Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-05-21
Our Warrington Correspondenoe..-De
- caAeRce Or OOurts or Law.
. WASHINGTON, Nav 10, 1859

mocratic or Locofoco faction, it is proper for
me to sustain my position by citation of the
additional testimony which the hour furnishes.
Laying aside from further consideration the
Dred Scott decision, in which the written opin-
ions of the Judges were in keeping with their
political proclivities, and whether delivered for
party effect, or through honest convictions o
justice and law, they wore enough of political
cant to prejudice the country against the in
dependence and impartiality of that tribunal
Unfortunately we have before us to-day
more recent, and more violent proof of one
sided, partizan, judicial proceedings True,
in the case to which am about to refer, the
wrong-doing is shifted from the judge to the
jury, and this gives US frightful proof that
the political seed sown in our courts Of law,
have taken root, and threaten a boun,iful har-
vest of anarchy and discord
When judges use the power Of extensive
erudition, experience and place, to impose false
and dangerous sophistry upon the country un-
der the name of constructions of law" they
will be quickly followed in the same track, by
juries, who for local, factional, or party inter-
ests, wish to evade the law, and protect cri-
minal.
The crew of the Echo who have just been
on trial in South Carolina, and all acquitted,
were arrested for Piracy. They were captured
in the very act; and so direct, positive, and
sufficient was the testimony against them, that
no shadow was left upon which the jury could
possibly hang doubt as to their guilt. New
ertheless, these criminals were all liberated!
We could hardly suppose Charleston jury
to return q verdict against such testimony
without assigning a reason for so doing; and
accordingly we have the "reason" before US.
The jury looked upon the law of Congress
under which the prisoners had been arrested
as unconstitutional
Now it is unnecessary for me to state, that
with the constitutionality of the law the jury
had no power, directly nor indirectly to insti-
tute any inquiries; and in asserting such
power, destroyed the proper jurisdiction of the
court, and advanced a terrible step forward in
the regions of darkness fanaticism and anar-
chy.
The jury solemnly swore to try the case
upon the testimony, and when this contrayened
the political schemes Of the jurors, they usurp-
ed legislative powers, or at least the functions
of the Supreme Court and declared against
the law, while their sworn duty was to declare
for or against the prisoners.
The Importance Of these facts and irregular
tiles, cannot be over-estimated They show
too plainly the rapid decadence of our courts
of justice, and as far as this Charleston court
is revealed in the above case, it simply became
a theatre, where ordinary demagogues per-
formed an act Of unrestraned violence, anar-
chy, and scandalous usurpation.
What one jury has done with impunity,
another may, and when prompted, will do. If
the principle of setting aside the law will hold
good in South Carolina, in reference to the
crime of piracy on the high seas, II will hold
good in Minnesota, when the question affects |
life, liberty or property Such evil examples,
unpunished, never dle out, but like the seed !
of poisonous eeds, take root and spread, daily |,
magniey ing and extending the evil
thus we see that Anarchy is firmly noun
ted upon the wild Hippogriff of Democracy /;
and the popular clamor Of Quackocracy, has |
forced the courts ofjustice to throw aside the |
ornaments Of Palas, for the poisonous shirt
Of Nessus. The consequences, without the
aid Of prophecy, may be readily foretold-
Humiliation VII follow indigniies and shame
and disgrace will invade and befoul the a.ars
of Justice. /
In the ancient valley of Egypt, amid the
ruins Of ages, as the sun of Egyptian glory
departed, the statue of Memnon uttered sounds
of melancholy and despair that reverberated J
throughout the land and well may the Gen
ius of Liberty, and the sacred Goddess Of |
Justice, tutelary deities Of America, set up /
the national moan.
The remote causes which have created this /
general disregard of law and order, this disre- \
spect for courts Of judicature, am not dis [
posed to investigate yet few of them are /
50 conspicuous that he who runs may read.
When our courts ceased to be impartial, \
national institutions, and crept downward to-
the Infamous level Of party factions; sustain
ing demagoguism, charlatanism, sans, culot-
ism, anarchy, insubordinaton and legal usur- 4
patton; all at the cost of Justice honor and !
right; the nation less venal than the Judges. I
returned contempt for such base obsequious-
ness. As the judge passed from the woosacl
TO the popular rostrum, there to fraternize pub
'lcly in sentiment with the intriguing polit-
clans OF the day, he was rewarded for such
service by ndignities and disrespect.
Upon that filthy rostrum, streaming witt,
shiSkey, proclamation AMI indecencies; whers.
lnaves harangued and fools listen; has BEEN
'oured out the Heaven-sent, sacred Amp.,,h.
the palladium of equal and impartial .h,s-
ice. The incense of the precious ointment
'xhaled upon foul atmosphere while the holy
'essels We're trodden to pieces by .he iren feet
,t lawless anarchy &
We have hired out within the last few
years, the symbols Of JsEstice to the Mob, to-
De paraded at the hssd of factions and when
tl>srace had robbed these symbols of their
aI-Sranic charms, they were thrown aside to.
perish in the slough Of perditon, and Justice
sas dragged through the dirt, captive at the
wheels of Juggernaut. !,
The "learned Judge" NAV ow. his n,s.x t
o the service he renders and the court he
'ays, to some miserable third-rate, timeserxine
'ettitogging lawyer, or less reputable Indian I
raider; now, wOrming his tortuous course
through all the bye-paths of vIlainy and @
inavery, succeeds in reaching the back door :
# the United States Congress. Then this
nave quack becomes the master and superior 7
o ''his Honor" and the dictum of this ies- t
,icable charlatan controls the decisions of the