M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1863-05-07
Gentlemen ofMs Grand Jury:

| OtHLtC"tCH " btO C'W"U cWf "
You have been empanneled anJ
sworn. according to toe due forms oI
law, as a Grand Inquest, to diligently
inquire into all crimes and misde
meanors which rnay have been com.
mittod.within the body of the county
Of Fairfield. You have been selected
from the great body Of your fellow.
citizens, through a process peculiar tc
to our legal institutions, as true and
lawful men, to whom may safely BE-
entrusted the high and responsible
duties Of your ofico-to SEQ that the
laws are duly and rigidly enforced
| Ithat public offenders may be brought
to sure and speedy Justice and that
the peace and security ct the commu.
nifty may be July preserved through
the energy the justice, aud tho i'm.
IpartiaIity OF your administrations -
The importance Of the great duties
which you have sworn to perform
the vital public interests which baye
been conf1ed to your Care--Ought,
and | have no doubt will, excite your
best efforts, and stimulate your most
earnest watch,nlnees5, to euablc YOU
to come up to that full measure Of the
standard by which yonr official action
ie justly entitled to be considered and
appreciated. This responsibility is
cast upon you by a two fold obliga-
tion: first your common duty as
citizons; 8ec0nd, your religious duty
as Christians. Every member Of the
civil community, with the proper lie.
gal qualifications, and entitled to no
legal exemption, is bound to serve
in the capacity Of a Grand Juror,
when selected according to the forms
OF law, in response to that Inherent
duty which is incumbent upon him
as citizen of the Government
The other obligation rests upon you
az christians, because you have, by
a solemn oath in open Court. appeal
ed to the Great Ruler ofthe Universe,
that you will bring to the discharge
Of Jour duties as Jurors, honesty, in,
and impartiality, the essence
and spirit of Which is D solemn trast,
of which you must give an account
hereafter. 'ln the exercise of tue
functions Of your Office, there has
been delegated to you, for the time
being, a portion of the sovereignty OF
the State. 1t belonging TO you, there.
fore, simply as an alternative, to
wink at the violation of the laws, or
uphold them with dignity and even.
handed justice. 1t belongs to you to
bring the wrong. doer to punishment,
or invite him to renewed transgreS.
sions, by screening him from public
prosecution 1t belongs to you to
throw the panoply of the law around
the Innocent aud the prosecuted, or
surrender then TO the fury Of excited
passion or the shackies anc dungeons
of the oppreasor. 1t belongs to you
to stand as sentinelS on the watch
towers Of public liberty, and to guard
the constitutional rights ofyour fellow
countrymen from the aggressions OF
power, Or to eanction, either by your
silence or acquiescence, any and all
assaults upon the great ark Of our
political covenant, the CONSTITUTION
under which we live. In short, in
your hands are the issues of life and
death to the individual citizen and
tie supremacy or downfall of the
laws to the people of a nation ; and so
long as The Grand Juries OF a nation
are faithful to these high trusts-so
.loug as trey shall have the indepen.
depce and intrepidity. % maintain
their own prerogatives, 40 a portion
of the supreme power of the nation,
the cause of public liberty will not
be entirely hopeless, or constitutional
government entirely extinguished. -