The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1861-03-20
qhs Supreme Court Ignored and D,fisd.

10 Hot ioISot tno poeHtOn assumed by
some that constitutional questions are TO be
decided by the Supreme Conrt, nor do de.
ny that such decision must be binding in
any case upon the parties to suit, as TO
the object OF that suit, while they are enti
| tied 10 very high respect and consideration
in all parallel cases by all other depart
ments OF the Guveri ment; and while il is
obviously possible thai such decision may
( be erroneous in any given case. -till the
evil effect following it, being limited to that
! particular case with the chance that il may
| De overruled and never become a prece-
dent tor other cases, can be better borne
than could the evils of a different practice.
! AT the same time, the candid citizen must
confess that il the policy OF the government
upon vital questions affecting the whole
! people Is 10 0e irrevocably fixed by the de.
csious of the Supreme Court, the instant
they are made in ordinary litigation be
| tween parties in personal actions, the peo
/ Pile will have ceased TO be their own rulers
| having 10 that extent practically resigned
their Government into The hands OF shat
eminent tribunal.
A greater than Mr. Lincoln, man who
was looked up TO in his day as The great
expounder OF the Constitution, The lamented
Daniel Webster, differed in toto from this
greatest speeches of his life, as follows
But, gentlemen, the judicial department,
under the Constitution of the United States,
possesses still higher duties IL is true
fhct # mny be called on and is occasionally
called on, 10 decide questions tch,ch are in one
| sense Of a pol'flcat nature The General aud
| Stale Governments, boih established by the
| people, are established for different purpo-
ses, and with different powers. Between
! these powers questions may arise and
who shall decide them Some provision
for this is absolutely necessary What
shall il tie MIR Webster here goes on
IL speak OF The different plans for the soIu
| lion OF This question Submitted 10 the Con
ven:ion that formed the Constitution, and
! then proceeds Il To this end The judicial
power, under The Constitution of the Uhiied
Siales was made coexlensive with the
legislative power. IL was extended 10 all
cases arising under the Constitution and the
/ laws of Congress. The judiciary was thu-
possessed OF the authority OF decidIhg,n the
last resort in all cases of alleged interser
ence, between the State laws and the
Constitution aud the laws of Congress-
! Gentlemen 'his is The actual Constitution
thus is the Lato of The land There may be
those who think it necessary, or who
would prefer different mode of deciding
!
mode, and ill il be altered, the courts can
no more decline their duty on these occa
sions than on other occasions. But can any
| reasonable man doubt the expediency OF
J this provision or suggest a better! ls il
| not absolutely essential 10 the peace OF the
! country that this power should exist some
where I! Where can il exist, better than
where it now exists The national Judi
| clary is the common tribunal of the whole
country. 1t is organized by the common
authority, and its places filed by the COM
mon agent. This is plain and practical
| provision Ii was framed by no bun9lers,
| nor by any wild theorists. And who can
! say that it has failed Who can find
substantial fault with its operations or its
results The Great question is. t1hethe' are
sha p, OXIDE for the PEACEABLE decision
! OF cases of collision Shall they be decided
5y law, or by force? Shall the decisions
be decisions of peace, or decisions of War
But Mr. Lincoln, with All adroi;ness wor-
thy of the low cunning of a third-rate
lawyer, strives 10 bring The Supreme Court
INTO contempt with the people, so as TO lay
more firmly the basis of that ''hieher law
the rule of the mob, which he and Mr..
Seward have so Persistently advocated
According TO Mr. Lincoln's doctrine plurali-
ties of the people, such as that body of men
that elected the said Lincoln 10 The Presi-
dency, mot even maloritiesj shall constrne
the Constitution for the people of the whole
Union Every drunken voler hauled up TO
The polls on The frs: Tuesday OF November,
is Transmitted by The magic OF Mr. Lincoln's
philosophy, into grave and lie armed Con-
s,,ntionaI lawyer! In other words, MIR
Lincoln's S Court consls of Wide Awakes
hired Hessians, subsidized presses, and
madmeu drunk with the raging ianaiicism
of the hour Heaven preserve our unhappy
country from the consequences of such
sublimaled folly as this l--Bedtord GGzste.
OuR Republican Legislature is great on
'fetrenchment and reform About month
ago they voted 10 raise flag over the capi
, :ol and managed 10 make the job cost the
, Safe somewhere between five and ter
thousa nd doilars-when one hundred anc
| fity collars would have been abundanily
, sufficient Then they raised the pasler'
and folders to Assistant Door keepers, anC
. increased their salaries to correspond witt
their additional dignity Next they sent or
, large committee 10 Piusbnrg, at a cost o
not less than thousand dollars, 10 invite
Honest Abe" 10 favor them with his pres
, ence To these and other little reforms
they added an appropriation OF thirty thou
. sand dollars for the relief of Bleeding Kan
, sas'-Ohere are no needy people in Penn
, sylvania) And then, to recover strength
such arduous labor in spending the pub
lie money, they took for themselves re
cess of twelve days, TO go down and Dor