The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-04-09
MAsseyism.


vuarc--s word that will serve as substitute
for +" bIehcs~lawism, FOR Massey'sm . IL
nothing hut hicher.lawism. Mr.. MASSEY mas
assumed la Virginia The role which VIII
a,aM II, SEWARD played frs; whilst Gov
ernoe Of New York snd afterwards upon .
larger stage. Whilst THOMAS w. GILxkf
wss Governor OF Virginia Nc. SEWARD way
Governor Of New York. The return OF
fugitive slave who had escaped from v'r-
x,n,a 20 New York was demanded OF Gov
eruor sywAse nv Governor GILnGs' under
that proy,sion OF the Federal Constitution
~b,ch dccisrcs that "person aeid to SER
vice or lasor In one State, uueer 'ne Jaws
sherees shall be delivered up on claim OF
che narrv 10 whosa such service or labor
mac he due.v Governor SEWARD reiusca
10 surrender the fugitive. He had even
then ecgun to practice or the hisaer'sw
slocuvpe which he afterwards preached WIN
% r,vch effrentery. Although sworn 10
xutrort the Constitution OF the tel'e"
states. he xN6aciously declared t1a' ne
~eoel,l not de- SD; and that there wes w"
ssbteber N m the Constitution" wbich.!us-
1lIed him in bis refus@.
This 81 liigaer law - u the same Jaw wn'en
pnn CsrroRp pleaoed when hcrobbed'phe
rich and gave part OF the proceeds OF 0'S
unlawial acts to TIE poor. us the SWINE
law which justi6cs she communist I'D Tram
Dllur upon the laws Of the STATE, ana tiSing
10 bsye the property OF the country dR 'ded
.r,tt aoyoppst the anthrifty. Ii is the same
law WHICH teaches tba, tbeend iustifes the
means. Ii is toe same law which governs
The conduct OF Fbcse who do evil that GOOD
may result. 1t n the same law under which
.JoxS BsoyS acsed when ale committed MUIR
der and thought be WIS fully Justified In so
doing because, so he claimed, law higher
than the law Of Virginia demanded OF him
that Kind OF effort for The liberation OF the
southern slaves. II Is ,hesame law to which
the great NAPOLEON appealed when he de-
cIared tR justification OF bis. social crimes
that he "was not as other men," 1t is the
same law winch sustains the thief, the rob-
Der. and the murderer, who plead in tnstiti-
cation OF their crimes that they were moved
by unseen forces and impehed by an ire
sistibIe fate. IL is law, IN q word, which,
Ginning to be above all law, would remand
the community TO state OF anarchy, and
make each man the sole Judge in his own
case as 10 whether he would or would not
obey the law.
These are not cXtrayagant statements,
but the simple truth. We use them, not
because we are willing TO think that Dir.
MASSEY has deliberately placed himself in
the position which he occupies. but as
means Of opening his eyes to the enormlty
of the offence which he commits against
the community when he SETS UP his own
private opinion as to what the Constitution
of Virginia requires against the well-con-
sidered Judgment OF the Supreme Court OF
Appeals. That court had adiudicated the
very question which lie raises in his last
circular. In the face of that adjudication
in contempt Of the decision OF trained
LAWYERS who had studied the question
thoroughly and were well qualified TO
render Judgment, Mr.. MASSEY, who Is not
lawyer at sll-whose mind has not been
trained in such way as 10 entitle his legal
opinions to any respect whatever has the
effroniery to issue an order to his subor-
dinates directing them to disregard deci-
sion Of the highest court in the Common
wealth.
The same court few weeks ago decided
that the new Rtadjuster judges were enti-
tied to take office at once. Many OF the old
Judges think that that decision was unques-
tiopably wrong. In their own opinion they
have clear right TO continue in office until
the 1st Of January next. They hold that
the State Constitution would fully iustif-
them in refusing TO surrender their offices.
They occupy in this respect the precise po-
sition occupied by Mr.. MASSEY. Now. can
any man who jusfifies MAssEY's contumacy
deny that those judges have the right to
continue 10 office, and to treat the decision
OF the Supreme Court Of Appeals with con-
temp,S Decidedly, no. There would be
no difference whatever between such an Of
fence against the State and Mr.. MAssEY's
great crime.
So as TO the decision OF the Court OF APP
peals holding that all judges are elected for
fun term. This decision actually eXpels
from Office dozen or more judges who
had qualified in the sincere belief that they
were entitled to do so under tue Constitu-
tiou. Why may not these judges refuse to
surrender their places. and appeal TO the
same Constitution to which Mr.. MASSEY ap-
peals 10 justify him in refusing to respect
the decisions OF the tribunal Of last resort
Again: Suppose Governor HOLIDAY
should remove Mr.. MASSEY from Office, and
the Court OF Appeals should decide that I'M
der the Constitution the Governor had no
such power: Governor HOLIDAY would,
according to Me-. MAssEY's own teaching
end the precedent set by him, have perfect
right TO treat the court and Its decision
with contempt, and TO plead not only that
he bad right, but that It was his duty, to
construe the Constitution for himself. la
fact, Mr.. MAssEY's friends are already
claiming that the Constitution protects him
from removal by the Governor, though the
law Of the State expressly gives him that
power. How can Mr.. MASSEY In one breath
contesan the decisions Of the Court Of Ap-
peas aud In the nexteiam their protection
Look at 1t rs we may. Mr.. MAssEY's Of
fence Il enc Of great magnitude. He ought
10 hssteH 20 retrace his steps.
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The fsuI0yiIie Mercury, which has for
four or more years beer a supporter OF