St. Mary's gazette., 1866-06-14
STATE TRIALS.

! in 1904, for sedtious libel upon President
! j Ohm adams, was the first of our famous
crimind eases
Gaarsles isi.osef was little worthy Of
=. = S1essSso .s.v.-off~ off~7eScitencnt witch ihs
trial then excited.
He was foreigner who is represented
. to have been as deprayed IN morals as he
was malignant in temper. Ills case de-
riyes its Importance from the fact that the
Democratic cad. rs of that day having
marshalled tieir forces for terrible con
fict with the Federal party, ayailed them
selves of histrial. and of the rude, con
tcmptuous ala indecent conduct Of thc par-
tizan Jud who presided, to break down
the alien an, sedition laws, and lmpeach
the Justice If the Supreme Court, who
had made himself most odious i'll merclless-
" enforcingthem.
The alien and scdition laws punished
with fine AM imprisonment any one who
discussed with diSrcSpcctful aSpclity the
public acts u the President Of the United
States. Calenrer published 4 harsh and
vulgar political pamphlet IN which he ''ra-
Cd President Adams.
For this le was indicted, on the 18Th Of
May, 1900 by the grand jury fer the Cir
cut Court If the United States, Justice
Chase presiling The prisoner was de-
Tended by Mcssrs Hay. Nicholas an!
Writ, and hc whole course OF the tl,!:.l
was marke< by the m"Sr brutal ana lnde-
cent conduit upon the part OF Justice
Chase towards the counsel iJr the t,ctencc.
He refused al reasonable ana proper mo
tions for 4 continuance, bulIIc'i and iFe"id-
cd the counsel for CallendHr, and piaycd
the part ofprosecutor in manncr to com
plctcly celi,se the district attorney. HIS
rulings wee evidently dictated " bitter
party feelings, and not by justice or PIE
ccdyut
When Nirt was proceeding to argue t
the Jury th:t the alien and scdltlon ac'
was unconstitutional, Judge Chase, insult
ingif orlerei hiA to take lls seat. N
counsel for TIE defence ;h'n refused = "r
lguc the ease Ait9r long and 1!olen
chHr9e from Judge Chase the .lnry r1'''et
after an absence Of t"o non,.' brought II
a ycroiet Il 'Sr'ly, and ;i'c Court sen
fenced Calender to nin' months nnifl,'a
mcnt ana imposed . hne q Two ih'2IF'
dollars. Ca'ienG>f wis subsequently par
doncd BY President Jefferson, upon the cN
press "lo,nds ''t',;'j the Il" was a abs"
lutte 4 nrlnty as Ii Congress had ordered
US to fail down and worship " g''1en In
age
The tempest which this trial 'ccas'one'
T bnut | lIte0
can scarcely be understood | s.
papers of that day were, iof the iIr>t time
crammcd with detailed ~@'pol's OF TIE case
lireln; was in a flame fer even ncfoE'
the trial alfidavits were c;rcGl"teu Il
which it was stated that, he,">e Il
trial. Justice Chase had SD lie wcui.
have no id Democrats on the gran
iury. and that he would teach the lawyer.
of VIRGINIA the difference betNecn th'
liberty and licentousness of.:t.o press.
lie also hkened himself to a senoolnaS
ter who was about 20 hlseh a T." uhru'.
bows as they deserved.
His political admircr. cot Up caricturo
of this judicial ruHi.n stretching. IN turn
Writ Sichol1s, iIav ana other cmincn
Eirc,nians across Lis knee and fogging
them soundly. His ru,ic. coarse and n
decent behavior during Callcadcr's tia
was designed to huniliate the able on,
sriritcd bar of Rivhmoad. The slap
he rave Nicholas and l,av, at the outyr
of the trial. were terrible specimens of iu
dicial ruleaess.
The offended and. insulsed lawvcrs re
sente0 the conduct of justice Chase $,
fnrcelv that John Randolph At their in
stance nretcrred articles of Impeachment
,ra;nst him FIVE Of which were base,
unon "Callendcrs trial" He was foun,
vni,ty upon the article which charge
..rujc coutemptuous and indecent cor
dnct to counsel" although acquitted upol
otbcr cboroes Nothing but party sym
+L,- of tho Federal members of tn