Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-01-09
RECOMMENDING JGRlES.

The gentleman from Mississippi, I'hIh"' N'''lhdl'u '"'
,hrrr w.rc To- be- some MdIclmcui-, ma /" friend ii his sG-.
a,-:.,l tlai II roHus yivuIIn Judge had charged Il grand J"'
p, , ans, HE Know. Sn:usu.-" W'iL. ~. rh'r" m'n
have. done uI;iIms yet except 10 '"rry III election IL re- AN.
,hrt,. rni tina, !, no, treason. even 'nuU.ir II Pcnu-y l"nn!r
Judge di c!mG. - It jay ;Ea; certain iI'"-. r,uli MOI ~
zone cot ou.lt not iu TO- dom, ~ w'r" criminal ia point "'
irw. III, II l., the people whJ are passing through itI"'"
avenues. ,ao-c who m,kr Judges and district ";i"r'"$''
nmi they "il take care al them all. They wui 'akn care
ui III" jUrics nIi snerI:1 NJ well as jGdsr'.-tHr """"H "
Speech.
Thi. il nm ox,rac, irom Mr.. Banke'- speech in de-
! fence ni the Know Nothing. |; informs the public
that iurics hereafter ara To jc taken "'c ". What
docs the gentleman from Massachusetts mc"1 by
this Have not the iurlrs "f tins country been taken
care OF before Has the republic been existing under
liz present constitution for more than three score
years, and are It's iuric. now {" he attended 4" Tor the
first time! The constitution provides n follows:
I'm all criminal prosecutions the accused shall en-
JOY the right Ia II speedy and public trial, by M i'm
partial jury oi the State and district wherein the crime
shall have been committed, Nc.
In suits M common law, where the value III con-
;r"vcrsv shall exceed twenty dollars, the right ri trial
by jury shall he preserved
In the different States 81 the Union there arc cor
responding provisions, and the statutes Of the
lir! do not fail Ia recognise the rights md duties
q; Jurors by the most full md careful lr"'i9'"ns'-
The trial By Jury. however Is '7eci''n's " "".'r'
I,v institution, |; is one III hose munImcnt> cot tree
d,,o which ,,nc with our fathers from England.-
Lord Brpurham once said that the Whole machinery
Of the S:ate wa. Designed 10 brIms twelve men INK"
the ,urv.bnX 10 dcridc IN questions '"h"ec''" WIN
liberty and property. This il M exaggerated idca oil
il. Importance hy IN English peer; but 1t Is non"
the l..s cherished As n safeguard OF liberty by 'iIc
American people. The juror among lsis everywhere
regarded rs filling M important place. ana c"er-
cisiuC the grnvrsi functions. Inc ives ann property
OF hs fellow -mcn are intruStcd partially 10 his keep
iur. IT,. deal, with great interests. There IL oman
~ high tina, h. may not be brought before him. or 5"
low rs To hc sure 1T escaping his Judgment. lhc
idea oi corruption in such nm officer il shocking 10
.,.A-., ,,pI "a. l.. In ne. u srrf,,nl mum md IrII,s'--
He ~ 10 try the causes submitted To him ''nc-
cn,linE 10 the law and the evidence lie
ia 10 be controlled "ncither by fear, tnv'r, nor the
hope Of reward" Proof tha; he has been %tRuprrrd
with, nr has even been tx posrh &" improper influences,
is n cause TOR new trial. 1t is criminal 10 approach him
with n bribr. While lc dclIbcratcs. he Is. ~ tar as
possible. kept from tcmptailon. The jury room l.
guarded by an officer. Nothing In left undunc which
seems likely tn a-.lsr in securing 10 every citizen the
riyht uf .air trial hy an impartia! jury. An announce
mcnt that this trial cannot be had IN The lItcd States
~ sufficient 10 shnck the pablo SENSE throughout the
Union. To feel that the avenues ot justice are inter
ruptcd is L" feel THAI one ol ia" grcht purposes oi our
Government has failed. What, then, wr ark agaiG,
does Mr.. Banks mean by Mk,hr carr ri Judges ana
iurirs What IS tn he done with tl:Cml What no
'v,ltv in judicial practice is Ia be introduced What
fresh method has been found Of reaching the minds
md cnuscirilccs of those who sit nn the bench or in
the panrl l. the underground railroad 10 hc con-
nected with our courts Of justice Are jurors tn he
auproachcd through tho covered passages oi the 81
crit Crdsr! Arc onlis TO be administered Ia them III
.iarknoss which will control any other oaths they may
take in the face Of day. Are cnuses i'll court To be
determined not upon their merits, but by the relations
If the parties engaged 10 the knuw-N"thing conspl-
rGcy! -, ~
These questions nre Of deep importance. Til" flip
pnu; language al the member from Massachusetts on
The subject Of Judges and jurics, Mt least h"'tr""c< n
,Iuugrr from secret associations, it il d"rs not Mr"H''M
one. Everybody knows now difficult 1t II III cases al
prrvnding excitement 10 yet M impartial jury from
the virinagc o: the TRANSACTION To- he inquired at. Ih"
abolition excitement has revealed this difficulty, ani
there nrr some localities where n violation 81 the iu-
ri,ivc slave Lw could moi b. realily punished for this
reason. There are others, we Judge from the pnpcrs,
where the Mainc-liquor laT ha- 30 far divided society,
ns 10 bring about n similar difficulty. But what must
h.. thought, in any community, nt Il secret society cX-
i<tinC there, whose members av"w their intention In
take care of Judges and lurVc-l These members are
unknown: they d." not reveal themselves; nay, by
nnltcrinr with words, they constantly drng their mem.
hcr-lip: they participate III social cnlnvmcnts and
uplitlcnl duties 0J1f' ground, AMI chuckle, donbt-
less, as they rcpor: proceedings h7n" ground
Who can tell when unc at there JcsuIts Of
the new ordUr j. ut his side! Who can tell
when 10 challenge him on a jury, ur how 10 trust luIn
us n witness a care occurred not long ago in IN
eastern STATE, where a grand jury refused Ia find a
bill agains. certain persons charged with an assault
upon 4 Roman Catholic prirst, although the evidence
was said TO he conclusive: and it was understood
that those Of the jury who defeated the bill were
Knuw-No;hings. That iary was TAKEN CARE Or
Are ALL the iuTcs in the tuInn la be taken care ri
in II SIMILAR manner! And The Judges, tool And
the shcrifs! They whose decd, are in darkness have
NEED prrlaps Ia take the courts of Justice into their
charge. Their trRio may n"r thrive unless they do
this. But woe unto the people where the laws and
their ministers are thus taken care Of! In opcn pro-
cr"inca il is the cnurt- who take care Of the crInI-
nnl.. In secret arrangements II mnv he that the cri-
minnls ao 10 control the COURT. - Washington E"aOH.