The weekly Panola star. [volume] (Panola, Miss.) 1857-1881, 1869-07-24

HAt. ffitttst iFts HHsF Fs'Hf wv sf
~ llsass shs paazsi is Tksy oaFlf
h. hsss kassa lhsi fbsy Esfe bHi
sowing d. ssssls n Haia ~ fls
earl ~ blaalshsl Thsss have
lseh sla results n q pFus frilee
tolley In III asea. ~ history i ialss
~ one can douh, that such fesuli'
wuull fpllsv meh = poliry N arop /
ulaiion composed n distinct fsees
one n which has tgea but forenily /
emaneipaie,l, when that which baa
been regarded - the iuieriof. y plae
ed IN . position u superiority Ba'
pcfhst= that difficulty vss foseseen
q. ~ fnd IN the same constitution ,
a provision fpf the complete organ
/ ilation Of the militia, and gr calling
| il into service at any time. This
would be- an evil quite NJ great "
any that could be inflicted on peo-
ple, who would be sure 10 become
the victims Of a romorscloas lawless
soldiery.
II however, this proscriPtivc pro-
vision was intended rs punishment,
II il equally odious. Retrospective
punishment, or the punishment OF
men for past acts, is condemned
throughout the civilized world; It is
perfectly shocking to the sense Of
, every enlightened people, and espe-
: cially odious to Americans.
, There is another remarkable pro-
e vision in this constitution, which to
r my mind, is a direct invasion of the
e sacred right of trial by jury, and
o therefore, should excite alarm. 1t
o is in the form of a command to the
y Legislature to provide for the indict'
# ment and trial of persons charged
d with felony in any county in the
l. State, other than the county in
@ which the offence was committed
r when from any cause an impartia
$, grand or petit jury, cannot be EN-
o. pannelled in the county where TIN
ID offence was committed. 1t is LET
n with the Legislature at pleasure t
ed have a citizen dragged from one en-
be of the State to the other, to be trie
he by strangers, remote from his neigh
nd bors, his friends and his witnesse
no This is to give any one county jurl
elk diction of all the crimes committe
to in the State, and it may be rcadil
M seen what power, what persecutio
ose a partizan Legislature might exi'
Iad This is not the trial by jury.
nd From timeimmemorial it has be-
les, an essential part of the right of tri
.lu- by jury, that the jurors should
hat taken from the county or vicina
,ro- within which the otfense was co
on mitted; and / venture to say this
,ur- the first instance of departure fr'
inly the rule, certainly the first in Am
,oes lean jurisprudence. A memora
for instance should have admonisf
this the convention, that it was invadi
ow- the sanctuary of American Liber
ible If they h,d read the Declaration
ion, Independence they would have lea
lent ed that one of the charges Of
the preston made by our fathers agai
ton the King of England was, +"
n in transporting us beyond the seai
re- be tried for pretended offences"
con- To transport citizen from
I'd in end of the State to the other is q,
ame. as bad, and no doubt it would Of
high be done for pretended often
con- hatched in malice and nourished
lg of perjury.
also This is really startling pro
op- ion; it has most decided party
to be pect. Some of the darkest spot
YER English history were placed ther
tered servile partizan juries who were
and servient to their masters will.
great haps this provision carried out IN
us, a be the cause of similar blots on
. free history of Mississippi; and as
, GER evils are 80 apparent it is difficu
rinci- resist the conclusion that mis-
Is, or was meditated, or, judging the
/ hos strument from its whole tenor,
sever party supremacy entered into
e who calculation.
If forming an estimate Of
have merits and dement's of the
ion to Radical party, we cannot ovel
would its systematic and persevering 9
the to induce Congress to force this
Il who stitution upon the people aft
as the had been rejected by major
's--all seven thousand votes, by mear
ty and most discreditable and unscrup'
from The party seemed SO be deter
riptive to get into place and power, re
less alike Of the peoples will :