Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1855-08-01
From the Grant County Herald.
U. s. DISTRICT CGrRT-NiCHINE LAW
COURT AND -DEClSIDNS FOR
PLAINTIFFS,

Mr.. EDITOR: l send you list of
Judge Miller's Judgments and verdicts
so far as they have been announced In
his Court the present term. The pro-
ceedings of yesterday show one case in
which defendant succeeded This was
the case of Caleb Gushing against Wiram
knowlton, State Judge, for Illegally is
suing an injunction. Il was not serious
ly contended by the plaintiff in this case
that he could recover In every other
case you will perceive the plaintiff sue
ceeds and RECEIVERS judgment. [ own
with humiliation and shame, that the
members of the legal profession here, with
some honorable exceptions, are In favor
of sustaining this terrible jurisdiction to
the uttermost. 1t is perfect carnival
for the lawyers who prey upon the prop
erty of the labOring classes. The poor
farmer sows his grain in the spring and
rapacious lawyer resps the crop, or garn-
ers it in the fall He builds his little nest
in the dells of Grant County, but there
the hyenas Of the Court pursue him
Mr.. Cover, | have passed through scenes
since have been here, such rs | did no.
think could occur in a civilized country.
\ Federal Judge has decided that i'll civil
cases, he could enquire into the conscien-
tious scruples of men, and when / dared
to object. the Marshal WAS ordered to lay
his hands on me, and put me down. L
heard a Judge declare in the Booth case.
to the jury, tbat the right of the plaintiff
was just as clear as an action on a prom
issory note, and when I said Judge had
no right so to tamper with jury, he or
dered Marshal Ableman to take me out
of Court, but when he seized me the cow
ardly tyrant remanded the order. The
acts of wrong [ have witnessed, in the
few days | have been here, the utter ab-
of the right of trial by jury,
open and .neering insults heaped on every
man who had conscientious scruples
against the slave code; when [ heard q
a Federal Judge declare that such men
were not ft to be enrolled among the list
of jurors, even to be rejected, such in
suits, such outrages have given to the few
days | have been here the significance
of years Be assured Mr.. Cover. that |
would do any act whatever, which my fell
low citizens would justify, in protecting
their property from absolute plunder-
They are not here, 80 | can take their ad-
vice
The Judge has decided he can take
c0gnizauce of all cases, even of So In
value, if the plaintiff claims over $500 in
his declaration The amount of recovery
is only a question of costs. If the State
Courts does not protect cur citizens from
such bold usurpation the people must elect
Judges who will. Be not persuaded by
the interested lawyer that the people have
no right to enquire into a mans judicial
opinions. when candidate for Office -
The very hypoerites, who declaim against
this doctrine avow, that if In the Senate
of the United States, they would vote
against such men as ST." Ssward,
Chase, if nominated by Pr,.o-.... '~,r a
judicial Office under the Federal Go ern-
ment-and why Because these men are
" id Abolitionists, and would decide
the Fugitive Slave Law unconstitutional
These are the very words of one of these
lawyers. The Judge declares that, ac-
cording to the practice of the Federal
Courts, a jury in expectant eases is mere
matter of form He orders them to find
in favor Of the plaintiff, and this disposes
of the ease. He has decided that to sus
tain claim for the improvements, under
a tax title deed, the validity of the deed
or assessment must be supported by as
rigorous proof as is required 10 support a
plaintiff claiming title TO tie la,ad under
the deed. He is possessed of no talent
except a skulkiDg cunning in constituting
every legislative act, every rule Of evi-
deuce so as to defeat justice in the par
ticular cause. When obviously charging
Justice, he indicates himself by laying
the fault at the door of the State Legisla-
ture. or to the inexorable rules Of law
Bat he viii not allow a jury to mollify the
finty surface of the law by the solvent of
natural Justice in any case. | have never
known man possessed of a mental con-
stitution 50 unfortunate. Every generous
growth Of nature is buried under the Stag
Of obsolete precedents The lamp of nat
ural justice appears to be extinguished in
his bosom nor is its place supplied by
enlightened science, but by the dim phos-
phorescence cleaning from the decayiDg
bores Of John Doe and Richard Roe, the
spooks who haunted Courts of Justice in
days of yore. ] can compare his mind to
nothing so exact as the pod of 9 jimpson
weed ali thorns and poisonous prickles
WiLHDuS. Guu ~ VI oO bthSh TTNL-CCHGC~t1
seeds aud fetid pith within.
Now have the people any remedy2 can
the State Courts copstitutionally protect
thcm2 l aver they can. There is no
doubt Of it.
I. The State Court can claim the right
OF constituting the constitution, and the
laws f Congress made in pursuance
thereof; nor is their decision subject to
review by the Supreme Court of the Uni
ted States But these points have been
settled in the Booth and Ryecraft cases :;
our Supreme Court having refused to
obey the writ Of error from tho Federal
Courts.
IL The jurisdiction Of Court is open
to enquiry in any other Court where the
Judgment of the former is relied on or
pleaded New eren Judge Crawford In
the haBeas corpus OF Booth and Ryecraft