The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1881-05-25

that with the motives and pur-
poses and intentions of Senators,
as individuals, | have nothing TO
DO. | am not here to impeach
motives, TO call in question the
individual integrity and honesty
Of Senators. The junior Senator
from Virginia Mr.. Malone, says
that mo mau can search the hu-
man heart That is true. No
power but the power of Omnis-
cience and Omnipotence can
search the human heart and in
terpret it's mysterious operations !;
but in making ordinances end
rules and regulations for the gov
ernment and protection of society,
mankind provided that men who
are twenty.one years Of age, who
are SUI juris, who are not under
duress, should be held responsible
for their acts as we'll as their ut
terances. While do not attempt
to search the human heart and
determine what motives influence
Senators or gentlemen, I have the
: right, and it is my duty as Sen
ator, to criticise, legitimately, the
public acts, the public votes, and
the public utterances of all Sen
ators and all men who belong to
the public.
1t is not my habit, it has never
been my habit, to impugn the mo-
tives or question the integrity Of
any Senator; and while it is true
that we cannot search the human
heart how many human beings
have been sent to the gallows and
to the States prison for life upon
circumStantial evidence ! How
many Of the greatest and most
revolving crimes in history have
been Investigated and determined
upon circumstantlal or presump-
tive evidence, when no eye saw
and no ear heard the actor COM
hitting the crime! lti also true
that there can be no crime with
out intent. The presence of cr1n''
inal intent is necessary to consti-
tute crime or wroDg.doing, but
mankind frequently determines
the character of the crime COM
mitted Or wrong done by the acts
of the individual, by circumstan-
ces, by indirect evidence, not by
the plea of not guilty or the pro
testatiors of the accused or sus.
pected. 1t is not sufficient in the
affsirs of this life, in civilized
country to meet charge by the
plea of not guilty and by the
counter charges of falsehood and
cowardice and slander and revolu'
ton and treason. No, sir, charges
are not met in that way. The
law demands something more sub
stantial, and in the conduct o1
human affairs the interests Of so
ciety are more exacting.
In the familiar illustration of
man who stands upon house-toI
and recklessly throws bile: o
wood upon a crowded street be
, low and kills one Of the passers
By, whom perhaps he had neveI
seen or heard of before, will i
avail for that mau to come befor'
a court of justice and say, i an
not guilty. 4 never saw the de
ceased II had no malice agains
him. (and malice is necessar,
ingredient to constitute murder !;
it is a cruel falsehood to charg
me with murder This does no
satisfy society, it does not satisf
the law made for the protection
} of society. So the law interveneE
and says, although you ma.
5 never have seen or known the de
r ceased, you have heart devoid c
3 social duty and fatally bent o.
, mischief and the law implie
;. malice from the reckless act c
? burling tie billet of wood fror
+ the house-top into the crowde
o highway and destroying the lif
. of the innocent. So there are ir
Vulnerable examples that | migt
j. use to illustrate the proposition
0 that acts and circumstances some
\ times speak louder than words
IS as true when applied to politics
l. action and official life as to law
r. morals or social duty.
I repeat, l have nothing to
8 With the motives of the'Senatt
IS from Virginia. 1 make no charg'
% against him. I have nothing b'
the kindest feelings personally #