Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-08-06

WITHDRAWING tho Supreme Court.
The Pioneer, of Tuesday, in copying an
extract from Mr.. PHELPS Red Wing Sentinel
slandering Gov. RAMSEY, seizes the opportu-
nifty to whitewash the Supreme Court of the
State, as being very pure, impartial tribu-
nal, without partizan bias, before whom it
would have been perfectly safe for Gov. RAM
sEY to have contested SIBLEY's usurpation of
the Executive Chair of State The Pioneer
says:
"He Gov. Ramsey insinuates that the men,
hers of this Court-men Of undoubted integrity in
private life, and whose official career has met with
encomiums from citizens of all shades of senti- |
ment-would basely prostitute their high position |
to fulfill the lawless and revolutionary demands of
political party, that they would earn eternal infa
my by disregarding the solemn obligation which |
they assumed before God and man and sacrifice |
the reputation of life time in perpetuating usur-
patton of power and justifyng outrages upon the
elective franchise"
Now, we don't know whether Gov. RAM
sEY has ever "insinuated" anything of the
kind or not; but we do know it is notorious
that leading Democrats throughout the State
do not hesitate to express doubts of at least
the public integrity of a majority of those
Supreme Judges and that there is but one
opinion amongst the members of the Bar of
call shades of sentiment" that they are to-
tally incompetent as to legal ability, and unfit
as to general dignity Of character, to occupy
the positions which their devotion to dir
ty sort Of partisan politics, and the forgery of
votes in Ottertail Canvasses," has, unfortu-
nately for the State, elevated them to. Not
term passes by, that their decisions are not
made the laugh and scoff of the whole legal
profession; and the Chief Justice finds him
self compelled, in order to escape this very.
ridicule poured out on the majority, to be
careful in announcing his disssnt" from the
foolish conclusions of his colleagues. Out of
some twenty decisions announced at the last
term of the Court in July, fully one-third are
marked on the record, the Chief Justice
dissenting"
This Court to command the respect of
the community A Court, the majority of
which ("C. j. dissenting'D at the late term,
held that a Judgment entered, on default, by
the Clerk of the Court, was not a JUDGMENT
OF THE Court, and, therefore, could not be
reviewed on error! Even school-boys in
the law would be whipped for such display
of legal Ignorance. Then the public have not
forgotten the conduct of this same majority
at the previous term, in COMPROMISING PRIN-
CIpLE in the .tius per cent. a month cases
throwing to the dogs every principle Of law
involved in them, and actually making new
law instead of merely interpreting that alrea-
dy established. This, truly, is Court to be
respected The reputation of lifetime"
acquired by such gross qualification, is val
liable heritage!
And then, as to the impartialty of this
Court considered in a political light, its fair
ness would be on par with its legal ability.
Docs the Pioneer think people have forgot
ten that two of the three Judges are now
members of that same Democratic State Com
mittee which recently levied the Jfue per cent.
tay on the salaries and emoluments of all De-
mocratic office-holders in Minnesota, County,
State, and National, to raise Grand Corrup-
ton Fund, to be used to repeat, this fall, the
Infamous Frauds of 1857, as is we'll known
to have been proposed by " Democratic State
officials high in Office, ",.as per testimony Of
Hen. J. w. LYND? A fine time Gov RAM
sEY would have had in trying bis cause be-
fore two members of the Democratic State
Committee The very idea is laughable!
And does not the Pioneer know, also, that
all three of the Supreme Judges have contri-
buted from their salaries to this Party Cor.
ruption Fund-so anxious are these unbiased
Judges to preserve their party position un.
impaireds a likely thing, that such men
would have hesitated to back up that party's
frauds of 1857, and so loose that very party
rank, to preserve which they soil their judi
cial ermipe by serving on extreme partisan
Committees, and by contributing to Party
Corruption Funds Very likely, indeed
But, to individualze-is not the Pioneer
aware that only last fall, Judge FLANDRAU
(who is prospective candidate for the U. S
Senate) boosted that he had travelled "over
ikvec hundred miles electioneering for the
Democratic tickets on the Upper Minnesota
River" and fixing up things generally in that
region! Truly, this is nice judicial employ
ment Is it not also aware, that this distin-
guished ex-Indan Agent and Judge, is credi-
ted by his own party friends with having a
principal hand in planning the frontier frauds
of 1857, over which, in case Gov. RAMSEY
had been so green as to contest SIBLEY's usur-
patton, he would sit as a judge and ARBITRATOR?
Wouldn't he be second impartial @ "Dan-
iel come to judgment ''-an eminently safe
man to seek JUSTICE from, when bis party's
ascendency, and his own judicial scat, were
involved in the result?
Then, as to Judge ArwArER-who has not
heard how one of the agents of the Infamous
'Ottertail Canvass" frauds, was banded back
and forward, in the fall of 1857, between St.
Anthony and Mendota-between SIBLEY and
ATwATER-seeking to be paid for his scoun-
drelism in that canvass for which, he alleged,
the latter had employed him and at length
only succeeding in drawing his pay by his
threat of exposing the whole AFFAIR." Has
the Pioneer never heard, also, in relation to
this immaculate member of the Supreme
Bench, how he was but short time since on
trial before the District Court at St. ANTHONY.
upon charge, growing out of an abuse of his
official position, which the Grand Jury of the
County Of Hennep;n denominated Psrjury!-
and that instead of going manfully into trial,
in which, perhaps, he might have been vindi-
Gated from intentional crime, he permitted his
counsel to get him nd of the charge and
trial by raising technical bubbles about the
forms of the Indictment Of course, no one
should insfnuate that he would ever " disre.