The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-02-17
Public 01i-aion.

cita5le uatUre fact IS list in rumor, an
reason is sWal'ovsd up by passion. ]
leads to the Instruction and peryersio
Ct the csrcse Of justice, to mols, insul
'eet."-i end revolution. It always pre-
. ''seAs y force Of passion, and II con
tinUed in excitement. ends in blood.
How necessary, tben, that each MAJ
and woman should be cautious to keeI
it As pare rs possible. and add no;hin.
to It's fast swelling current but what j
based or facts.
Never, in the history Of small com
aunities, was there an instance IL
WHICH the evidence Of this necessity
was stronger than IN viewing the surg
Ing waves on Which our social world ].
tossing at this time. The terrible
charge against \. I. Wheeler and Dr.
j. = Yinail-calculatcd to excite the
worst passions IS well as the strongest
and most tender sympathics Of hum al.
iiy-haTc been assumed to be true; ID
great extent he most violent impetus
MS been GIVEN 10 public opinion, based
upon mere fumoras . ninety nine hun
dredths of It's vholo strength. When
MAG Is chGrgcd with crime, while ii
subjects him to trial, the very iaw that
tries him l'sesuntes hira to be innocent
until he Is proven guilty according to
rs forms. and not according to public
\ bad law is better than no
law. because it holds al persons to the
same Inc; whereas 30 law leaves anar-
cny to rule as If men we're boasts.
= hen we have law it is the expression
Of the public opinion upon TIE statute
book, binding all. Then by what rule
OF right do the people assume that
MAJ charged with crime, and not yet
tried, is guilty; and By constant effort
create such a public opinion in opposi
ton to their own opinion expressed On
the statute book that he is innocent I'M
til he Is proven guilty in a court? Such
4 course would Be worse than bad iaws.
because It would make 4 cfcrge Of crime
equivalent 20 gait, and destroy all law
~ making the temporary current Of
public opinion the standsfd b. which
to administer justice, without firm or
evidence, ard without the sanction Of
Justice. Wheeler AMI Vinali were
charged with procuring a. abortion, re-
sulting in the death oF ihe mother.
They were implicated by the state
-acats OF cne OF the persons accuset g
he crime of murder in the caso Thos,
statements were part of over t@o col
aims Of ciosaiy printed matter in a
arge paper, every portion Of which, ex-
,ept that admitting the guilt OF herself
md duplicating Vinall and Wheeler,
!, conccaca 10 be a tie It il one con
inuous succession ofo5ntra,!ic.icns from
u end. AMI SO far SO her
:.atar.eni' ar4 concerned alone. no man
IN till what !. liz and what is truth. or
shen ling ends q truth begins She
stands confessed base Perjurer and
nurderess Take out her statements
nd the shadow which falls on Wheeler |
: too faint 70 base charge on. Take
Il ier statements, and you have that of
! m1nstrgus perjurer and criminal On
his the accused are indicted for w;llful |
murder. md wifhouf her er7o'encc in per
;on. The law icks their months, seals |
heir lips stops their speech. They !
ian only be heard through others !
/ heir accuser fees. What have We
eft? Erwor ory. Not one single
act. They know their case is bailablc, T,
1t under The Indictment they must go |
Jail. Under advice they decline to
DC sent TO jail, and step aside until az
can be made for bail. Their
light is no evidence Of guilt. They |
nave not Aod from investigation. Thev |
'laim to be wholly innocent. 1t is Only |
N infaned public opinion that would
ncarcerate them, as it ha. forced the |
-eturn Of an Indictment against them
without legitimate evidence, not even
.nough to put them upon their defense,
much less exclude them from bail. So |
hey step ASIDE un:ilreason can be heard.
nd the law, nov overridlcn by an in
iamed public opinion, can extend to
hem lis protection; and that they do
lndcr legal advice. So much for the
acts Now, what Is our condition rs
community, with nothing to act upon
out these insignificant facts,-t!at is,
l. \ charge by pcrjurer, among
tissue of acknowledged perjuries
2. An Indictment found without le-
ri evidence
3. The refusal Of the defendants to
% to jail until they could be heard in
n application to give bail, and which
5 conceded by the state that they may
10? Why on these three factt they
lave been sdjudged guilty By the pub
ic. In the face Of an investigation by
n