The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1859-01-01


sent, You cGi--you have it il Your p0irPr to
make null and of no tiiict the entire code Of
tine criminal law. And III order to do this no
"cfion IL required at yonr hands. You have
only to DO n0'an9. to remain passive, and the
thing is done. You have but to close your
eyes ard cals--,o hear nothing. to sec uoilinr.
to know nothil g-and the whole criminal
law Becomes dead letter, so far at least, as
punishment is concerned. Or, you may do
50 M'c act 50 in, niacntiy- as so to c,ipp,c
and weaken the force Of the law as to render
II Of but little eff ct and benefit 10 the com
mnniy, If not entirely useless and powerlcss
for its protection.
The grand and petit i!lrics are the vigor
The Sil,ngtll--lhe very life Of the criminal law.
IL their duties are neglected. or isn' rantlv or
ca,clcssy discharged. the lnw becomes inef
!ec!us', lfC'tsS. impolUit dead So that you
see whprc the p2!rer Is, and where the feSIon-
! <bfig is also. The community will lcoil, To
! Ne jmryncn Of tie lard for EHAjM and
Efficient administration Of criminal iH.,icc---
! An'I think tie conduct Of jUIors is attract
| ing. and dcSlIv,diy a.'rac';'.y, irurn more Of
| the i's' he attention now tlan formerly. |
/ fancy jwyincn imagine tlry are not respoHs,-
| lie TO the ublIc and to the laws, and that
they caa do anything they Please or not d.
any thing but what they please: and that
ihry can hide themselves ctind each other
tor conrsa!nent orlro'cction. They arc un-
der great mistake. Jurymcn are Just rs
r'SlonSlhlc to the law ana ought 70 be held to
as street and rigid discharge Of their duties
as any Other Officers flhc law or governments
| II not more 50. For the more important thc
duty the snicter should lie thcarcGuatalllity
The power and duty Of s,.cing jurymrn
is, blink, the most important and delicate
which your s!nlli is required to pcrgoim
Ii * duty which should he most carefully.
independently, honestly and in'c,llgrnlly dis
charged. They Slo"ld always be selected
! rion the gentlemen Of the county of the very
| highest responsibility and standing for intll-
gcLcc. patriotism aad moral worth, and with
ont The slightest regard TO favorii+m Of any
hind, or to political or religious opinion. /
do Tot mtHn to say that .jurymen ned he of
| Superior scholastic tdUca ,ion. do not think
50. Eu tl,y ought to be .nen Of good, sound
"on'mon sense. and Of uhdouhttd integrity
| Ih'v orGh 10 be Of well balanced mrt, and
oi high moral cllnractcr-r r, &pcc,ing the laws
Themselves. and disposed ard determined to
'N!o'"r 'htm i'nla'ti4lIy Ind be governed Jy
item in all cases.
II u very rtl'&'n 'htrc can lie no liberty or
| 'rttd III without law and without the cuGIrcc.
ncn Vi law. 1t would he Absurd to exfcc:
| IT. Tie growing disregard. or rgthrr con-
tonpt, for the law of tie hand is one Of the
ewing evils Of Inc times, and there is nnilino
more certain than this. If we expect the
law TO lie regarded out$iAe Of tic courthouse,
we mus take care that il is lceatdcd issids. =
Gtcat rlo, nation is needed in LOth r!icrs--
/ I'll, ,1io viii hn oh, ,.J n
! | have also said you have the pnrrr 10 ere
srM or not present; lhc'pow cr TO present nnr
ore you please. aid the power not to present
any one. unless you please; but i, is not true
it docs not Iollow-bocause You have the
rorer tina, you lave the ,1.ht to do 50; ard
this is a very different question. The petit
| jury have The pGicer 10 Icrdcr what veldic.
| they please. hut no one will pretend that they
have the ri2H to do so. You and every one
| have til" power 10 do UiOn2, but it would br
absurd to say that You have the rl"M to do
wrong. The very fact that You arc swUtn To
| do your duty imjheS that you lave the poUc,
,'o /" do il. AID, in su,aNing Of vour oath
| | wn''Id beg leave here to say few words
le@aldjpg it. In the first PLACE. tlr;S oath is
| not moe form. far from ii. Ii is yDIs's5Hrc
and Hm form. II is intended ~ have y 3.yrc-
/ iitj tijct on yonr conduct. Il is. a0prp-
| bend, tended for three district purposes -
| /. EF the use Of very apt, bat concise Ian
sna@r. TO inform yon Of your lutY. .. liz
direct and solemn appeal to that God whom
| VIC all reverence, TO impress that dutv folciLly
IN your minds AMI conSccnccS. 3. By max
/ ing you md each Of YOU, rs i; does, witnesses
and judges, and all officers Of the government
subject to criminal responsibility fn: it,,
! violation. and TINS to secure To the conmu-
niIv as far as it is possible, full and faith
irl discharge Of the duty the law imposes
upon you.
The Judge lakes up the Grand Juror s oath
aud comments on it sentence by sentence
and concludes his charge as follows -
Your oath then concludes with these words:
| - Hnr YOU Mo3 present al hija~S ti'Hiy nc
they come TO your Knowledge according to
the best of your understanding" Thus, as
you perceive. recurring going back II to tie
two hm''1g liroS of the oath, and again brng-
ing them before YOU. namely. your obligation
to present nothing but Tire trnih, and secondly.
the obligation TO present GN things. The
cath c";unvncrS with these two ideas and
closes with a TEpG'iiOn II HrD, ard obviously
(''r the rn1loNe cf more deeply impiesSing
their importance ON your minds your mono.
lics aud your conS"icnces.
There is cDc Other matter 10 Which would
ask your attention and tll,n am done. -
And that othcr matter is Tie grog shops in
your county Many Of those placeS doubt
not. are perfect nuieanccs to the ntiehlor
hoods in which they aic located aud ought to
be aha'rd. When IA grogscry is in The hands
Of dishonest, avaricinus and unriinciptd
man, it becomes a source of vast ovil to the
c"nlnunity around him. l. is there where
the young and lmbitually idle and vicious,
often Of both sexes, meet together and tic
time spent not only in tippling, drinking and
Drunkenness, but in filthy, vicious and
rrnfanc conversation. and oftentimcs in quar-
rcling, gambling and fighting. 1t is there,
too, where the common rogne, the common
thief, and idle vagaboudS Of ncghLorhood
arc accommodated, and find often ready
sale for their i'll gotten gains. Itisthcrc, too.
where the convenient place j, found by the
lazy free negro or thieving slave for carrying
on his Illicit trade and traffic.
think careful oversight should he kept
of these places If any Of them are in the
hands of men of bad reputation and character
in thn m; hn, ,.IIern tI,, IL