Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-04-03
An Attempt to -voreatall and rrlslead.

The business in the Supreme Court Of wr;t;ro
reading, and filing opinions, and furnishing them 't'
the public well to those specially interested hO
long had settled course, known to those connao,o
with ITS proceedings. The Judges have never onsu
peculiar prominence to one case over another NJ.
sought to obtrude their opinions upon the public ~
Everything has been left to take the usual conr.-
sanctioned BY the practice of years. The maior;tv
in the Dred Scott case had every reason to beI;aS.
that no new one would be now pursued. Their on;,
ions were written out, read and fled as in othsr AZ
ses, and they were left find their way 10 the M
lie in the accustomed mode, without any special 49,
cy act of theirs They die not seek nor sS .n'
assent, that their opinions should be rushed beioaa
the public for political effect or TO crafty morbid
or feverish appetite for something new. They b.uu
maintained their dignity as we'll as that of thu
Court OF which they are members. We wish ws
could include the dissenting Judges, Mclean .nS
Curtis, in this category Yielding the pressure of
political agators, both stepped aside from the usual
course, and caused, or allowed copies of their opin
ions TO BE- taken and ushsred TO the world thropoh
the partisan presses. These copies must have been
furnisheI before the opinions were delivered WIN
did they submit to this? Can there be doubt ~
Their political friends desired to foreslall pubic
opinion, and break the force and effect of the on;Don
OF the majority. Had all the opinions gone out ~
gether, the public would have Judged of the relative
force OF the facts and arguments presented but bv
hurrying the minority opinions before the public and
disappearing those of the majority, and dstorna
their meaning political advantage could be vained
The agiators counted upon the benefit that thov
could derive from this They understood how
dlcut 1t is to eradicate when once deem rooted
in the popular mind. But one side is heard while
the other is most grossly misrepresened The great
jury of the American people are called upon 10 deter
mine an important cause upon the hearing the arpu
ments upon one side only. Their yerdict ia e.
manded without the other side being listened To-
trial thus conducted, instead of resulting in truth
must mlslead and point TO error good cause needs
| no such undue advantage to sustain it. When the
people fully understand this attempt to mslead they
will look upon the authors of it with suspicion, and
refuse them their confidence. Had the dissenting
judges hed their opinions in the usual manner with.
Cut furnishing partisan papers with copies the pub
tic would not have been subject 10 the receptions
which such papers have pracsed, and the majority
OF the Court would have escaped being traduced by
inscriptions editors and heated partsans. How
these minority judges can reconcile their course with
fairness to their brethren is not easily imagined ex.
cept upon the assumption that they did not under.
stand and appreciate the reck less unfairness of their
their friends TO whom they entrusted their opinions
nor the effects of their own acts
The course OF the opposition in this matter de-
monslrates one position, to wit that they keenly
telt the necessity of new element of agitation
to rally and keep up their thinning ranks. They
had seen thousands of mised Democrats leaving
their standard and returning to their old friends-
Some means of checking further loss was much need.
ed to preserve the show of strength. This may an.
swer temporary purpose, but will soon recol upon
them TRUTH though slow in lis progress, is faith
tu IN It's purposes, and in the end reaches its object
over all intervening errors. 1t may be temporarily
thwarted and delayed but never ultimately defeated
WASHINGTON Union