, 1843-04-22
,ot . court of law. and therefore the

strict rules that govern other courts. l
am no lawyer and shall not pretend to
argue this point; but l will say that an
idea extensively prevails in the commu-
nifty that, some principles of justice
reside, or it is supposed should reside
even in the county court. But if this
precedent set by the Hon. Judge Ed
wards, be one of justice, equity, or fair
dealing, heaven save me from any such
justice. Butt may be argued that the
petition indirectly censured the action
Of the court, and that therefore they had
a right TO be heard in seii 1etence. And
again, that the petition contained oprn-
ions, mot statements, as intimated by the
Judge) calculated 10 deceive and mislead
the people, and that his immediate aid
unanswerable reply was necessary in
order TO prevent too great a number OF
the :ignorant' people from signing said
petition as silly as he represents it. If
the latter alternative be admitted as his
motive for the publication, then it admits
the truth of my inference, that it was
published for the express purpose of
torestalling public opinion before tine Pc
tition had time 10 be seen in circulation.
But if the first position, to wit, self de-
fence, be assumed as the justification,
then think it must be apparent that the
county courts in general will have
enough to do to attend TO the vindication
oftheir private matters and public con-
duct, if they must enter into a public
newspaper investigation of every charge,
public or private, of error of judgement,
that may be brought against them; for
howeve. perfect and incapable of any err
ror this court may be, still there may be
some weak and Ignorant" enough not to
be sensible of it, and may even be rash
enough to express such an opinion OPEN
ly, and then you see there is another ne
cessity for self defence which might keep
a newspaper constantly full of such con-
troversies. But in sober earnestness
Mr.. Editor, as perfectly absurd and ri
diculous as this %pretension is, as l think
must be apparent 10 every intelligent
gentleman who will examine the subject.
l should not have thought of saying one
word in relation to his long and self-com-
placent production if it were not for the
i%nsolent tone and insulting i~nsinuations
which pervade the whole communication
towards a portion of the people of the
county, perhaps not much more 'igno-
rant" than himself, and who may posi-
bly, be found in the end not to have
guessed" much far Their from the truth
than did the projectors of our splendid
state house walls at jefferson City; and
i hope MAJ not be accused of speaking
irreverently for adding, that it is possible
that the new court house and Mr.. Mil
ler's prophecy ESQ called) may be COM
pleted Fear about the same time. But to
return. l have already intimated that it
is not my purpose to argue the propriety
or improperly ofthe action of the court
in this matter, or the merits or state
ments of the petition, and though l be-
lieve it might easily be shown, that his
honor has misrepresented or misconstfu-
ed the arguments ofthe petition as l have
understood them to be. l shall leave the
public to determine that matter them
selves. My business is with the style
and language Of this man "dressed up in
a little brief authority" to a portion o.
the people, his masters, at least accord.
ing to the theory Of some protested politi.
clans. 1t is perfectly apparentthroughou
his whole production that he assumes this
petition 10 be a mere instrument in The
hands of a few interested individuals,
and those who sign it as mere puppets
in their hands, whose Ignorance" is SC
%lamentable that they cannot see nor I'M
derstand the delusion and deception prac-
tised on them by "those who seem Sc
much concerned about the welfare ofthe
dear people" and that nothing can dispel
the thick clouds of their ignorance but
the luminous display ofhis (the Judges
effulgent genius. To prove that such is
the evident design of his very respectful
and gracious speech from the throne
of towering ~seif-conceit, it is only neces-