The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1868-09-02
Bingham as a Prosecutor-Ilis
Madness.


Madness.
John A. Bingham is man of very weak
mind. lie ent, red upon active life as a
lawyer. and tO>day would lay claim to some
ability in his chosen profession. But his
reputation as lawyer, such rs it is, was
not gained ly his kaowledse of the princi-
PIES OF the law, but rather by his style of
oratorv in conducting certain kinds Of cases
such as murder seduction and SANDER
cases where in, iciive and an extravagant
and inflated style of speaking more often
wins verdict from jury than would an
application Of the principles of the law.
When Bingham un lertakes a case, he
ru>hes though it with the frenzy of a mad
man-in fact, under the excitement, he
does become in manner fenzied He will
lash himself into fury of exctenent and
kc p up at least the appearance of this ar
iifcial stimulus until the case is over, when
the reaction sets in, and he becomes pros
trated and exhausted. When Bingham is
under the high-pressure of excitement, it
matters not to him whether he has Truth
or Falsehood on his siLe-he will champion
falsehood as readily and pursue it with as
much zeal and fanaticism as he would the
truth. lie is the most unsafe of all the
bad men in the councils of the nation. He
has not the quick perception or the cool
judgment which should characterize a man
holding the position of Representative of
the people-he is altogether irenzied par
tisan, and is not qualified to judge and
choose calmly that which would be for the
public good, but rushes forward with the
zeal of mad sleuth hound at the bid of
any corrupt rascal whose GOODNESS and judg-
ment makes HIM Bingham's master.
Witness Bingham's conduct in all tie
public cases where he has been employed
or chosen to conduct public prosecutions.
His aim has not been the aim of a true
man-to vindicate justice and arrive at
truth--he has none of those noble impulses
his composition is raa,ty and .fanaticisn'
= and in all the cases above spoken his on.
! ly motive has been the object of the mean
spirited petttogger-to win applause of the
clakers Of the "pit' nothing noble
nothing high >minded about it.
Witness his conduct in the trial Of Sur
geon- general Hammond. Whatever may
have been crime, it was not so much Blng'
hams object to determine as il was to con
yict, whether the evidence would sustain
the conviction or not. His adherence o
such speculation" are not so great or hi
public virtue so powerful as to be the lnfu
encing motive, because he never fails to d.
his utmost to relieve his friends Of eyer
worse embarrassments.
| Witness with what unfeeling and ignobl
madness be presecued the innocent Mrs
Surratt-as innocent as a newborn babe o.
the crime which Bingham by his overbear
ing zeal and unprofessonal unfairness fore
ed judges to pronounce her guilty-unde
the guise of profound "loyalty." 1t mat
tered not so much to this modern Radica
ghoul whether she was innocent or guilty
he wished the opplause-he got it from hi
clakers-but one should not think
strange if the shrouded ghost of the mul
dered woman should disturb his midnigt
, musings-even if her image should han
: like burning cloud and obscure til
light of the sua from his vision. On
would not wonder if every breeze shoul
bring to lis nostrils no other nourishment
but the noxious vapors of deatb, or th'
he should startle and shudder at breakin
twig or.rustling leaf.
G Witness him as prosecutor OF Andre
: Johnson-such Incorporate zeal was nevt
| before witnessed. Remember that or
t short month before he had voted, undC
| the soemnities of lis oath that the ce'
: changes, with one single exception (the IT
moval of Stanton) were not causes for an
peachment-were not high crime or mi
demcanor in the President and then, wh(
= he thought he could gain cheap popula
ity as manager, witness with what ii
sanity he raved against the President
with what recklessness he pushed eve.
. means in his power for the conviction
:, the President-how he disregarded h
u former vote-how he ignored all his fomt
actions. His object was fame (such as
: would be( and to attain it he would ha
sacrificed his country. Such was his insa
:, frenzy that everything else would be 10
sight of-conviction was his only object
by fair means or foul whether just or u
- just
j. Such is brief sketch'of one of the cha
- acteristics of the man who has the 'audaci
10 to present bimsef to the voters of the lG
District and ask their endorsement Su
!" is but one of the many bad traits of Il
: pubic enen,y-thi3 Representative of I
capitalists of the New England STATE
70 kept in place by the votes of the freem
L. of this District. He is an ansafe man
Of public position. AS privare citizen
is will do very well, but in an office of trust
N as a esentative-wielding so mu
f. power for veal or woe to his constituent
it the people should have a man Of beti
Sc judgments man having more regard
Of justice and truth--a man of reason and Il
Sc paytizdn.
IN -zszH--<>.-Asn--
n@JOHN A. BINGHAM saws til