The sun., 1873-07-25

| this act the statute law OF the United
States for that part of the District of
Columbia which was ceded TO the United
States by the state of Maryland.
A knowledge of this fact docs not seem
| to have come TO the mind OF the distin-
guished editor of the World. IL is essen
tial TO a full understanding of the DANA
libel case.
| Very likely it may he attributed TO his
misapprehension of the law on this point,
| but from the first the editor of the World
! has insisted upon II that no great danger
mcuaccd the press in this prosecution.
We think differently. The authorities
at Washington instituted the proceedings
with entire confidence in their SUGGEST
! The officer who first came on exhibited
the handouts with which he expected TO
mauaclc MIR. DANA. When the party left
Washington on their sec ond visit TO this
city they were accompanied TO the cars by
the Secretary OF the Treasury, who audibly
badc them gohspeed!
Arrived here the prosecutors found sup
pie, ready, and even enthusiastic coUpera-
tors in official quarters TO AID in their viii
lainous enterprise. Tie whole force Of the
District Attorneys Office seemed 70 be put
at their command. The District Attorney
himself found time to leave some very
pressing business in which he was engaged
to attend to this arrest. United states
Commissioner DAvENroRr earned the exc
ciutions of all intelligent citizens by volun-
tecrug threat to lock up witnesses over
night If proof was required that Mr.. DANA
was editor of The SUN. Mr.. BLISS disputed
tlis-and he might wen he ashamed Of it
aftcrward, but the proof was overwhclm-
iugly against him. DAvENPoRT dccidcd the
case dtOiHN hr. DANA, dni committed hiH
to The c',,todsof TIC M0f>ijdl. The District
Attorney demanded Sl0,o)) bail. About
this time Commissioner DAVENPORT ap-
pcarcd TO become little frightened. and
concluded that he had not the right to de-
tcruinc the amount of bail. lie went pr-
vatCly, in company with G"n. TREMAIN,
Into the United States District Court room,
aud OH his return reported that Judge
BrArcHFoRD had fixed the bail at 5000.
II was only on the appearance of Mr.. DA-
MAS counsel before tue Judge, and the
earnest protest by him against the grant
ing OF the warrant at all, that this learned
and upright magistrate put the whole
ulblttI oNtI 10 the iuln OF July.
The World thinks there Was no danger.
Why not?
It would not have requir I'll greater igno-
rance Of criminal law than was shown 10y
Judge WooDEUFF in the CALLGCoT case, or
greater disregard Of the Constitution than
WARD Hunt AN Associate Justice Of the
supreme Court of the United States, was
guilty of IN the recent case OF ANTHONY.
for Judge BLAr,HFoHD to sign the war;
rant.
Jurists as able as chief Justice SHAW,
aud the whole Supreme Court of Ma>sa-
chusett>, have held that n law abclishing
the tlial 10y jury except upon appeal was
no infringement of the right of trial by
jury secured by the Constitution OF that
state. Had Judge BLArcHFoED adopted
IL similar view of the provision in the Con-
stitutiuu OF the United States, Mr.. DASA
would have been obliged TO go manaclcd
TO Washington, or TO give heavy bail
murclS with IA view t. it., suusc,IurLI IoT-
fciture; for it Is perfectly well understood,
ana has beeu uudisgusedly avowed, that
if he went TO Washington il was foregonc
conclusion that he ould be locked up III
the common Jail on one prctcncc or an
Olutl W iit Chl bl MIAMI y administration.
II Mr.. DASA could have been taken
to Washington in this manner every op-
position journalist III the country could
have been taken there in the same way.
Aye, more, even the ablcst Administration
journalists, like JONES and JENSISGs Of the
Times, or HAwLEY of the Hartford COu-
rant hut who had principle enough To de
nouuco the Credit Mubilier frauds might
be seized and committed 10 the jail Of the
District of Columbia ON thc complaint OF
som, debnuoI-I ongrcssnan. We thul
/, -,.,- good deal HAT the press lad AT
stake; and whatever concerns the press
concerns the whole people--for the press /,
the principal champion of their int.Iests
and their rights.
But, argues the lTUid, Judge BLATCII-
FORD only did his duty. Very tluc; but it
was "A glorious thing to have II man in his
seat at that moment who had the CON
science and courage TO do his duty, and
who did it. Tho performance of that duty
first fully interpreted one of the most I'M
portaut provisions of the Constitution of
the United states, aud guaranteed forever
10 every person accused of crime before
the Federal courts the right of trial by
jury N THE FIRST INSTANCE, and not merely
on appeal.
GEoRGE WAsHlNGToH only dld his duty;
yet the manner in which hc did his whole
duty made his name immortal. MANS
FIELD only lid his duty when he rendered
II decision which gave freedom to the
slaves OF England and abolished slavery
there forever. "Wc have done that which
II was our duty 10 do-unprohtable SER
wants are We all says the apostle. The
editor OF the N'orid has ouly done his duty;
yet the powerful articles which he has
sometimes written in support of popular
rights az" held in grateful Remembrance
by many lovers of liberty. Had Judge
BLATcUroEp'S decision been different, how
ever, MANToN MARBLE, instead of enjoying
M home the just rewards Of his services t.
the public might now be iGnominiously
imprisoned in Il dungeon nj Washington.
Decline OF the Y. VI. &. A.
An International Convention of the
Young Mems Christian Associations of the
United States and the British Province,
WIS recently held at pnurhL ,.I