The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-01-12
The Eicath Of January Celebration
speech Of Judge BLACK.


New Orleans. The speech was made in
response 20 toast complimcnting the Uni
ted States Supreme Court:
Mr.. Chairman, I'm the history of this
country ii has never before been thought
necessary either 10 toast the Supreme
Court or defend Il. But times have
changed. Very recently attacks full oil
hitter malg0ity have been made on that
tribunal and measures are deliberately
taken 10 break down its Just authority.
Considering ~ whom these assaults are
made, anA what the object Of them is, il
would, perhaps, bc better to encourage
them, since it is certain that in the long
ran they can do 10 harm to anybody but
their authors. lyon have q viper TO deal
With. OF q nest OF yipcrS, II is better 10
keep them biting a. q ale than anything
else they can lay their teeth to. Still ii
NAV not be inappropriate 10 look FOR mo-
ucut at tie occasion vi the present pcfSe-
cation.
Three private citizens of Indiana, per
fcgtIv innocent If any Chence-I say per-
frsiu innocent because, mp to this time, no
human being las ever legally sworn even
to a belief OF their guiit-thcse citizens
were arrested, kidnapped, aud carried be-
fore body of men wholly without power
10 meddtc with thcm-not authorized even
10 swear a witness for them or against
thcm--ard there, after proceeding which
!, would Ice mockery to call trial, they
were ordered 10 be killed on a certain
fixed day. In this condition of things the
judicial authorities interviewed, aud, with
the aid of President Johnson, the victims
were rescued.
When the cause came into the Supreme
Court, the simple question was, Whether a
citizen could Ice lawfully deprived OF his
lie without fair, honest trial before an
impartial jury and regular court' To
this there could he but one answer. and
that answer was given unanimously, all the
iuGEcs Welding their fun and unreScrvcd
assent TO il. They held, in effect, that the
pretended trial was = conspiracy, and that
the execution, if ii had taken place, would
have been mere lawle>s murder. What
else could they do! TO hang men without
Judge or jury is an act 50 clearly forbidden
Dy the fundamental law that no one can
make any mistake about it, ii he has sense
enough 10 know his right hand from his
left. The prohibition is written down as
plain as any one Of The ten commandments
there is not sentence in the Lords
PRAYER more simple: not moral precept
can toe found in the child'S primer that is
more easily understood. Yet the court is
yii.pcuGcd, and abused, and sIaudercd for
saying il. The organs Of disuuicn and
anarchy publicly proclaim their dctermi-
nation 10 disregard the decision, not be-
cause ii is erroneous, but because il con-
fines their rowcr 10y limits iuconveniently
narrow. They declare that they will do,
in defiance OF il, whatever gratiiicS their
own purposes or promotes their own intc-
rests; aud they impudcnl'y use this very
expression; "ij the lar tlRds IN our Gag,
81 uuc. The 'r0rSe TOR TIE lu'g."
Mr.. TuaadcuS Stevens, the leader and
driver q. tie present Congress, denounccS
tat, decision on the floor Of the House. To
my yrrt.ia knowledge he knows it 10 be
peri #'v right. The ScnscleSs twaddle
.tug. banging American citizens by the
l.E .. nations, on criminal accusations OF
their ou. Government, could not Tor sin
lie tr.r#r. tmuns, On an understanding like
lis. But AedcnouuceS tie Judges for de-
Gliding what he knows and what they know
10 be true. Cor 40 conceivable reason cX-
cent his desire that his particular friends
m1rcuwuue to enjoy the delightful luxury
Of shedding innocen, blood.
The Judges, and allwho think with them,
are called traitors because they declare
the Constitution 10 mean what it says, aud
because they will not violate it themselves
or permit It's violation BY others whenthcy
can prevent il. Ii this conflict for and
against tie Constitution implies treason on
y:.uer side. the guilt does not lie at our
door. tits not the man who SuStGinS and
loves and believes in the laws Of Lis cOun-
trv: il is not such man that can be
Justly called traitor. But ii there be an
American citizen anywhere who, with an
oath upon his conscience 10 support the
Constitution. would make war upon it,
subyrgt Il Ur. brute force, and take away
the dylyaCes 1t affords TO life, liberty, and
prosperity, leaving them to the mercy Of
MODS, m.glcrvrs, kiaaappers, military
commissions, and bureaus oi military JUS
t.cr. SUCH man j. thoroughly traitor.
Ave. from lie cxtremest upward of his head
70 tho descent agI dust beneath his feet,
\ mos. Igad- ported traitor.
These arrow, which they cast against US,
b4rb,d and poisoned with the accusation
q treason, rebound from our impenetrablc
armor and fail harmless at our feet for
We arc shielded and hcImed, and weapon
cd with the truth; but il we choose to
take them up and send them back al our
ddycrsaIirs, We would leave them qulver-
lug in their very hearts.
4 great truth, on which the safety OF So
cictv and the security OF individual! rights
rnust Gcpcud, is in its nature indcstructl-
BILE. Y0u may crush ii to-day, bat 1t Will
yc;ipyca aud vindicatc itself tomorrow.
Outnc other hand, nothing is so evancS-
cent or 50 icklc rs the passions that
spring from the interests and the prelu-
qiccs OF the hour. Let the lessons Of his
tory be needed. Titus Oates, Bedloe, and
Dugcricld enjoyed far greater measure
OF popular confidence than ever was be-
slowed on Mr.. Holt. DIR. Conover, Mr..
Campbell, alias Uoare, or by all the
officers, agents. spies, delators, and wit
ueSses Of the military bureau put together.
They mean Oates and company-were
loudly applauded in Parliament; they.
were the former favoriteS OF the British
people, and they were the very darllngs OF
all the political preachers. They held the
life and honor OF the nation in their hands.
II they but pointed finger al an lndi-
yiduai he was doomed, and no purity Of
previous character, 10 proof Of inno-
reuce, however clear, could save him from
destruction. Such was their Oycrhowing
PROSPERITY one wear but before the next
camcruuad these wretched miScrcauts were
bowling a. the carts tail, under the lash Of
fTp unIItr rypcutioupr and the whole