The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1865-12-30
Republican party.

There is much more of The anne pur-
port in the article from which we have
quoted and in the speeches of Mr.. Chase
before and after it was written. Ills adj
vocacy Of notification when urging the
passage of a " Personal Liberty bill In
Ohio is notorious, and should he sustain
as a Judge the position then taken by
him, certainly jefferson Davis might very
confidently rely upon an acquittal if ar
raigned before him. The extract fully
justities the rebellion, and asserts that had
II not been precipitated by the South,
the Union must have been voluntarily
thrown of by the North before the lapse
of many years" Davis aud his associates
therefore anticipated but a short time the
intentions of the Chief Justice and those
acting with him.
With such a record, 1t is not surprising
that he should make 81 thorough and
careful examination to discover reason
why he could not preside at the trial of
Davis. Ii is even less surprising that he
should find them. We can imagine with
what feelings he would listen 10 the pre-
sentation of authorities by the courteous
but remorselessly logical 0'Conor, assisted
by the willy and sagacious Davis, when
among the eminent statesmen Of our eoun-
try who have Taught the right of seees-
sion and the advantages to be derived
from " a separate aud peaceful existence
OF the two sections" his nan and teach
ings most prominently appeared.
There is no regularly organized Court
in Richmond, AYERS the " loyal Union
loving, learned Chief Justice. Whose
business is it to organize a Court there
It not Richmond in his district :? is there
not a United States Marshal aud Clerk
there? Is there never to be a regularly
organized Court in that district Ifthere
is, what binders its organization now 2
We can readily surmise the answer
There IS no civil government there. The
Pierpont government has no legalauthori-
ty. Virginia is in the territorial condition
and an act organizing a government within
her limits has not passed Congress. The
radical backbone" in that body is to be
|stiifened up by this opinion of the Chief
Justice on the eve of its assemblage. The
opinion is a defiance of the President and
a declaration of war against his policy.
1t is a notice served on him by the Chief
Justice that, so far as he can control or
influence the action of the Supreme Court,
that Court shall act against him and de-
clare his entire proceedings in the work
of reconstruction void and without war
rant in law.
Public opinion, propriety, and, we
think, law, demand that Davis should be
tried in Richmond, and that the Chief
Justice should preside at the trial. Ii
was there he acted as President of the
C~onfedcracy during It's existence. He
resided there, and it was was there that
he made war against the Government.
There should attach to his trial all of au-
thority and solemnity with which it can
be invested by law, aud for this reason
the people have demanded that the trial
should be before the Chief Justice of the
Supreme court. IF it shall appear that
he cannot be held to answer elsewhere.
and MIR. Chase persists in his refusal to
organize a court in that city, it will be for
the reason We have here given. AT heart
as disloyal to the Union as Davis, and an
advocate of the same principles upon
which the latter relied for justification in
his treason, he shrinks from the shame of
repudiating all the record of his public
life, and does not dare to meet the firm
Indignation which the maintenance of
that record on the Bench would provoke.
Added to these considerations are the
hopes of an ambitious demagogue who
wishes to ingratiate himself with his party,
and the desire to retaliate upon the Pres
ident who has placed his heel on the Ju-
dicial element to which the Chief Justice
looks for further political advancement.