The Louisiana Democrat., 1868-06-24

Nv uittoVtI no iiS pidOAOa LII " - v go -
great leader Of Black Repnblicanism will
be to the southia bitter pill to swallow.
ROANOKE.
What is Law?
It is certainly great, says the New Or
leans Times, If not the GREATEST, Of the vex
ations t. which we are subjected, in oul
present serious state Of political and civil
uncertainty that courts and judges decide
the most important controversies between
citizens on political and partisan grounds
and without any regard whatever to The
municipal law or the Jurisprudence of tho
civilized world As to the Constitution
and it's provisions, THE person who even
cites a provision of that instrument in any
of our courts, especially,in our Supreme e. 4
Court is regarded as q very yerdant strip
ling or mnsty old fogy. Let him rest up
on military order, or an act of Congress
as construed by some npstart general, and
he stands on high and strong ground. A
little printed slip, issuing from headqnar
ters, and signed by some yonng staff officer
is more potent than Magma Charta, Peti
tion of Right, Declaration of Indepen
dence, Articles of Confederation and all
the constitutions that ever existed in this
or any other country. Down SO before i
all the principles and ideas Of civil rights rights
and duties, of national and internationa
law, which have been elncidated by Gro
thus. 3ourlamagin, vattel Wheaton, Kent
Story, and all the great publicists who
have devoted their lives to the establish
msnt of the great fundamental truths o.
Jurisprudence; but who, for all the use
they are tous Of the present generation d
enlightened ffreemen might have more wisely
appropriated the paper which they blotted
to the use Of lighting the pipe which that
learned .jnrist ana philosopher, Judge Ia
liaferro, smokes over his profound decis.
ions, with far moro satisfaction to himself
than he could possibly derive frozi a peru.
sal Of their pondefous tones. was from
this source no doubt that this erndlte jn
rist derived the inspiration Of that decis
ion which challenged the admiration d
mankind for its startling novelty and radi
cal daring, and which no other tribunal
has yet had the courage to adopt and re
caguize as sound law. We refer Of course
to the decision from which Judges lllsleey
and Labauye had the temerity to dissent
by which obligations given for slaves d ter 4 T
or twenty years ago are. declared invalid
because slavery has since been abolished
This decision rendered by one- former
STAKEHOLDER and acquiesced in by two 9th
ers-has been expressly declared by tht
Supreme Court Of the United States, b.
the Judge Of the U. S.'Court in this city
ard by the Judge of the U. s. Court ir
Mississippi, and by the same court IN Ala
bama, and by all other courts in the coun
try, and By the whole Bar Of this city ani
Of the United States, to be grossly, fla
grantly and wickedly erroneous, ineqpiita
BILE and false, in law, history and ethics.
And yet the theory is that the decisions Q
this court are law in this State!
The same Judge has recently decided
that the military commander Of this Dis
trict has absolute powers above the Con
stitution and the law; that he can SCI
aside and annul contracts, vacate jadicia
aud all other acts, and do whatever pleasel
him and what no government and nc au
tlority in. this country can lawfully do
with no responsibility TO any power by bu
General Grant. He can annuA1bur mar
riage contract, and declare you a single
person; he can set aside conveyance o
property, dissolve partnership, 9 lease, O
any other compact between man and man
He, the military commander, can do al
these and many other equally seriou,
things, not by adjudication and trial, as il
done by courts, hut by q simple decree o.
order, without inquiry or any sort of trial
and entirely npon his own will and whim
In other, words. Judge Taliaferro adopts
the view If not the blasphemy. Of, Butler,
declaration to q committee Of gentlemen 0
this citv that 4 military. commander. i,
| 4l;s n;str;o4 ;a lilo the Ponn-the only il
responsible monarch il the world.
Badly as we think Of the Radical part,