Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-03-24
RHonE ISLAND LEorsLAr,oN.-Thcrc are

RHoDE ISLAND LEorsLATioN.-Thcre are
some very queer people in this little State, and
10 Judge from what was done in their Leoisa-
| lure last week, the queer ones seem to have got
holiday just now, and are making use Of ftheir
new privileges to cut very drol sort of ca.
per. The Legislature, by majority Of one in
each branch h,s passed an act 10 mutlate the
record Of the Supreme Court, which tried and
| sentenced Dorr for rebellion, in order, as tlli.
! Dogberry declaration literally afiirn . that the
judgment Of the court mly be rendered 'in all
respects MS f 1t had neutr been rendered."
| The Boston Post, in commenting upon this
act exclaims. "WeI dUne, Rhode Island ~
| There is line written BY French satiris,
Of the following Import
Tn sot trouve toujours, un plus grand sot qu Fad
miro.
In plain English No blockhead so great bu
he finds greater blockhcad 10 admire hlm.-
Certainly the blockheadisn that attempts 10
roll back the tide ot time, and contradict the
plain proposition that "whatcver is, is," can be
paralleled only by the blockheadism that pro-
nounces 1t well done. "There never was any
such thing AZ DORIS trial and sentence" SAYS
the Legislature OF Rhode sland,--"we dec are
so by Il majority of one. Metaphysics and
chronology will therefore govern themselves
accordingly, and put Dorr TO rights. What
has been has mol been; time past .is not past |:
we are all going into state of pre-exlstence,
and shall paddle up the stream Of time ill we
get back to The point we started from some
years ago. Sam Patch was of opinion that
some things can be done as well as oihers--re
say some things c,n be undone as well as 9TH
ers, and made in all respects as if they had
never beenn"
The absurdi'y and buresque Of this pro
ceedlng must be apparent to every one. Either
Dorr was rebel or he was not. II he was,
the Legislature has practiced what 10 tanta-
mount to a forgery. On the other hand, if he
WIS not rebel, then the Dorr government is
the true one. and this Legislature is usurping
body. without authority to do anything: an in
evirable consequence of which is, that the &C,
they have passed is void ard of no effect, As
a matter of curiosity, we should like to know
which horn Of the dilemma these gentlemen in
tier wisdom choose to sit upon for pleasant
seat Just now. To be consistent, they should
h I'VE introduced their time and fact-annihila-
ting law with preamble to this efftct:-
"Whereas, as we, the present Legislature of
Rhode Island, are an usurping and illegal body,
without power or authority to enact anything,
th"rcforc-Be it enacted" etc.
We have read of an Irish municipality that
voted to pull down their old jail and BUILD
new one OF the materials Of 1t 1.-THE PRISON.
ers to remain In the old jail TIL the rev one
was finished" The Rhode Island Legislature
has COPIED this bright example. 1thas enacted
a law the very purport of which is 10 deny Its
own power of enac,ing anything. 1t has disa-
vowed its own authority by an act of formal
self stulufcaion. Between Doors Govern
ment, which is non-exis,ent, and the present
Government, which, according to their doctrine,
is non-auhcrized and illegal, the ,aplent legs-
lators Of the State hnd1themselves where the
Irish prisoners were, landed between the two
iails-just nowhere at all.-Bosion Courier.