The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-11-20

.,,,a ,mncuohuent Trial.

yigr.e, NAlI'''
.''' s,,,o John 5. Burdett, in commit
,.'.,,, Wv .Sense. sci forth in the articles
D'' ;mrachmenL had violated no stat
81 .,,y I,r. and ogt having done so, Is no
,b,s ,oimpeScbment'
IN. Gentleman in his argument utterly
,.j,bcuoral ,,alus OF the case, aud
%,,b he SID intended or not, explicitly
'is.,,,ed theI Iac'rine that no act on the
n,,ot s.a.e at'laer that does not vio'
n, an expire, provision OF the statutory
n, and become thereby an indictablt
a,,.s can become the proper subject oI
,..,.,,bmer, lie seemed to fail in .
,.,,,,i,lon Of .hc fact that it Is beyond
Il. bound, Of possibility, beyond the
,a,.oi human ingenuity to construct q
r.kdlaa, that -haIl cover every posi-
Nj, contingency Of human action llC
,,,o,ed the iact and we do not speak il
,.,fnelyy that God Almighty has not
Kan able ia do so, save and except in
%, nblime moral axiom OF His Christ,
a.l "a, We would that men should dc
unto YOU, do Sc even so unto them"
a
H,hilcd to recognise that the skill
,d ingenuity Of law breakers is always
,baa fully equal to that Of law makers,
nlthat there never has been aud never
ao b, code Of laws that can not be
,,oh,cI in some respect with impunity
Ipdoing 50 the gentleman from Marion
county utterly ignored the existence and
h, value Of a great unwritten mora
c,le under the shadow Of whose protect
inept, the honor and purity Of human
Institution. may alone b, maintained. II
he face Of the advancing tendency OF
civilization and Of christianity to hold
men Irresponsible for, and punishable tor
noalobliluity, he advocates in his place
a. III, representative Of the people, as
o1eoi the garlian4 Of the interests Of the
p,oOc. A, one Of the conservator. Of pub.
liz yir,ne tha, there is no crime against
,be peoplc. no breach Of official morality
worthy Of more than mild censure, nm.
lea, hroo,h, it i. al.o u violation oil
r,i,,cn statutory law A. legislator
the gentleman know. that his position i.
hl,c in theory and faIse in fact. liz
koow. tb,t.ta,n,ory lawi. .imperfecl and
c,nueyer he any thing else, else why the
eternal nation ia omenl and re.enact
R,dnccj IA bi4 standard there wonl be
noborc onro.,ibil,,y Of either securing
d, maintaining official integrity.
ENabli.l, the principle that those who
occupy place. of public trust may use
the money Of the public for their own
private profit, il in 80 doing they are
'hrcwd enough to avoid the actual in
iringemcnt Of the statutory law, and you
break down every safeguard that insures
to the people integrity in the management
Of public atlaira, and convert the treas
nry Of the people into 4 paradise for
thieves.
Happily, the facts Of history and the
custom Of nations from the earliest
dawn OF civilization, are overwhelmingly
against the theory aud practice advocated
by the gentleman from Marion. Every
where, in all ages and among all people
has been demanded and maintained n
high standard Of official integrity, be.
cause upon it hangs the prosperity and
the safety Of all Government.
Ateypry poin, in III. gentleman. nruu
ment VA. manifest tl,e blind ,eoI ot IN,
fierce partisan, tbwarliur his iudruepr
and making the worse aprear the bette,
reason.
esay lhwarlinghis Judgment, because
he admitted that John s. lIurdett had
committed the oil.nsea charged. disayow
ed the championship ofhi, cause while Ell
deavoring to pursualc himself and the
honorable gentlemen before him that M
The charge, against the accused were moi
ialictable in court Of law he shoull
go scott free and be left to work
hi' own sweet will with the finances of III,
State. Thi, he did in the face of the tocL
that, hi, assertion, to the contrary mot
outstanding, the fundamental law Of the
STATE does make the very mis,lcmeanorl
Of which the Treasurer stands charged, t
felony, APPOINT conclnsivcly made by Mr.
Campbell, Of Hancock, who addressed til,
House in the afternoon. OF the latte
sentIeman's speech we have neither thl
Tine nor space to give even n Synop
'l' lie devoted the most Of hi
Time to the evidence laid before III,
House, slowing in the course Of hi
speech that u the skirts Of the Audito
"etenot 'Iimcl over with the nire Of tn
pit, it wa, becap,o hej did mt ron,roli m,
u purse strings Of the State to- the eXtcn
m,' .''. '0e treasurer did. "The spirit wa
WILING hui thn Unsh ,puu Nennb I,a naNNI