Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-12-22
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Rces Of honor, emolument, and trust, those men
whose public acts have shown them to be unwor-
thy VI the confidence of the people.
Prominent among those unit and unworthy
public servants, whose retention IN othee is
perpetual disgrace to the Commonwealth, and a
standing insult to the people, is Edward Greeley
LorinR, Judge Of Probate Of the County of Snf-
folk, whose agency in the rendition of Anthony
Burns to slavery, against, and in defiance OF, the
recognized legal rules of evidence, forms one of
the blacklist pages in the history Of Massachu'
sets subserviency to the South.
Such a spectacle Of a judge pandenng to the
worst preiudices Of his own heart, and Of the
community IN which he lived, had probably never
before been witnessed in any court room in the
land Of the Pilgrims; and it would be hard to
fnd its parallel ~ any Judicial tribunal of less
remote date than the Edinburg assizes, under
the base aud audacious d" JetFiies,' whose name
in judicial annals is a synonym for wrong and
injustice.
1t was perfectly natural that an honest, intel
Iigent. freedom loving people should feel indig-
nant at the conduct of one SO justly character
lied BY Mr.. Phillips as an Infamous Judge of
HrOOale, IN view Oh all INT CAISuiAoN0nuEo NOA-
nected with the disgraceful procedures in che
Burns case; and it was matter of the most OBJ
vious propFiety that the Legislature should at its
Hrst meeting, after the accomplishment OF such
1 successful Kidnapping as had been done upon the
soil of Massachusetts, through the agency OF
Mr.. Loring, take cogniEance of the matter, and
guard, by new statutory cnactments lthe personal
3 ~ nd alan sock fOr
some means by which to protect the Common.
wealth lTom the odum and dishonor OF being
committed by the conduct Of her own public Of
feers, even to a seeming endorsement OF their
disrepusable acts
Accordingly, both branches Of the Legislature
of 1855. by their concurrent action, addressed
the Governorfor his removal. To the terms Of
the address lat functiOnary refused to accede,
and then the Legislature sought by other methods
to meet the demands Of the people, made mani
fest through hundreds of petitions, signed by
many thousands of the legal voters of the State;
and the Personal Liberty Bill was passed, section
lS OF which declares that
No person who holds any office under the
laws OF the United States, which qualities him
to Issue ans warrant other process, or to grant
any certificate under the act Of Congress of Feb.
II, 1893, or the 18th OF September, 1850 (the Flu
gitive Slave Acts). to serve the same, shall at
the same time hold any office Of honor, trust, or
emolument under the laws Of this Common
wealth."
The whole bill, of which the section quoted is
only part was vetoed by the Governor, but it
was passed and became law in spite Of the veto,
more than two thirds of the members of both
houses voting the affirmative.
With that law unrepealed upon the statute
book, nothing could be palmer than that the per-
Torrance of the duties of Judge of Probate, by
Mr.. LOring, was an act Of usarpatson and out
lasory. 1t was incumbent upon him TO resign his
Office or return his slave-catehing commission.
The statute declared his incompetency to hold
both his Judgeship and his commission, and one
or the other he must reiinquish, or stand before
the people, self arraigned as violator of those
laws which he had taken an oath to support and
obey.
But Mr.. Loring chose neither to give up his
commission or resign his office as Judge of Pro-
bate. Having outraged all the forms Of justice,
and ignored the rules OF evidence, as recognized
by the courts, in order to consign fellow being
to endless servitude, for fee Of ten dollars, it
was not to be expected that he would easily give
up lucrative Office 50 he coolly snaps his fin
gers in the face Of the Legislature, re-settes him
self anew in his seat, and boldly and insolently
defes the Legislature and the people. Clinging,
like burdock gone to seed, to his seat and his
salary, ready at any time to "catch another mig.
GER" or to do any other diabolical act which the
l.
in conjunction with Ben Hallett, Augur- Hole
Burns or Asa o. Butman, Mr.. Loring still, in de-
fance Of the will Of the people. as expressed by
it's Legislature, and most strongly embodied III
the form of statute, from which we have quo
ted, continued to decide upon the rights of
widows and orphans, and pocket the fees for such
services for another year. And there the Legis-
lature of 1855 and 1856 found him. when it was
assembled at the State House at the commence
ment of another year.
Again the petitions, more numerous and more
urgent, poured in from all parts OF the State,
urging his immediate removal from the Office
which he had so long disgraced, and which he
held against the will OF the people, as by them
enacted into law. Again the Legislature took
oognisance Of the matter, and addressed the Gov
ernor for his removal, on these grounds
First.-Because he consented to sit as slave
commissioner, in defiance Of the moral sentiment
OF Massachusetts, as expressed in the legislative
resolves Of 1850.
Second because now, in defiance of the pro.
visions contained in section 18th Of chapter 4S9 of
the acts of 1855, Edward Greeley Loring contin-
ues to hold the Office of Judge of Probate, under
a Massachusetts, commission, and, at the same
time, to hold, in defiance Of lao, a commission un-
der the United States which Qualities him to issue
warrants and grant certificates under the acts of
Congress named In the 9th section OF chapter 489
Of the acts of 1855.
But His Excellency, the Governor, again inter-
aged by executive favor, Mr.. LoTing Illuminated
his wrath against the Legislature in a document,
misnaned Iemonstrance, which, for scurrility,
insulting language, and general bad taste, could
scarcely find parallel even in the Nominations
Of AtchisOn and StringfellOw; and still the I'M
just Judge continues TO violate the laws Of the
State, and outrage the will Of The people, by
clinging with desperate persistence to that bench
whish his whole conduct in every stage Of the pro
eeedings against him, shows him to be SO un.
worthy to occupy.
As the day approaches for the converting Of the
Legislature, we rejoice to learn that the people
have lost none of their interest in the matter Of
PurgiDg an important Office in the State nom the
presence Of this bad man, and that hundreds OF
petitions are again in circulation Tor his re.
moval
We trust that this time the work will be done
Isha L.. Al Al A..