Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-06-11
From the New York Observer.]
THE SUPREME COURT TO BE
HETNG

ency, for if the Judge was ~deranged, he
ought to be cured, not cursed.
Another Daniel has come to judgment
in the person of a late member of Con
gress from this State, more distinguished
for dollars than sense; who writes a let
ter reaching this conclusion
"Had we a government worthy the
name of government it would much
sooner think of hanging Chief Justice
fancy and his associates, than of hang
ing those who refuse to submit to their
devilisms."
With great regard, your friend,
GERRIT SMITH.
There is, therefore, a great discrep-
ancy of opinion between the cursor and
the writer of this letter. Cheever pro-
nounces the Chief Justice insane /; Smith
thinks a good government would hang
the Judge for his opinion, in preference
to hanging rebels and traitors Now, if
Cheever's testimony is true, the Chief
Justice ought not to be hanged Surely
insanity is as good a plea in behalf of a
judge as a murderer. The lawyers in
this-eity tried-Aaf
quilted of the crime of forgery, on the
score of his being insane in the matter
of making paper" One doctor of me-
dicine declared Huntington morally in
sane. One doctor of divinity has de-
clared the Supreme Court morally in
sane. The jury did not believe the
medical man the people do not believe
the divine. So the forger was sent to
prison, and if the sentence of Smith is
inflicted, the Chief Justice and his
associates must be hung.
The rawlings of such mon as Cheever
and Smith would be fearful, if they
were not foolish, Folly does not make
their wickcdness less, but it wcakens
their power of evil and we do not ap-
prehcnd that the sober judgment of the
American people will be perverted by
the charge of insanity hurled from the
pulpit or by the proposal of an cx-
member of Congress to hang the judges.
The time was, and VIC trust it is not
gone by, when freedom Of opinion was
regarded as one of the birthrights of
American citizens. Our religious and
our civil institutions respect and secure
the right of every man to think for
himself, and to express his opinion in a
proper time and manner without being
in DANCES of persecution on that account.
But there is no class of men so intoller-
ant of the opinions of others, as these
self-appointed advocates of universal
Nfrcedom.
men III judicial station have not as good
a right to their opinions and express
thcm, as private citizens And if they
are bound by an oath to give their judg-
ment according to the law and the Con-
stitution; is it not their privilege to
pronounce that deliberate and sol
emn judgment, without being assailed
by the Cheevers as " maniacs,' or con-
demned by the Smiths to the gallows.
This persecution for opinions sake is
a revival of the days of racks and thumb
screws and faggots and inquisitions.
The Puritans sought a country where
they could exercise the right of private
Judgment, and hold their own opinions
without being ~dragooned or denounced
from the altar. But a son of the Puri-
tans, in the year of our Lord 1857,
stands up at the altar and CURSES the
Supreme Court of the United States for
their OPINIONS. In the phrensy of his
intolerance he pronounces the Court
insane, and the opinion they have rem
| dered of no more worth than the opin-
ion of maniacs. And then a famous
non-resistant orator arises and says if
we had a government worthy the name
of a government, it would hang these
seven audacious judges sooner than it
would hang rebels! But this preacher
and this orator, Chcevcr and Smith,
profess to love liberty and to believe in
free speech! And they would SHUT the
mouths OF the judges by sending them
to an insane asylum, or hang them by
the neck, because they have complied
with their oath of Office, and given their
individual opinion on a constitutional
question! 1t is we'll for liberty of con
science and freedom of opinion, that
the Cheever's and Gerrit Smiths are
few in our day; IF there were enough
of them to get poacer, they would esta-
blish an inquisition and plant gibbets
in the streets and the cutters ran blood,
the cry of oppressed humanity would go
up as it did in France, 90 Liberty !
achat crimes are enacted IN thy namer
But these are not the representative
men of our age. They are wild with a
fanaticism of liberty slaves to an idea
that defes God, and the Constitution,
and the rights of conscience. They are
not deranged in intellect, but madness
is in their heart"
A DIsTINCTIoN.-A writer in the N.
Y. Mirror states the difference between