Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-08-31

Reply OF Hr. Rankin to the Banaer's

Attorney General, Mr.. Stubblefeld, an
the grand Jury who are now in session
The character of the article is such that
feel called upon to give it brief notice
/ regret that the Banner has seen prone
to indulge in such uukind expressions anl
insinuations, without first being informed
fully concerning the matters it feels itsel
authorized to criticise. / do not propos,
to inquire into the causes that provoke
such in a Journal, whose influence should
certainly be in the direction of virtue and
morality, in the suppression Of vice and il
the maintenance and enforcement of law
and not in the attempt 10 bring reproach
npon witnesses testifying against crime, by
branding them as "intorMeTs," or upon the
grand juries Of the country and officers OF
the law honesty and faithfully trying to
discharge their duty. / know not what
they are. / will content myself with quot
ing brief paragraph, from an opinion de-
livered by Judge Catron, concerning the
"odium' that is excited, or attempted to be
excited against at Attorney General, and a
grand jury who try TO perform their duties
faithfully and fesrlessly. The language is
harsh and severe, and whilst | will not be-
lieve that any of the gentlemen connected
with the Bonner office are entitled to such
epithets, quote it to show those gentlemen
who have taken the pains to snimadyert
so severely upon the conduct of the
parties In question, how such criticism
and attempt at censHre, was regarded by
one Of the brightest luulinaries that
ever adorned the bench of our State. In
the case in which the opinion was deiv>
cred it is true that it was the offense of
gaming" and it was part of the pro-
gramme to make gambling respectable. to
excite contempt ami odium against the
officers of the law who we're ATTEMPTING
faithfully and honestly to suppress this
crying evil against the morals and pros
poets Of the rising generation of young
men.
There is not in the history of man
more disgusting scene than the filthy
whisky house, filled with horde of gamb-
lers, playing upon benches, heads of kegs,
or the floor, cheating, drinking, swearing
and fighting. Before the passage of the
act at 1917, every yonth who attended the
county town on court days, could hardly
escape this scene of corruption; it soon
became familiar to all il corrupted the
morals, aud destroyed the honesty of tens
of thousands Had Tennessee not used
means to suppress such profigacy, she
would be disgrace to civilized communi.
ties. Yet we are told by the Attorney for
the gOgernment that odium Is cast upon pros.
ec1ai0as for gambling. Il is the ouicrg Of the
Of Oh h, !. IL
punishment received, or i0hich he fears lcH
soon Opertdke him ) abandoned to all moralr
ity and decency, himself more odious to
all moral and honest men than the COM
mon thief, who takes by Titles from the
corn crib and pig stye; tchose abuse is good
eridence Of integrity and vi9iidnce on the part
Of the officer denounced No doubt the
whipped thief abuses the solicitor. but
then five hundred honest men in return.
applaud his skill, vigilance ond integrity"
quote from the case of the State IS
Smith q Lane, 2 Yerger, and commend
the opinion of Judge Catron to the careful
perusal of my worthy friends of the Banner,
as lecture, outside of the legal questions
involved, of great merit.
Now, Messrs Editors, / have made
quotation from Judge Catron, that is harsh.
/ do not desire, or mean to be understood
"a making a personal application of the
terms employed in the quotation to the
gentlemen OF the Banner. had, and yet
do, regarded them as gentlemen; but they
are permitting themselves, and the inHu-
ence of their journal to be exerted in the
direction of immortality, in the direction
Of war, and antagOnism against the virtue
and welfare, the peace and repose Of the !
in which they live. 1t wonld, |
perhaps, be astonishing to the community. |
after seeing the efiusions in the Banner |
about the oppression of the grand Jury and |
The Attorney General, to learn that in no |
ease was there bat one presentment for
buying spirituous liquors on Sunday against |
any single individual And il had not. |
perhaps, occurred to my worthy friends of |
he Banner, that the grand jury, whom |
hey seem 80 swift to censure, have, all Of /
hem, sworn upon the Holy Evangelsts to |
diligently inquire, and true presentment |
make of all offenses coming to their knowl- |
edge, and this without fear, favor, or affec- |
ion. And in justice to the honesty and |
integrity of the grand jury in their action
n the premises, it is due 10 them to state /
hat they were instructed by the court, and
very properly, that he, who was engaged
n the sale of spirituOus liquors on the
sabbath day, be he buyer or seller, was
yuilty Of violation of the law.
They have essayed to suppress this grow
ng evil in our midst by attempting to
trike dowarsts stay and support. Indiet
he lawless ffppler, and he pays theexactions
IF the law, and yet profits, or thinks he does
n persisting in its violation but drive
rway his patronage, and how long would
he destructive lure be held out? ''The
,ases are brought before the grand jury by
Mr.. Rankin, who illegally claims to act as
Deputy Attorney General, and who has no
light whatever to be in the jury ROOM"
will state for the information of the writer
# the paragraph quoted, that / have never
claimed" to be deputy Attorney Gem
raj" The law partner of the Attorney
4eneral, and necessarily conversant with
lis official business, at his request and that
# the grand jury, and with the knowledge
md appreciation of the court, am with
he grand jury much of their time to draw
lp bills ofindictmentan presentments and
o afford any assistance otherwise that they
would, or might require of the Attorney
1ensral himself who, for the most part, is
ctively engaged in the court room.
The cases are not brought before the
rand jury by Mr.. Rankin" except at
heir direction, and their vote on all cases
5 taken with closed doors. am sorry
hat the action of the grand jury has SO ex-
rcised the Bonner and / am specially
orry that / should have become
he subject of its spleen. / have
ndeavored to do whatever L have done
onestly and faithfully, expecting, as has
yer been the case under Just such circuln-
Ianees, that there would be those to whom
n Attorney General, or his deputy So
allied" and a grand jury and Criminal
'ourt would be especially odious; but
title thought that journal Of the reputa-
ION and respectabilify claimed BY the
republican Baana would lend itself to such
IMPOSES. dismiss the subject
Respectfully and truly yours