The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1879-04-09
THE STORY or A CRIME.

they never dlueu vi BY ulpdtDILeu Will
the South in the war between the
States. Packed juries are the result.
They are selected of necessity from
the criminal and the ignorant classes,
inasmuch as the intelligent and the
honest elements 10 the South made |
common cause with her. 1t is hard to
characterize such an evil as this sys-
fem is. 1t is Undesirable. 1t ia |
tigues the Indignation. The miscarri-
age of justice which results is woful.
Verdicts are sold for money. The ju-
rors regard it as incumbent on them to
convict all who will not bride them
and to clear all who will. The oblga-
tons of oath, honor and evidence are
secuted. Money only will secure re-
suits and money always will secure
any result requested.
There is, if possible, greater abuse
in connection with this bill than the
bill itself. The bill was repealed once.
How, then, the reader will ask, was it
restoreda The answer to this ques-
ton involves statement of facts not
outdone for wickedness in the history
of any law making body. The many
bills Congress passes, like the many
our own Legislature passes, are com
mitted to persons who are to work
them into what are called revised stat
utes. This revision comprises the du.
ty of taking all the acts passed; of ar
ranging them under the principles and
subjects with which they deal; of lop-
ping off all needless verbiage of care
fully noting what parts of former laws
have been repealed, modified or re-
vived by later ones, and of putting the
whole result into volumes, which are
called the revised statutes. When
these volumes are complete Congress
accepts them as u perfected edition of
it's own prior work and formally re-en-
acts them into laws, the books being
the authorities" referred to in courts
and trials.
It will be seen the position of Revis-
ers is one of great honor and response
bility. Congess always felt able to
trust the integrity and intelligence of
the Revisers; the matter of the jurors
test, oath bill, However, shows that
confidence was misplaced. The Re
visers, instead Of putting in the repeal
bill, left it out, the omission wonld not
have been hnrtful of itself; enough
evideace woula have shown the bill
was repealed. But to show that their
action was deliberate, the Revisers
elaborasely edited iuto the volumes
they issued the provisions Of the act
which had been repealed. Congress,
relying on the good faith OF the Revis-
rrs udo the judiciary committee of
the Senate, Tor rather of it's chairman,
Mr.. Edmnhds1, formally re-euacted
tho matter in the v,.lumcs and voted
that they he published, declared and
accepted rs the Laws of the United
States. In other words, Congress was
actually Iriekr.l into passing again u
law it had repealed, without know
Ing it WAS passing it, and it's act of re-
peal was wade Of effect by the knavish
course of thuse who imposed OF it.
All the prrsons to this rascality are
not known. George F. Boutwell,, of
massachusetts, is the chief reyiser.
George f. Etmunds, Senator of YER
mont, is chairman Of the judiciary
committee of the Senate. The former
is responsible for the rascality being
done. The latter is responsible for
snppressipg the knowledge nf it, until
after Congress had accepted his assur
aHce that the volumes were all right
and had voted them into laws. The
others in the conspiracy have not been
clearly or fully ascertained, but the
ineffable villainy of the proceeding
has led to the suspicion that John
Sherman and Joseph P. Bradley would
feel graveiy wronged if they were de-
MED participation in it. That Bout
we'll or Edmunds should do such a
thing consists with all that is known
of their character. Boutwell, is capa-
bic of prostitatiag any position ii,
thereby, he could injure that half of
his countrymeD whom he hates. He
would think himself doing God service
if he could poison the sacramental
wine in Il Southern church. Edmunds'
part in the plot seems to have COM
prised tue discovery that If it succeed
cd there was no remedy for it, except
new repeal bill, which could be
made ''party question:" and no pun
ishment for the crime in law, because
the ofense had never been imagined
possible and, therefore, no penalty
had been provided for anything of the
kind; he, of course, had to keep the
matter secret from his committee
and from Congress, and to get the vol
umes referred to him by consent for
examination, so that when he said
they were all right. they would go
through without suspicion or inquiry.
Mr.. Edmnnds did b,s mart thoronohlv