Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1866-12-15
EAST TENkESSRE.
he souris and Politics -Faefio,Ts Con-
trutiOns la thr Temples Of Jasflee
Mlihf an Onislders says.

Ne oAEtN ana EOlAitaN-t &eltoata oua
trutiOns la rae Temples Of Jasilee---
What an Onisidersays.
Knoxville CorIc-pau lepee Cincinna.i 5fuaer-
The c0rls.of oar courts villa moi make
. brigb snd unsroted page IN il.s is.ltaSs
81 our ~ 4. ial TrGcee ling. They reflect
IN many T.. ~, the passions aud corruption
Of lhr time and are % sad commentary
upon the wclEHps OF poor human nature.
The temples 81 Justice have been the arenas
for fictians contentious. The jufies have
ROT always breasted tie wild Storm Vi
passion-the cry Of the partisan has hern
louder than the voice o the las, and the
scales Of justice have weighed an Uneven
balance The prejudice and weaknesses
Of political strife have been, c4friFl info
The jury box, and the rights d iitigants--
The property and fortunes OF Contestants
have been determined hy tlta merits and
dement's Of their political reC0Ys The re-
suit Of such a partisan and unjust course is
the same in orr day as it has been in the
history Of other peoples. The temples of
Justice in the days Of Charles Ui-refleCtcd
like corruption and excuses when. the Pu-
ritans aud the Chuchmen-the Wings and
the Tories-were writing the dark pages Of
English hstory-the irightful corruption
of the English Judiciary. We reflect, with
painful accuracy, the deaenaracy of those
DAYS aud this confirms upr belief that hB-
tory repeats itself.
The supreme Court, in the case Of Tho.
h. Champion w. the State, had under adj
yisement and determined the question as
10 how far, under our system Of laws, an
attorney could be harassed by obnoxioua
political test-oaths One Of the Circuit
Judges, attempting 10 control and intimi-
date the attorneys who practice in his CONT,
pre5uribes rule that all attorneys shall
take, in addition De- the usual oath, an oath
10 support All the arts at The present Legis-
lature until such ass shall be pronounced
unconstitutional Such an nath.taRes from
an attorney the very privilege and power
peculiar to his profession. It's peculiarly
the function of conrt q, determine The
validity of laws enacted, and this oath was
calculated TO hamper an attorney freedom
and degrade bis calling il. worst ieamrc
was, thai il gas prescribed % exclude men
Of lirnuesJ and integrity from pra,ticing
IN the counr. II had the -pjrit oi the
lgBt-oath the inventions OF ihe dark dsy-
Of religions aud cud1l strie and e not ia
spirit Eih or laws
Gen, champion, Eot from sny feeling IT
rcIHvuanCe 70 support al inst laws'euaciel
by the Legislature. refused To- take the oath
aud appealed from he action Of fhe Ciranit
Judge Hi7 course w1l 1H7taincd h. the
Supreme Court
Ten. Champion W foremost in ar fight
above che clouds AZ oas0ul "a, t8.gin, aud
thc Hlg az Dr. old imlni. with Eos hIi hl
star and a.5Eez WIS the first seen hy the
impatient h0tH charging va N,sia Ridge
tupgsiy ulat VIZ G,issa igAthe Re BEL
army. arrest made under the State con
acrpt laws, impri-rHmenis made al the
suggestion and through the CoHnigHce 0i
Rebel citizens transactions in Confederate
money, CONTRACT made between parties
owing allegiance Ia the opposing heliEer-
eat parties, and tie question as 20 how Far
the belligerent rights accorded lo the Rebel
government protected those acting under
che authority Of that government -theze
are SOME Of the qneations lresented IN orr
conrts, and aurh questions ulWally pro
woke al The passions vugendeJed by The
late war. Ia such ccrie7ta Che bitter feel
ings Of the pas are at once aroused, aud
men who have solemnly appealed 70 God,
with upliiiod hands, we'll and truly to try
the ISSUES presented in weakness OF corrup-
lion have TOO often echoed the cfy Of pas
sion, sul violated lhe plainest precepts Of
Jaw. Men whom the tide oi passion has
stranded into official Positions, lave in
some cases found it 90 their interests to
countenanoe, and even provoke, such parti-
san feeling, fcr which reason the violence
has been long in spending its force, and
the plant tools Of such demagegues are
even yet at woyi, keeping society in COM
motion"