Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-05-06
mOR Law AND Won LOGIC.


law uuueT any ana all circumstances, Stlils
the people Of this community have become
satisfied, from past experience, hat 10
criminal cal be brought 70 trial if allowed
to wait the delays and technicalities Of our
| criminal law, as is seif-evident 10 every
one 1 could cite his honor to many cases
| (cold blUOded murdeTs) which have been
committed ia the last six or seven years in
this community, which have been con-
tinued from time to time, and from years
| % wears. until the witnesses in the case or
cases have either died, lefl tie country,
or have forgotten the material points in the
ease, and the consequence is be eitherl Is sent
jOtle peuilentjary for = few years, Orturned
! use upon the community 20 commit the
same crime with impunIty. The chances
are the latter. For instance, 9 man, sOmesiX
or seven years ago, murdered his wife, an
estimable and WOT,hy LADY, in cold blood;
he was arrested, ard through the laws
delays was KEEP in jail some i've years, and
was finally sent 70 the ~pe1ilentiaIy Tor ten
years. | ask his Honor, was this justice to
the commonwealth Of the State? / could
cite him to many others who are now con-
fined in county jail. Why not bring
these men to trial when the circumstances
Of the case are fresh in the memory Of the
( witnesses. If he is iustidable turn him
loose and if he IS guilty punish him as his
crime deserves, and as the law regulates,
and not burden Taxpayers by continuing 1t
and costing the county, PROBABLY, four or
J I'VE thCusaUd dollars. IL a. as mucn an i'm
possibility % lrinC a criminal TO trial
under the eXlsliJL criminal laws who has
money 20 fee z lawyer, 10 matter how
heaiOIs his offence, as il is for the al to
rise in the west and set in the east. And
for this reason the people of this city and
county have concluded to regulate society
| themselves where the laws are incapable TO
| project them
Tie more leiEOus The crime the easier
to be acquitted, as they can continue It for
years, and, in fact, never be brought TO
trial for that matter. For instance, a poor
man who has a large family but no money
o. friends, or employment, and is himself
and family on the verge OF starvation, steals
some food 10 pTOlOng life, and is arrested
for It. The consequences are, nine out Of
ten cases, that he Is tried forthwith and
| seut TO the penitentiaTy for q term Of three
or i've years. / would ask his Honor is
this justice, whilst the cOld-blOOded muir
deIer and midnight assassin, simply be-
cause ne has money to fee a lawyer, can
continue his case from time 10 time until
he finally wears IL UuI? l want il dis
tiuctly understood that l had no hand in
the affair of Friday night, and whilst Icon
denim mob law, still the people Of this con-
munitv have to resort 10 some means sum
mary in their chaTacter) % protect them
selves where the courts aud laws fail to
project them. CITIZEN.
II is not our custom to notice COM
m~unications that come to US without
a responsible signature, as is the case
with the above. As it trenches how
ever on matters Of mere opinion and
public policy rather than Of fact, we
give place to IT as a sample of the IL
logical and sclf-contradictory argu-
ments that those must resort to who
would Justify mob violence. Citizen"
claims that he is aud always has been
a law-abiding citizen. If 50, why does
he not abide By the law, Us given in
| charge to the Grand Jury by Judge
Frazier. There is no question about
tie correctness Of the Judges con-
struction. Then why attack him
for performing his sworn duty:
Or does Citizen question the
! justice Of the law itself, ebich makes
the assassination Of a prisoner murder
IN the first degree; Whether the OBJ
I ject Of attack be the court or the law
or both combined Citizen Is thereby
declared from all complaint about the
iroHciency E the laws OF the negli.
gence Of tle courts, because he seeks to
/ paralyze both still further, by his
anonymous communication. His course
tends to aggravate the evil Of whichhe
! complains. If, as he says, he " most
heartily condemns mob law, he should
support the statute law and Judge
Frazier IN It's enforcement, instead Of
andeavoging to impugn the justice Of
both.
The one simple question in this mat
ter is, are We civilized beings or saw
ages; are we q well ordered community
ora bowling horde Of ~baTJarians; are
We in the nineteenth century or the
ages that preceded Angio-Saxon civil
zatious no amount Of complaint con
6eruing defective laws or courts, AID
go amount Of actual grievances ariliug
thsreirom. can Justify resort to mob
violence SO long as we enjoy the bless
Ing Of self-gcyernment, and have the
making IF our own laws and courts,
II our laws were made by a dcsPot and
administered uniustiy by his satraps,
there might arise occasions that would
Justify the people IN interfering.
Something like this existed In
Tennessee a few years ago,
when odiOus enactments were
forced on us by a miserable minority,
and bitter partisaUs were setover Us as
Judges by the fiat OF a bilious old i'm
beetle. But our people bore through
tall with wonderful patience, for the
sake Of good order and returning hope.
Now that, happily, our courts and laws
are Of our own creation, shall we tram
pie on u " work, bringing both
into contempt by resorting to popular
violence Whatever defects may exist
in the administration Of justice among
us-and everything human has its de
fects-the proper appeal is to the pub
lie spirit Of the people, and not to vio-
Ience-to reason, and not to passion.
The laws and institutions Of any
community enjoying self-rule are
but the natural outgrowth Of
that community, and they reflect its
character and temperament unerrmgly.
We cannot impeach the courts Of neg
Hgence without impeaching the COM
muuity Of moral apathy or miserable
c3warfcc. Legislatures and courts
are what the people make them; If they
are not. then the boosted american