The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1865-01-06

Whilst his mind evidently was as capable
of mastering, and uniformly mastered, the
great, the momentous judicial questions
which were often before him, it was as ca
pable of solving, and did solve, the min
utcst which the rules of practice involved,
and upon the correctness of which so much
OF a judges usefulness depends.
At recent meeting of our own bar,
Mr.. Chairman, you will remember that |
deemed it due to his character to viodi-
cate it from au imputation utterly unjust,
because utterly false. 1t is not amiss to
repeat it here. In the opinion that he de-
livered in the bred Scott case, speaking
of the African race in this country, he
said "they had no rights which the white
man was bound to respect" Relying on
this extract alone, though knowing that it
is but the part of sentence, by certain
class he has been denounced in bitter and
malignant terms as entertaining the inbu-
man sentiments that the words taken by
themselves convey and this, too, although
it is perfectly manifest from what he said
Immediately before and after, that he men,
toned the fact not to justify, but to de-
plore it. "
He gave it as an historical fact, and
the archives, Legislative and judicial, of all
the colonies, at, and for some years after
our Declaration of Independence, prove
beyond all doubt that 10 that age the race
was so esteemed. So far from entertain
ing hiloself any such opinion, long before
that case was decided he had manumitted
the slaves that he owned, that they might
have rights which all men would be bound
to respect, and never declined to give his
professional aid to such Of the race as ap-
piled to the courts to secure the rights of
freedom. The charge is but one Of the
many calumnies with which the prejudi-
ces or passions of political partizans in
times Of high excitement, cause them, in
total disregard of truth, to fill the public
ear. In this instance | suppose, for a
time, and with a certain portion Of our
people, it answered its purpose. But, if
not already, it will be hereafter forgotten,
and fair and intelligent men of the future,
as do those of the present day, should
they ever refer to it, will only marvel that
an accusation so wholly groundless could
at any time have been listened to by hon
est men, even for moment, with any
thing but disgust and indignation.
Mr.. Chairman [ ask the patience of
yourself and the meeting few moments
longer to defend our late chief from a
charge of different character. This,
perhaps, may be thought superfuous,
when it is known that, with many of
the good and great men who made it and
once believed it, his pure administration
of his late Office soon satisfied them that
they had done him injustice. What | re-
fer to is his order as Secretary of the Trea.
sury in September, 1888, for the with
drawal of the deposits from the late Bank
of the United States. Mr.. Duane, his inn
mediate predecessor in that depart nent,
on the 23d of that month was removed by
President jackson because he would not
give the order, and it was alleged that Mr..
fancy was appointed to be the mere in
strument 10 that particular of the Presi-
dents will. In this as in the other in
stance, though the parties making the
charge were men of high character and
conscientiously believed in its truth, the
charge itself was equally without founda-
tion in fact. | say this with confidence.
| was, as | have stated, for some years
Immediately preceding Mr.. Tauey's ap-
pointmeut to the bench, on the most init.
mate terms with him, and, as have every
reason to believe, possessed his confidence.
He often conversed with me on all the po-
litical topics of the day, and amongst 9th.
ers, frequently of the character, tendency
and actual condition of the bank.
At this time he had no reason to believe
that he would be member of jackson s
administration, nor had he, | am sure, any
wish upon the subject. The only office
he could have thought of, if he thought OIL
any, as he did mot, Has that of Attorney
General, then filled by the late Mr.. Der.
rien with the approval of the country, and
its duties discharged with consummate
ability. He had, of course, no reason to
anticipate vacancy. In this condition
he over and over again expressed to me
his conviction that the bank, as he thought
it was being administered, was dangerous
to the true interests of the country, be-
cause, as he said, it was being used fol
party political purposes and that, under
such management, its ruin was but ques
ton of time. He therefore considered i,
to be the duty and the interest of the gov.
eminent Qhe charter clearly giving the
power) to remove the public moneys from
its custody, and said that if the authority
was with him he would lose no time in ex
crossing it. In this opinion | am sure he
continued to the period of his becoming
Attorney General. When therefore, MIR
Duane was removed, and he was appointed
the order he gave was his alone, aud was
but carrying out of measure which he
had long deemed, whether correctly OF
immaterial to be important to the public
good.
As to his acting in the matter merely
at the bidding Of General Jackson and