M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1863-05-07

/ should Os Csp1Gially careful 10 guar
against, in the discharge of you
sworn ard public duties rs a Gran.
Jury. that which arise. from partisan
political feelings, Or syringe from
those popular struggles incident to
republican form Of Government, il
the most likely to blind the judgment
or warp the understanding. AsswoIT
conservators Of the law, you do not
sit in that box, either to screen a par
tisan friend from just punishment, o.
Iyictimixe political enemy who ha'
not made himself amenable TO the
law. II fthere ia man ia that jury
/ box vino is not anxious 20 elevate
himeelt to this moral status Of hif
official duties, he is unfit to serve in
| the high ami honorable capacity tC
which he has been called. | DO no,
apprehend that any such case exists
| have 10 doubt every one OF You
feels the deepest solicituie in 50 die
charging your duties thst you shall
deserve the appreciation Of your own
conscience, as well rs the Just sppro
val of your fellow coUntrymeu. Sit.
ting in Judgment, Socret though po.
tential, on the IivoS, the libetlies, and
the regulations ofyour fellow citizens,
you ought to feel yourselves exalted
iat ahOye all mere passion, or preju.
dice, or preseptment with no motive
but public justice no rule but the
laws; no reward but an approving
conscience and no fear but that OF
doing wrong; you ought to discharge
all your duties TO the LAYS, to the
people, and to the government, in
that lofty spirit which belongs to the
office which you hold, and upon which
mGy depend civil liberty, and the
very government under which we
live.
It will not be repetition here to say,
that the Importance of Grand Jury,
iu e government whose powers are
yyaacri5ed by written constitutions
can not be over.estimated or too high
ly priced by the people, The inosti.
unable right Of trial by jury has been
established by series Of great AMI
horuic struggles on tho part Of the
people, running back into the dim
nistory Of the past tor more than eight
hundred years. it has done more to
curb the injustice anil oppression Of
arbitrary power !; to secure the public
order; to give confidence to th9 hun.
bic, aud saIutary restraint to the
Eaughty and Iicsutious, than any 9th.
er single department of the social
organization. How earnestly, then,
should tho public mind be directed
to tls preservation of an institution
80 essential to civil liberty, to public
order, and TO the welfare and security
OF human society! One OF the great
est las writer's Of England, Mr.. Jus,
tice BLACKSTONE, does not hesitate to
declare that tho right OF triai by jury
will alone preserve the British gov.
ernmeut from that corruption to which
all other governments have become
prey, II ID somewhat remarkable
that it has been reserved TO mon.
arcaist, in his political sentiments, to
pass one OF the most eloquent anI
beautiful eulogies upon the trial
by jury ever written in any language:
Upon these accounts, the trial by jury
has ever been, aud trust ever will be,
looked upon as the glory OF the English law
And if it has 40 great AL advantage over
others in regulating civil liberty, how much
must that advantags be heightened when il
is applied TO criminal cases 1t is the mos,
lranacendent privilege which any subjlCl
can enjoy, or wish for, that he can not BE-
affected either in mis- property, has liberty, Or
his person, but by the unanimous consent dt
twelve Of his neighbOrs aud equals. A con.
stltuton, that may venture to affirm, has
under Providence, secured The JUST liberties
OF this nation for long succession of ages.
And therefore a celebrated French wrler
who concludes because Rome. Sparta, and
Carthage have lost their liberties, those of
England IN time must perish, should have
recoiiscted that Rome, Sparta and Carthage
al the time when their Liberties were lost,
were strangers to the trial by jury. = i
1t ls, therefore, upon the whole, q duty
which every man owes to his country, his
friends, his posterlty, and himself; 10 main
tain, to the utmost OF his power, this valua-
bic constitution in all its rights; to restore
1t III It's ancient dignity, if at all impaired
by the different value of property, or other.
wise deviated from It's first institution to
amend it whenever it is detective and,
above all, TO guard with the most Jealous
circumspection against tic :nirodacliOn OF
nso aud arbitrary methods Of trial, which
under variety OF plausible pretenses, may
in time imperceptibly undermine this best
preservation OF English liberty" 3 Com.
s69. SOL.
Whether it shall be preserved or
not, on this continent, will depend
upon the virtue and watchfulness OF
the people. IN the breaking up of
the fountains OF the great deep of our
political Observation-Disclosures all tie
Wild commotion by WHICH we Are
surrounded, and by which ,.,,e strenytb
- i.