The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-05-28
Judge Miilcr's Charge.

Charge to the Grand Jury by Hon. Sam
uel F. Miller, at the opening of the term of
the U. s. Circuit Court, The entire bar, IT.
respective of party, united IN request that
he should write it out for publication, and
he complied with their wishes.
GENTLEMEN OF THE GRAND jury You
are called here for the purpose of assisting
in the administration of the criminal laws
of the country. The frame of our govern
ment is peculiar in the CO. existence of two
law making powers, exercising jurisdiction
over the same people. They are, however,
well defined in the class of subjects to which
their legislative powers respectively extend.
The Federal or National Government has
confded to it by the Constitution of the
United States, which is the supreme law Of
the land, the exclusive right to legislate upon
certain classes of subjects, and the State
governments have in like manner exclusive
control over certain other classes of SUBJ
jects. Each of these grand divisions of the
political power has it's courts, separate and
distinct from each other, to administer the
laws which each has right to enact, and
you are here to-day as part of the Nation
al Court, with the duty imposed upon you
to inquire into violations of the nations
laws,
The Constitution of the United States
provides that Congress shall have power to
coin money and regulate the value thereof.
This duty it has performed ; and in order to
protect the people from spurious, depreci-
ated or connterfeited coin, laws have been
passed to punish those who may attempt to
impose such on the public. There are laws
of highly penal character against counter
feiting the coin of the nation, against utter
ing or putting into circulation any counter
foit coin, against having such coin in posses
sion with intent to pass it, and against hav-
ing in possession the instruments used for
making it.
The Government of the Union has the
right to borrow money, and as necessary
incident to this power it has the right to is.
sue bonds, notes and other securities. These
securities are liable to be counterfeited, and
the signatures of the proper officers forged.
The Congress has therefore passed stringent
laws for the punishment ofany person who
shall forge or counterfeit these securities, or
shall knowingly put such counterfeits into
circulation, have them in possession with
intent to do so. into all these often ces it is
your duty to inquire and make presentment
If they are found to exist And since the
securities of the Government, in the shape
of Treasury notes, have become the princi-
pal circulating medium ofthe country, it is
very important that the public should be
protected from counterfeit issue of them.
There are laws for the protection Of the
mail, the carrying of which is another SUBJ
ject of exclusive Federal control Into the
various post Office repositories are placed
every day millions of dollars 10 drafts, notes
bank bills and other equivalents of money.
The letters which are carried by the mail
contain the confidential secrets of thou
sand hearts, which if exposed to the public
would involve the happiness of as many
families. The temptation to the officers who
have the handling of these letters, to open
them, to learn their contents, and to appro-
pirate their wealth is of the strongest char
acter and experienced has proved. tina the
several punishment which the law provides
for these offences, aud for robbing the mail,
have yet failed TO secure perfect protec-
ton. invite your attention to this sub