Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-04-18

Ter the Saxons restored II, 10 re establish
ancient laws He had promised them that
he would, and he was true TO them because
they had been true 10 him. But il was not
easily done the courts were opposed TO it,
for il liuiied 1ler poweF-a kind OF power
that everybody covets-lhe power 10 pun
ish without regard 10 law. He was obliged
TO hang foTty-iour judges in one year for re-
lusing TO give his subjects Trial BY jury.
When the historian says that he hung
them, ii is not meant that he put them 10
death without trial. He had them i'm
peached before the grand council OF the ma
/ lion, the Wiuenagemete, the parliament OF
| that time. During The subsequent period
OF Saxon domination no man on Eng llsh
soil was powerful enough 10 refuse a legal
! trial TO the meanesl peasant. If any min
lister or any king, in war orin peace, had
dared to punish a freeman by a:lribunal of
his own appointment, he would have rons.
ed the wrath of the whole population all
orders of society would have resisted il
lord and vassaI, knight and squire; ptlest
and penitent, bocrran and socman, master
and lhra, copyholder and villain, would
/ have risen in one mass aud burn, the Of
! fender to death in his castle, or followed
| aim in his flight and icrn him 10 atoms. 1t
was again rampIed down by the Norman
conquerors; but The evils resulting from the
| waut of il united all classes in the effort
which compelled King John 10 restore il by
the Great Cha rer. Everybody is familiar
with The struggles which the English peo-
pie, during many generations, made fot
! their rights with The PlanIagsnels, the Tu-
dors, and The StuaTls, and which ended f.
! nalIy in The revolution of 1888, when the
libeitles OF England were placed upor an
impregnabIe basis by the Bill Of rights.
Many times the attempt was made 10
stretch the royal auiL orily far enough 10 JUS
tfy military trials bu, II never had moro
than temporary success. Five hundred
! years ago Edward II closed up great re-
beIlon by takiug the life Of lis leader, The
Earl of Lancaster, after trying him before
mill lary court. Eight years later that
same king, together with his lords and COM
mons in Parliament assembled, acknowl-
edged with shame and sorrow that the ex-
4
because the courls were open and he might
have had lsgsl tail Queen Elizabeth,
for sundry reaons affecting the safely of
the Sae ordeted that certain offenders not
of her army should be tried acc ordiug 10
J the law martial. Bat she heard the Storm OF
popular vengeance rising and, naughty i'm
| perious, sel.-willed as she was, she yielded
the point: for she knew that upon thai SUBJ
| ject the English people would never con-
! sent 10 be uifled with. Sraford, as Lord
! Lieutenant OF Ireland, tiled the Viscount
! Stormoni before military com issiol, and
cut off his head. When impeached for it,
he pleaded III vain thai Ireland was in e
state OF instruction, that Stormont was
traitor, and the army would be undone if it
could not defend itself without appealing
10 The civil courts The Parliament was
deaf the King himself could mol save him:
he was condemned 10 suffer death as trai-
Tor and murdei5r Charles issued COM
missions TO divers officers for The trial OF
his enemies according 10 the course of mil
! itaTy law If rebellion ever was an excuse
! for such an act, he could surely have plead
ed il for there was scarcely spot in his
! kingdom, from sea 10 sea, where the royal
authority was not disputed by somebody.
! Yet the Parliament demanded in their petit
lion OF Right, and The King was obliged to
coucede. that all his commissions were IL
legal. James II clamied the right TO sus-
pend the operation OF the pensl laws-a
| power which the courts dened-buiihe ex-
| perience OF his predecessors Taught him
that be could not suspend any mans right
10 Trial. He could easily have convicted
the seven bishops of any offense he saw ft
10 charge them with ii be could have Sc
ecied tdeir judges rom among the rner-
cenary creatures to whom he had given
commands in his army. But this he dared
! nol do. He was obliged TO send tbs bishs
ops 10 jury and endure the modification
of seeing them acquitted. He, too, might
have had rebellion for an excuse, lirebel-
lion be en- excuse.
The conspiracy. was already ripe
which lew months afterwards made HIM
an exile and an ouicasi he had reason 10
believe that the Prince OF Orange was maxi
ing his preparations on the other SIDE oil
the channel 10 invade the kingdom, where
thousands burned TO Join him he pro-
nnunced the bishops guilty OF rebellion by
The very act for which he arrested them
He had raised an army TO meet the rebel
, lion. and he was on Hounslow Heath re-
viewing the troops organized for that pur-
pose. when he heard The great shout OF Joy
that went up from Westminster Hall, was
! echoed back from Temple Bar,spread down
5 the city and over The Thames, and rose
from every vessel on the tiver-ihe simui.
ultaneous shout of lwo hundred thousand