Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-06-29

The National lntcIlgcnccr-a journal always
dis,inguishedfor its high conservatism -somc
time since had M able uricc GA the decay in
public virtue, and the restless spirit If lawless-
ness aud nsuhordiuntion which prevails Mt the
present time, To- such AN extent, among the peo-
pie. These evils the ln,ehgeneer nscrbed, in
some measure, to the degradation of the Jndcia
~ under the present elective system. On the
| other hand, the New York COMMERCIAL while nd-
uniting the connection between tue two To be
undeuiabe, nevertheless expresses the opinion
| that this deterioration OF public virtue proceed
ed, rather than followed, the change in the cleo
tive systcm-muirS .iuing TINT the charge was.in
fact, the result ot larger dens of freedom among
the people who demanded, still further Goa
cession, the direct appointment of their JUDICIAL
officers
/ These positions are not iweceneileabe-th though
we incline to thcopnion that the Commercial Is
! perhaps nearer the mark. Radical innovations
are generally dcmandedby the people. else
conceded to the people by politicians who are
ambitious of popular favor careless of the eff
feet which the measures they propose may have
upon the common veal. Certainly, this Is OF it.
seif,an evidence of decay-and that decay which
suggests change Is, almost necessarily, exhibited
when change is made, in still more glarng col
| ors.
Thus, the evil, great il is at first, is increas
ed by the direct dependence of the judge upon
the caprice fthe popular will. Those whom the
people appoint to political office have SO long
been considered the servants of the people. that
Judicial officers are not allowed TO be exempt
from the same allegiance in this manner,
the people holding their power ofremoval IN ter
rorem over the Judge, his Judicial independence
is too apt to be seriously impaired, if not abso
lutely relnquished There ara exceptions of
course--many exceptions at this ,ime-but at
the present rate of progression" how long will
it thus continue!
But we have design of discussing the ques
tion-and have written thus much only for
the purpose of introducing the following COM
ment of the Commercial upon the Intelligencer 5
} article
Our Washington contemporary seems to connect
this growing disregard for law aud order with sys-
TEN OF electing Judiciary and to regard il ms the
result OF the Introduction OF that system into
States The intimate connection of the two is unde-
nable but we apprehend that the change of system
was nm indication of an already widely -diHusei de-
terioration ofthe popular feeling in this respect and
OF the gradual decay of that ard pot-
cal popular purity which existed when our Govern.
ment was formed and upon which the trainers of il
relied. We have always regarded the change to an
elective judiciary as sign of sad social deterora.
ton already effected in the character of the poople
. 1t was an evil itself and has produced only ey Bn
il production oil those evils the press has had
TO do than the people, and is chiefly responsible
The press unquestonably had the power apply cor
santly corrective of the evil But it has done mucl
: to feed and foster it.
: 1t has become habitual with some journals t.
charge partisanshp orineompetence upon every judg
whose legal decisions rot in accordance with thei
opinions and interests and to hold over the head o
such judicial functionary the errors of popular dis
approval. So common, in fact has this become, tba