The Abingdon Virginian. [volume] (Abingdon [Va.]) 1849-1883, 1863-03-06

eal exists, and that there are men fearless
nd independent enough to resort to it, IN
ontempt Of such coarse rebufs as some of the /
,olished judici1 of modern days some times
indulge in. b kneither usurped power nor
Inflated vanity, trsbly fortified in the almost
mpregnable bulwarks Of its own Ignorance,
can always carry its end and aims. When
the appeal on the action Of the Court shall
have been kicked out Of his Office by Judge
Campbell" then WE viii all agree to set down
the polite official either as a prophet or the
son ola prophet, if nothing more. Buff on
the other hand, the Judge should happen to
puncture with a cambria needle, this Judicial
balloon, which the|majority Of the Court is now
flying, there might be a most calamtons col
lapse. When saat event shall occur, let the
keebe out of the way of the gas, as
it escapes Such an explosion might shake
public confidence in the whole County Court
system, and half incline the people to 60 back
to the mode. under the oldconstitution, of get
ting up regular-built 3. P's-the only quail
fcations then deemed necessary, being "a
bald head and portly' abdomen"
In case where each master was legally re-
quired to furnish his pro rata share Of the re.
QUESTION, the rule emanatiDg from the Court
and carried out by them, works beautifully
They found one man with three conscript
slaves, and took all thfee; they found another
with the same number of conscripts, and er-
cnpted all three amongst their "a fancy VIC
Tins, they found one with two conscrlpts, ana
took them both; another with one conscript,
and took him. Fortunately the owner Of zone
half of old Pompey1' was not on the fancy
list, otherwise that same ethalf' would doubt
less have had to ''travel over Jordan" But
their exemptions are quite remarkable. In
their anxiety, not to make the Consumption
grievous to any one, their sagacity induced
them to take all three conscripts belonging to
one man, and exempt all three belonging to
another, and yet the latter gentleman was
neither q poor man, "a widow, nor an orphan.
Many owning two conscripts were exempted,
and vet one Of the "a masters had his only
conscript taken The President Of the Court
himself owned two conscripts, and yet had the
good luck to escape the notice Of himself and
his conductors in the work, and to keep Oft OF.
the prescribed list Whether he remember
ed to forget himself, or whether be conclud-s
ed that he had more of the qualifications of
the Donkey for carrying burdens, is best
known to himself.
1sey put the CONSUMPTION upon those whom
then thought it would least injure! Yes, truly
tlevdid this act Of injustice on the one hand,
and favoritissn on the other! - and they did it
too reckless of law! And who are these men,
so peculiarly adaptedto bearing extra and az
legal burdens, at the mere ipse dirit Of four
gentlemen composing a majority of the County
Court Ind not these "a masters possessed of
equal rights with their fellow -citiaens, and are
they, in any respect, more nearly assini!ated
to the Donkey tribe, than is the worshlpfnl
Court itself, and so many others whom that
Court exempted And who are they, who are
thus ready bind heavy burdens" and thus
generous to lay those burdens upon the backs
Of others, but have aot the magnanimity to
"touch them with their little fnger?" They
are put in Office BY tho people; but none ever
dreamed Of clothing them with authority to
substitute their Oscn notions for the law. Two
men, with an equal number of conscripts, and
each equally liable to the law, afforded a lease
in which they had no discretionary power to,
Cypress the one and favor the other. However
abundantly wise and however acute in discfi-
mination, they may suppose themselves to be,
yet the public would prefer to see y brighter
and better manifestation Of those qualities,
than has been exhibited in the case under dis
cussion. They marvel at the strange cOnscrip-
tions as well as at the pecnliarity in the ex-
emptions-thA latter running SO much in a ccr-
tain channel. They marvel that men should
depart from the lava and SO abuse the pswer of
making levy. Sanction this, and where. as It to
end? IF all levies are, in contempt Of law, and
at the option of the Court, to be put upon a
fen whom that body insGgiases best able to
bear them, they have simply to select their vic
tins. The question will no longer be, what
is the law in the case, but what select few tout
of the many are best able to take heavy and
illegal burdensi Rgmy politicians and UNI
prineipled demagogues have rung the answer
to that question, in the ears of the people, DUR
ing the last thirty years. In the common trou-
bles, in which we Of the South are now in
volved, this buried, ad capta,,duns, slang of
the demagogue, has not been recently heard.
God forbid that it should now be revived, and
its first re-echo should emanate from the halls
Of justice! Let the stein rebuke of public in
dignation fall upon those who seek to. usurp
power, and who, to carry out their own crude,
fancies, dare to trample upon the laws and up
on personal rights. Let the voice Of the peo-
pie boldly and fearlessly rebuke every attempt
of this character. 1t is the only way to strip
from the ass, the lions skin-to teach the
dwarf, who imagines himself a giant, that he
is not in reality, like Saul "a head and shout
dersstaller than any ,othcr man in Israel,n. and
to ventilate those who, like the frogs in the fa-
bic, are foolishly trying to blow themselves up
to the size ofthe:ox. The present is no time
for men '.to play fantastic tricks before High
Heaven" nor yet in the face Of all Russell
county.
have made this brief reference to details,
that the fact may be patent to all, that the
Court secuted the rule of law, by which they.
were bound to act, and arbitrarily condemn
ed the. slaves of ID masters, making uniustl