New-York daily tribune., 1864-04-08
RxTRAORDEN .Hy CHARGE To TEE
GRAND JURY.
Tndge Barnard on Municipal eorr"p"o"
-New'<raper Libets-The Cond"e' "' '"'
War mud Now 20 End He

The panel of Grand Jurors in the Court ol
s>ver and Tcrminer Yesterday called at the open
nag ofthe Court and Jemes g. King jr formerly ADJUST
,cc or , snn-ouo Court but now Of the firm OF james
g. Kings Sons Bankers appointed foreman ana
tho following gentlemen sworn in as Jurors; "liann
L. Andrews Moses G. Baldwin Deyid Douglass, AuO' |
psus G. Dunn John Dsnhsm Walter NJ franhLh' a.
s1stus j. Gillet Jsyes Kelly, jr. Gibbons he"!' "a
most c. Koner Ahg aham II. Ludlam, doseph ~
Jeremiah Lambert Cornelius V. b. OStraneei' |
q Place Isaac H. Reed Samuel II. St. john uann"o-
G smith } arnes A. Smith Michael IuoWlN''' "
C. TSllmodgc, and Samuel b. IL vance.
The Coar. then proceeded to charge tDe u'uha '"'
ss ioloas; -
.vcr Cot Of over and Termner the presiding Justice
s reoUrsd bv various statutes 10 can youi t -
so .ad ooinst their provisions am thus required
Nv law To call your attention to the laws gHlS' io
teIes the taking s me excise IS law deraudng egrants
md the usnry law Your duties, gentlemen hoWetteI
are not confined to the investigation OF oehses 9 @
tbepe particular statutes but extend over the woc
of criminal jurisprudence therefore lhVOe YOU .
tention 10 all nfractons OF criminal iaW anu i ~ e
connection shall touch upon several Oh tne nlost
tent snhiccs of criminal cognizance The importance
of promptly visiting offenders against lne eIluh l %
with the punishment due them cannot DC 700
Sire of the wheel Of society. No lniFaetoh o teL .'
occur without endangering the safety OF the wnoe
A =.
% Idness breeds disease The offender against the
criminal laws takes heart and proceeds on hs cous "a
crime with the boldness ana eonnoenCo T cten
finding that the laws afford hlm no PlOIec"Hpn' -
force by force, and rights his sNl injuries Uy ,rerd
fhns nv degrees society descenss step by step to"a
anarchy until those who have property to lose RON e
cheer necessity of the combine ogether anu
trno that in the beginning of the vigilance
committees their acts are strictly , eon'In IN w
law, yet as they proceed rne yie laws as they
existed prior to the inception OF the causes When
led to tie formation Of the committee DIS s % nss
been their invarabe history. The necessity OF law
for the preservation Of society is apparent rom e e.
fhat avery assneiaed body OF men, down TO even an
association of brigands pirates finds necessary TO
have rules and regulations and TO enforce obedience 10
them and il observable that the moment the body De
comes unable 10 enforce obedience to Its laws tat mo
rpent its dissolution commences and finally takes
place, The right of resistance by force TO a law,
on the ground that it is unjust or unconstitutional
can never be admitted, for II II were there WGud
be an end to all government by law. Each individual
could set himself up and resist law by force ana upon
the same ground could resist Judgment Of any court
This Of does not apply to an act done without
color of law, 10 act done under law by person
not authorized by that law tod it, In such cases there
may be resistance. 1t thus appears that is the duty
of every good citizen 20 obey the laws and yet there is
one law which vast number of good citizens constant
~ break and which they make use Of all kinds Of ex-
pcdents evade. That the law requiring the per
formance Of jury duty This duty one OF the most es
sentia that the good citizen has 10 PERFORM IL nc
refuses nogectS perform it, 1t devolves on the bad
citizen; and then commences that loose administration
Justice which tends 10 anarchy ana cOA-
nittees. This the good citizen who negecs his jury duty
has for Equally important with thus duty Is
the duty OF properly exercising the elective franchise
TIE taxation of the city of NewYOrk has become s0
enormous that deem IL my duty well a the duty OF
every Judge who presides at Court of Oyer and Ter
miner 10 call the attention Of the Grand jury the sub
yect SO that not only each individual grand juror
may take the matter into serious thought but
that each grand juror may also bespeak the
serious attention Of his friends and aequaintances
TO it, and thus disseminate throughout the com
munity such a sense OF their duty as electors
rs to epply the only remedy which exists. A
few since body Of unprincped and corrupt men
banded together for the purpose of controlling the legis
iatiye branch Of the City Government by their votes
forming what is known the "Ring." 1t is still
In active operation There is no scheme matter how
corrupt wicked but what viii pass through provided
a Sufficient pecuniary inducemen is brought 70 bear:
and measure however meritorious, is sufficient T.
become law unless like influence is used They seek
20 control every branch of the City Government There
alton and collection of fraudulent claims against this
city originated in frasd and carried through BY perjury
as they abstain from voting vote for unworthy men,
lust so long will the taxes Of this city rapidly IN
creasing until in a few years il viii amount 10 a cOns
cation Of property. II the community are desirons OF
preserving their property they should begin at and
organize themselves into associations for the purpose Of
Ptiectng municipal reform OF the els 600 900 which
will be necessary TO raise for the taxes for the ensuing
year. it is safe TO say that onequarter Of 1t will be
either sQuandored stolen For time past il
has been the constant practice Of portion Of the /
individuals connected with the city press 70 stgmatze
nl who differed with them in their views as TO any acts
national administration Seeessioniss with the in
tent degrade them in the Of the community by
holding them out traitors 10 their country and 10
leave them with reputation as suiied as that Of Bene
dict Arnold. This, charge YOU constitutes libel Per-
taps in few instances ont Of thousand charge
may be true and publication Of it be for jastiabe par
pose but this does not the paading before the
world OF a d TRAITOR because he dissents from
some views entertained by newspaper ventures o
doubt the proprety of measure Of the Administra
tioR Government is one thing; administration is to-
tally different thing The theory of q republican Gov
ernment is that il is controlled by the will of majority
of all the people gnihed through the ballotbox. IT,
therefore majority of the people should signify their
will through the bslot-box that the present should
no longer be prosecuted that majority although they
may have mistaken the true policy cannot be justly said
20 be traitors 10 the Government 1t Is Of the Of
republican freedom that every citizen should have the
Dntrammeled right TO endeayOr By his vote TO have
those measures carried out which he considers most
conducive 70 the welfare of his country But does his
Freedom stop here's Is he confined dropping his silent
eeotf Is his mouth gagged1 Certainly not. The
right to express his views by ballot carries with il the
right TO induce by fair argument and persuasion others
70 adopt his views The prevention of inercbapOe of
views in any body governed by the viii of n majority
would indeed be tyranny. Next IN the interference
with elections and the dEagoOnng OF voters by military
power, nothing ~ SuTCr index Of the downfall Of
1epUblc than the total prevention of interchange Of
views or the prevention Of expression of views
other than those in support Of proposed
or candidate for Office. IL is essential the political
Ieedom of republic that every citizen shOnld have
tue iu ighl W express his views political
are or any act Of administration and endeayOr by
argument persuasion 10 bring others TO adon, H.
views. Anything which dsturbs this right whether IL
DC by armed Interference By printed articles hoIdp
one up 10 PuDe oDoguy for entertaining any particular
gniS' tehus 10 sap lle very foundation OF republic
III Is Tor these reasOns that view the indiscrininae
application OF the ephet SecessiOnist 10 all who do MOI
yeld implicit faith TO every act of an Administration
20 a who DO not subscribe 70 the particular tenet Of