The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-10-20
THE GRANT PARISH CASE.

We are credibly informed that the necessar.
steps have not been taken to present the de
Tense of the Grant parish case before the Su
preme Court at Washington. We understand
that the cause is one Of those that may b.
taken up by preference" at the instance o
the Attorney General The court is now il
session, and the defendants We believe, have
not been provided with counsel. They ART
not able to pay counsel themselves. The mag
nitude of this case is, perhaps, hardly appre
ciated by the people.
Important as it is to the accused, to those
convicted and to the large number not YET
tried, it is Of infinite moment to the people Of
the South, to the whole body of citizen of the
United States. Not only did these indict.
ments present the issues of life and death to
ninety-eight men, but they presented the over
whelming issue of usurping Capitalization to
the people Of all the States They imperilled
the independence OF the States, the safety of
the constitutional hts Of State governments
and of the individual citizen, the settled juris-
prudence of the country.
If Justice Bradleys decision he overruled,
United States courts will be authorized BY the
highest legal tribunal Of the land TO drag citi-
zens from their homes to face Judges and
juries hundreds of miles away, and to be tried
for all crimes against the public peace, from
the pettiest to the gravest, among strangers
and at every possible disadvantage, in defiance
of all constitutional guarantees, if political
element is infused into the Indictment by the
ingenuity OF a partisan District Attorney.
Whenever, in the opinion Of political lead
ers, it will pay to send United States marshals,
backed by bayonets and artillery, to scour the
country for political opponents to make ex-
amples Of, for party purposes, on the most
fimsy Of pretexts, the outrage will be CON-
Judge Bradley's decision be re-
versed. Our party foes may fill prisons with
our party friends, pack juries to give them
sham trial, punish them in defiance Of all
right and justice, make law a mockery and
citizenship q worthless thing, when
ever political exigencies demand it, if that
decision be not sustained.
What was done in the case of Cruikshank
Hadnot, and Irwin what has been done in
Georgia and the Carolinas what is doing in
Tennessee, will receive the fiat of approval |
rom the Supreme Court Of the United States,
f they override Justice Bradley. Attorney
General Williams, with the army and navy at
his back, will become an absolute dictator,
to his party alone.
There is no need Of this, we believe. Per-
laps there is no danger of it. The decision it.
elf, unsupported by the efforts of counsel,
nay be sufficient to convince the Supreme
,ourt that it was rendered in strict accordance
nth constitutional law. lBut the stake of the
ountry involved in the issue is so overwhelm-
ng in its importance, that it may we'll have
be guardianship and advocacy of the best
sgal skill. Some man or men like Evarts,
ierrepoint, johnson, Stanbury or Black, con-
titutional lawyers Of the highest eminence-
nd national reputation should be employed
/ the matter and paid for their services.
nd this should be attended to at once