The Litchfield County post., 1828-07-24

of oath. lt would therefore be idle to administer oath to man who disregards it's obligation. And every person who believes tn the obligation of oath, whatever may be his religious creed whether che Christian, Mahomeian, or Pagant or whether he disbeeves them all, IS admissible witness and may sestiy m Court of Justice, being sworn according to that form of an oath, which, according to his creed, he holds to be obligatory"
 The following observations are quoted by the late Judge Swift, in his Digest, from Chief Justice Spen cer, in announcing the law of New-YOrk on the same point:
 "ReigIon is subject upon which every man has a right think according the dictates of his under standing. It is a solemn concern between his science and his God, with which no human tribunal has right to meddle. But m the development of facts and the ascertainment of truth human tribunals have right interfere. They are bound to see that mans rights are impaired or taken away, but thrO the medium of testimony entitled to belief and no tes nmony IS entitled to credit unless delivered under the sOlemnity of an oath which comes home to the science of the witness, and will create tie arising from his belie that false swearing will expose him to punishment Tn lie to come. On this great principle rest all our constitutions, and especially the dstribu ton ot justice between man and man"
 "An Oath, says Judge Swift, 'is an appeal to the Supreme Being for the truth of what witness says, and an mprecatlon of divine vengeance if he swears to falsehoOd. The sanction of an Oath depends up- on higher considerations than the temporal pains and panaes of perjury, for, in many instances, from the nature the transaction, the witness be beyond their reach. There is not only moral obligation to speak the truth enforced by of conscience for violation of it, but there is religious sanction ar sing froma belief in the existence of God, and tu ture state of rewards and punishments.''
 ''Let it simply be asked" says Mir. Justice Wash ington where is the security for property for repu tation, for life the of religious obligation desert the oaths which the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice"
 However lightly some may consider this part ofthe oath it is equally obligatory with every other pert, and violation of may subject you here to fine and
 
 thatawfnl responsibility to rc every sub bjects, hinSelf, who, to a solemn observation, adds the reL gious sanction, ''So help me God thai is deal with me, ESQ help me God,' as do do perform this promise "-Charge of Chief Justice Eddy, ot the Su- preme Court of R. L
 It would be'well if writer in the Times,-who, ,un- der the wing of Judge Peters, is directly attacking Justices HosHaer. 4annan, and Dagget, though to their agency alone this law owes its existence, conGne hmselfto general principles, and controvert, ifhe be able, the above rational opinions of some of the ablest men m our land.
 The above extracts so thoroughly to the point, that 1t is entirely cessary add another word up the subject until they proved to have been the fruits ofbigo'ry' ignorance, and superstition.
 #According the official returns made to the Secre- ary of War; relative to the and condition of the army of the United States, bearing date Oct. 31, and Nov. 5 1897, appears that the number of non-com missoned officers, musicians artcers, and privates, at that date, making the actual strength ofthe army, was 4,368. Ofthese, 587 were reported sick-226 in arrest or rconfnement-2,926 in ordinary "or duy," and 391 on daily duty. Fromrths statement we learn that about eUery seUemh in the service conf- ned by sckness-that about one in nineteen was held as prisoner under arrest or in confinement, and that but about one man in eleven in the performance ofacual daily duty. And this does appearto have been an extraordinary case of sickness among the troops ofdisorderly conduct In one of the docu- accompanying these returns,s stating the number of new recruits which will be wanted to supply vacan- cies in the army, for the year lG29 to the number casoned by the expiration ofthe terms of enlistment IS added O00 for 'casuaes by death, desertion, and discharges for ina6iHy'' Hence it appears that the number of one in sick, all the time, and about one in five or six dying annually, ;s evidence of uncommon degree of sickness death in the army But where else do meet with such alarming pro- portion of diseased and dying men? Should an cpl demic visit any of our towns, and carry such hay this in its tran history could only point the earthquake and the plague, for paraiiEtto it. Should such mortality visit the city of New-York, in one year it would sweep off upwards of 6o 900 of it's in habitants The forts in which these unhappy victims of death stationed, are generally situated upon some commanding eminencc, airy, salubrious, and healthy. Neither are the when they enlist aflic- ted with incurable diseases None but the young, healthy, and robust, pass muster with the recruit ing officer What is it then that sends many of our fellow men to an early and dishonored grave? The an- swer is given by the Commissary General, in his ad. vertisement for 9l 100 gallons of whskey, be SUD- piled within the period of nine months! 2847 barrels of first proof whisey annual< distributed to about 4 coo men No marvel that Death, with all his horrid train of diseases, regns triumphant in the army No marvel that cue thousand recruits are annually called for, to supply the vacancies occasioned by death, &c. This mighty stream of liquid poison, fur nished from the national treasury. sufficient to sweep that number of men off the stage with ease. And now let us look at the expense which this wanton waste of life brings upon the treasury. The of the whskey including transportation the different stations some of them from 5000 miles will be at least 50 cents per gallon making 45,550 dollars; pretty round sum with which to disable and kill American soldiers It would enable an enemy to pay for 1920 scaps at S25 each, the usual rate given during the last war. But this sun is not all the actual expense which this whis key brings upon the treasury The Adjutant General Tn his estimate ofthe expenses of the Recruiting Ser vice, allows bounty of SIP per man, for new recruits