The New York herald., 1845-03-24
The Famous Antl.Rent Tr,.Is.

/ Anc FAMOUS A0tl.1Scnt 1r10IDs
To-day, the Court of Oyer ard Terminer, now
sitting in Hudson City, begins in good earnest the
'rial OF the antl.rent men, for grave and various
| offences committed in the county Of Columbia. A
Jury was obtained after three or four days OF labo
tious effort, and we hope such jury oi fair and
honest, aud right minded men as will weigh the
evidence dispassonately and give verdict consci
eniousy.
Nothing less than this will exoneratc them from
the obligation imposed by seat in the jury box
These prosecutions are Of great moment to the fu
ture peace and good order OF society. Men called
antrrenters have banded together, assumed disgui-
ses, and organized associations for the avowed
purpose of resisting the rights of person and pro
perty, have assumed an attitude Of open hostility to
the laws of their country, and have resored to ply
sical force, and deadly weapons, to oppose the e-
gal lunconares in doing their duty. lsthis state
of things for civilized country in the 10Th centu
ry? Is this compatible with the genius OF Ameri-
can institutions! Is this 10 be tolerated in the
county of Columbia, in the State of New York :?
These are momentous questions; they are questions
which must be answered, and the sooner the bet
ter; they are pregnant with meaning for every To-
yer OF his country, and the portentous issues which
involved therein are, we may say for the first
lime to be decided by an American Jury.
Ii any there be who regard these anti.rent trials
with no more than ordinary interest, they are little
less than deluding themselves. We know there
are set of persons in this city and elsewhere,
who openly avow their hostility to all property in
land, and perhaps in everything else, who would
hail with rapture the advent of an agrarian law by
which those who acquire property by the exercise
OF that burthensome quality called industry would
be denuded OF all their acquisitions at regularly
| curing periods. And wild as are these notions
they are not dangerous than the principles OF
ant-rensm; indeed.ws do not hesitate to say they
are less dangerous, tor they do not recognize the
| open breach of simple contracts, like the anti
renters; they do not deny the supremacy of cor
stitutOnal law, like the anti-renters nor do they
bad as their opinions are-hy to brute force, and
cowardly DISCUSSES, and deadly weapons, for the
purpose OF propping. them up. Is the deadly in.
fuence, then, OF anti-rentsm TO be winked at, and
| allowed to spread over the whole country, as it
already has done over five or six counties Alba
ny, Rensselaer,, Delaware, Columbia, Cattaraugus,
and Ulster diseased with this eprosy, and 1t ls
likely several others are contaminated with il.
This is no time for the majesty Of law to remain
| unasserted-it has been assaied, and it must be
maintained at any sacrifice.
| The State Of New York has much at stake re-
garded as pecuniary question merely, she is more
concerned in the preservation Of law in all its in
tegrity than any other but what's that considera-
| tion compared with her honor, her unsulied lepu
/ n,
| York knows not reputation she pays her debts,
and performs her contracts but be il remembered,
she will continue TO do so only so long indivl-
duals, who IN the aggregate, are the source Of law
| and authority, are honest, and act in conformity
with these laws. Any spirit Of disafectlon must at
| once be put down there is no time TO wait in the
matter. Strong diseases require strong remedies.
| and therefore the authorities must grapple with
anti-rentism at once, and put it down for ever.
Every country In Europe has i's eyes upon this
one some with the feelings of jealousy, some to
gloat over the downfall they have predicted for it.
But whatever be their motives, they all agree in
scepticism as to the stability Of American insti-
tutions. We not believers these predictions;
we have strong faith in the exalted destiny thai
awaits this country; but we also know the value,
| the indispensable necessity OF vigilance All 60
vernments that ever were corrupt became go by
degrees. They had never became go, but because
inlracti0ns OF law were first negligenty overseen,
not be the case in enlightened America, who has
education, and along with that the history Of past
ages TO admonish and instruct her. Let her moi be
| deceived; the laws cannot, must not, be Knocked
| with impunity.
One grave consideration forces itself upon the
mind in relation to these trials and that is as to whe.
ther the jury will do the right, will act the wisest
part, and prove themselves sensible, as well as ho-
| nest men in their Investigations. We now speak
of them as men-we have nothing to do with theil
opinions or their prejudices, nor have they any
place in the jury box. It Is an indisputablc fact
that jurors err frequently, and for the most part by
reason of entering upon inquiries that do not apper
tain to their functions. Now, whoever enters the
jury box in Hudson city, to try the anti.
renters, are implicitly bound by virtue Of their
oaths, to throw overheard every sentiment
every prediction, every impulse-no matter how
commendable these may be in their proper place
If they could by any means divert their minds
from the simple enqury-have the persons charg
ed committed the acts with which they are in
dcted, and do these acts incur penalty BY
the law of the land? Anything more than this, Il
for the Judge to consider, und we are most anxl
GUS that the jury may act properly, by conhnint
themselves to their legitimate sphere. There is no
| an element of disorganization in existence NOR,
dangerous than the abuse of the powers of jurors
| whether it proceeds from ignorance or corruption
| for when it is abused, farewell to civil liberty
there is then no alternative between the tyranny o
| the mob and the oppression Of law.
| All these topics, and others too, might be appro
priatey discussed in connection with, and as di
rectly bearing upon the trials of the anlireners
, now indicted in Hudson but the limits to whicl
we are confined does not allow of further remarks
at present. Principles Of the last moment to tn.
perpetuity of our institutions involved, and it il
with no little anxiety that the result of these inves
legations contemplated by every well thinking
naan The entire proceedings will be laid before
the public in the Herald, and due attention will b,
given to the developments as they may be ecitet
in the evidence from day to day.
Theatrical and NIualCal