The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-05-09
The Legislature.

Ano A0BisAasui0'
The legislature of 1856 will be memorable
in history. That it will constitute char
ter in the annals Of the State, famous OF
Infamous, we cannot doubt. Nor arc we
anxious to auspicate the future and decide,
We calmly await the abiding Judgment Of
time, whatsoever it may DO. We have felt
sad Mt recent events, in common no doubt
with most Of our readers, yet we know NOT
that we ought Justly to feel even 30. The
battle is the Lords, not ours. II is the great
battle of centuries heightened down into the
present, in which it is ours to bear an hum.
ble part. Whatever may be the fortunes Of
to-day, we are not discouraged. The con-
flict will DO renewed. The armies OF the liy.
ing God after having many times wavercd,
been many times repulsed, and covered again
and again with all the shame Of defcat,-
will regather, will rcduplicate, and in the
chosen hour with resistless might achieve
victory final and complete. This we anticl.
pate rs we believe in God and his Son. lie
Is " King Of old, working salvation in the
earth" This great fact Of Providence, il
the sheet anchor of our hopes. 1t sustain'
us in defeat, restraints the natural clation Of
victory, and compels selfhumiliation even
then. Guided by the light of truth, We
can yield neither to dependency nor vain
glory. We believe indeed the darkest chap.
ter ever put into the history of Maine, has
been recently completed. What has this leg.
islature done? What have they done affect.
ing vitality the great interests of humanity?
They have repealed an act for the more
sure restraining Of men, foreigners by birth
and alien in spirit to our institutions, from
premature, unfit and unlawful voting at the
polls. It's ono Of the admonitory lessons oil
history, that however popular liberty may
be, and however it may be acquired, it can
be preserved only by the conscious intelli.
gcncc of the people. 1t seemed therefore in
the spirit of true American Craftsmanship
to have been provided, that foreigners should
be precludcd from illegal and indecent haste
in voting. This additional defense of lib
erty has been removed.
II was provided that officers and property
of this State shonld not be employed for the
arrest and detention Of fugitive slaves. But
it was odious to have such statute as this
in favor of liberty and against slavery 1t
was therefore repealed.
Tho temperance law has been overridden,
free sale Of liquor has been legalizcd, and all
may now drink to drunkenness ut will. AS
for this legislature, every thing hitherto
gained for Temperance, has been surrender
ed. They declare the people to have pro-
nounced against tho advocates Of temper
ance, and pretend to.congratulate themselves
upon their own agency in achieving the
present, as we think, fool-hardy and disas-
trous results. We say pretend, for VIC feel
bound to award to some of these gentlemen,
more conscience, than they would have us
believe they possess. We shall not concede
to them for one moment, that they are SO
hardened or benightcd Us to approve inward.
ly that which they have outwardly done and
do. 1t is some other approval than the up.
probation Of conscience which they seek,
and are content to receive. In one rcspcc,
these gentlemen are fortunate. We allude
in mercantile phrase, to quick returns =
They have not to wait long for reward OF
their labOrs. Valiant and successful men
Their reward is with them! They have ne
sooner put on the harness, than the battle
is won Trophies Of success almost every
where greet the eye, and cries Of victory the
ear Other friends of temperance, mos,
able and toilsome laborcn in its behalf
have wrought more than quarter of GEN.
fury, and have not overcome, but these gen,
tlemen, as by the fat of power, overcome in
moment; They leap to victory at 4
bound! Singular, wonderful, is the geniu,
of these men; Even before they had beer
iuaugurated their reformatory agency, the
world was feeling its power by anticipation
But since it has been cast full grown into
the lap Of Society, 1t has wrought instantly
magically, nightly! The last great meas
ure of our wise men of the State, IL climac
teric. They have laid the axe at the roo
of the tree, and the judiciary, for the time
has fallen under their blows. A little NOR,
brass, little moro contempt of right, is all
they need at any time when it may sui,
their pleasure, to detrudc any other judg,
from his place, who has the honor to hold Q
seat upon the Supreme Judicial Bench
Ethically constitutionally, legally analysed
this measure resolves itself as the solo re-
siduum, into thing Of might. And all
history shows that might has never beer
wanting in derioes by which to accomplish
its will. In the battle of constitutions
liberty, we are thrown back for the time
some two hundred and fifty, or three hun.
dred years. We are all that distance asterr
of our supposed position. This judicial &c,
Of our legislature and Governor, has com,
upon us like the pcaling of tremendou,
og-bell-warning us that we had fearfully
mistaken our position, and exaggerated tn,
distance We had come. 1t seems like hyper
bole to say it, and yet il is nakcdly true
that our constitutional liberty has been with
cool eflrontery trampled upon and stalket
over. Ii is not with mems acts as with
their thoughts. The latter may be narrow
while the former reach the center and cir.
conference of things. We do not suppose
the men who have led in measures of which
we speak, have Mt all realized the depth
and breadth of their own actions. They
have shown themselves sharp men, intense
men, redoubtable men. For much more, We
cannot praise them. To see sharply in a
straight line ahead, as the horse with blind.
ers sees, is not seeing wisely, is not wisdom.
Wisdom is truly great. Its depth of Judge
ment, breadth of view, nobleness of purpose
and grasp of results, command our admira-
ton. For absence Of this attribute, some
will think the last legislature is entitled to
prominence.
One of our Judges has been charged with
coniounding and confusing the operations Of
the government. 1t would certainly be
modest in the accusers before they make such
charge, to look after the original sin or
cause of this judicial depmvity. Is ii not a
well understood rule Of the common law,
that IL there be doubt about the meaning or
intent ola constitutional provision or stat
ute law, the executive whose duty il IL to