Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1868-07-17
THE UNITED STATES.

the condition of opinion there. A
vote of the Senate on the matter of ,
criminal Impeachment is looked on n,
n mere party vote, and since IL ha,
happened to disappointment the i'm
peachers they who gave it are de
nounced as traitors. 1t is possible
that, under similar circumstances
such q denunciation might be made
by violent and bad men i'm any coun.
try. But in the United States ii Is moi
any rough-and-ready partisan abus.
ing the freedom of free press that ut.
ters such denunciations 1t comes
rom member of the Legislature in
the shape of proposed law. Mr.
sumner, who sets up to be q LAWYER
who has actually put himself forth tC
the world sort of editor of the works
of Justice Story, and who therefore
ought, above all other men, to respect
the forms OF law, and to insist on the
most perfect freedom of opinion, sub
Ject In no way to anything but the
rules of settled law, is the man to de-
mand that members of the Senate
voting upon an impeachment shall
be held criminally responsible for
their. votes--that is for their judicial
opinions. The Senate when it sits
upon an impeachment isreally a Jury.
The Chief Justice is the directing
judge, he has to explain the law and
to leave to the jury to say whether
the facts proved establish the guilt of
the accused according to the law he
has laid down. Mr.. Sumner, not CON
tent with the several instances dur
ing the late trial in which q mere par
ty vote overruled the legal decision of
the Chief Justice, now desires to fet-
ter and to frighten theiurymen on an
impeachment trial from giving q con-
scientious verdict. And this is sought
to be done in country which is con-
stantly parading itself to the world as
the first in political knowledge, hon
esty, and liberty! Certainly, If such
boast is true, the world is i'm very
backward state. But we venture to
assert that the United States, which
sprang from England, and, like
Minerva emerging from the head of
Jupiter, came into political life well
versed in the ways of freedom, are
now going back for hundreds of Years,
disowning the matured and expert
enced wisdom which they enjoyed i'm
right of their illustrious birth, and
up with those bad and stupid. practi-
ces which we English in our early
political youth had praticed, but
which, as we grew up in years and
wisdom, we had utterly rejected and
condemned. In former times n iurv
that did not give verdict acceptable
to the reigning powers suffered i'm
prisonment and fine. Englishmen
"a; - 4
government, and, in civil cases, insis-
ted that the jurymen should he free;
but that il the judges really thought
injustice had been done, they should
have the power of correcting it by Or
dering new trial before a different
jury. In criminal cases interference
with the jury was absolutely forbid
den, through the remedy for what
was conceived to be an erroneous ver-
dict-namely, a new trial-could not
be had. Mr.. Sumner desires that
modern America should 60 back
to times of our long-disused feu-
dalities, substituting, indeed, King
Mob and Mob law for King and the
Kings law. This return to the old,
disused, and condemned practice
would be discreditable and mischiev-
Gus. What mob law is every one
knows in this country by reading:
what 1t is in America the city of
Washington seems to have known by
experience within a few days since.
We print in another column the ac-
count of scenesi in Washington which
not only cover the Republicans there
with disgrace, but which must have
the effect all over the civilized world |
of "bringing into hatred and con-
tempt" a system of government that
can tolerate for day such barbarities.
The outrages we have referred to were
directed against the citizens of Wash
ington, who were suspected of de-
sign to elect particular mayor. For
these disgraceful scenes Mr.. Sumner
and his co-worlSers are responsible.-
The person Forney referred to I'm the
account can be but the reflex of that
legislator who would
put down i'm any way and by any
means freedom of opinion, suffering
none but his own fancies to have un-
checked career. Universal suffrage
can no longer be deemed identical
with free voting, when the sufirages
are to be prevented or over-ruled by a
mob of drunken savages, brought
from all parts to imtimidate the real
elector, or to punish him by arson and
murder for having dared to exercise
the power which the law boastfully
pretends to give him, the power of
free election.
We fear that the United States have
a terrible ordeal to go through before
they will settle down into country
which by government and good order
will do honour to free institutions,
and really secure the happiness by Sc
curing the liberty mot the license) of
the citizens.-BeWs Life Ia London.
THE following is mere outline of
the admirable speech of Gov. Sey-
mour, on taking his seat as President
Of the Conventions: