worse, they knew no
IIEtI in fbpiy Al e
most guilty and the mnt innocpJt. Ncry
confounded ~ verdict,
which we cannot hrlp considering ~ ia, sh
and unjust. What is the oh pet of all laws2
Certainly IN aiiix In every act violating
injury that their vioaiion nay produce
Did the State, or this town, or any indiyI-
dual, suffer the least injury by tn" non-at-
Tendance OF the delinqnents, in the four *
hbitons of corp-staks and canes vhich
we have been pleased to dignity with the
title Of parndes that toot place during thr
late Military year ? II no injury was sns
tanned, as we contend, theu the fines should
have been made as low as possible, parti
cularly in relation to those who show, on
every occasion in their power, u di-po~'ti n
to perform every duty required Of them
by the laws. however onernns and howe
yer useless that duty may be-. Irthe Court
viewed the constant and urvaryn5 non
appearance of some persons on the muster
groond, as u contemptoflhe laws Of The land
~ hrl ought IN be- more srriousIy dealt
with than Mad been heretofore thouSIt ne
&c ssary, they onsat To have selected these
from the mass aud not sentcn-