, 1874-01-19


8ANYoN RAMPANT.
Shortly after tho municipal election, wo took
occasiou to bid Justice Danyon a p]atntiye aud,
na wo nuppoaod, b final good-by, md ut that
timo wo Expressed our regret ut parting
with auch au ablo 1urlst, and bespoke for him .
largo patronage should he decide TO return totho
butter business, or the othor avocatonH In Which |
he acquired that remarkable legal aoumon md /
fund Of legal knowledge WHICH not only inspired |
his decisions, but oven onaplod him to hold tho !
pearH that our pauogyric was wasted upon tho
dosort sir. Danyon, like Danquo, will not down.
His "shiuglo" still swings in the wind, aud tho
midnight roystorsrs, reeling up stato atreot,
still hoars ita mournful and significant
creah. Tho heavy caaes still "coom cop tho
nhtairs,' % in days Of old, when o'Malley and
prendergast held the scaleh Of Justice, and as-
tonished TINT bandagod female with their pro-
found u1tuata. Banyon still ats onthrouod
and comptoheuda vagrom men," aa did Dog
berry, his great original. And this isn't the
worst Of It. He threatens us with Banyon for tho
rest Of Lis life. There is no Buch Office as tho
one ho holds, as 1t was abolished three years
ago, and all TINT ho is doing is void. and yet
re must have this judicial embarrassment Of
riches until tho possesBor OF them is gathered to
his fathers. "For," quoth Dogberry, "although
ths Constitution of 1870 abolished tho office, 1t
provided that those In oiico should complete
tho torn for which they were elected. and tho
torn Tor which was elected runs until my suc-
cessor is appointed. AB my SUCCESSOR cannot
DO appointed, because tho office is abolished,
argal, must sosvo through lifo.'
At the first glance, tho thought Of Banyon for
lifetime is appalling. What have the people
Of this city done that they should be afflicted
with such calamity? Ia 1t not enough to have
lad the great fro? Is 1t not enough to be
bound down to tho earth With taxes, to be
ground between the upper and lower grindBtones
by tho General Assembly, and to DO threatened
with the smallpox, without having Banyon sad~
died upon tho community 80 long as he uvos !?
There n1ay be greater mBeries in the Pandora
box Of the future than Banyon. but tho imagina-
ton is not koen enough to picture them.
But "the beat laid schemes OF mice and men
| aft gang agley." The nice little nest which
| Danyon LAS prepared With 80 much caro- and
! made so cosy and snug and warm may not bo oc-
| cupied by him, after all. There is a cheering
| ray OF light in tho dark picture.-a reasonable
degree Of hope, at least, that things are not az
black as they seem. Notwithstanding the fact
tl,st the great juriat has intrenchal himself it
what he deens an impregnable position, behint
which be can smile at any efforts to dis
the t'empty duties" OF an Office abol
ished threo years ago. there is nj
doubt that his position can bo carried at the YER
first onsct. His illustrious contemporary ant
rival, John Summerdold, about two years ag
undertook the aamo operation Of toiatiug him
self upon tho community for life, and in th
game manner as Banyon now proposes. Th
stata'a-Attorney, however, found no difficulty i
suppresging him, By IN appeal to tho Courts
What is aauce for tho goose is aaueo for tho gan
der. With this lttlo instrument, tho burly Bnn
yon may DO taken out Of the nest he las pre-
pared tor hatohing decisions with 30 much care
aud rcmauded to the butter huainoaa, or eom
other form Of livelihood which will not be hkel
to cruelty tho community with hia presence L
the temple Of Justice.
It ia fortunate that the magnitude Of tho los
Of such 5uriat will be tempered by tho fac
that tho community can spare him. While h
himself will entertain still greater degree G
contempt for tho higher courts, the people ri
bo freed from the necessity Of longer entertain
Ing contempt for his court. The stato's-A1
torney uood not be dlldont, therefore, in NAL
ing this man show cause for sitting In SET
which has boen declared forever vacant, M
going through tho farce Of making decisions m
entering judgments which haye no more valid!t
than tho scribolipgs Of lunatic.