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

; Gu0t L WISH 10 ~ oO uuo0ASVoO
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.. Mahone,] 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
terpretits mysterious operations !;
! but in making ordinances and
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 a Sen
ator, to criticise, legitimateIy, 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
circumstantiaZ 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
mitting the crime! 1t is also true
that there can be no crime with
out intent. The presence of crlm-
inal intent is necessary to consti-
tute crime or wrong-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
afeirs Of this life, in civilized
country to meet charge by the
plea Of not guilty and by tho
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 SUBJ
stantial, and in the conduct OF
human affairs the Interests OF So
ciety are more exacting.
In the familiar illustration of g
man who stands upon house-top
and recklessly throws a billie. of
wood upon a crowded street be-
low and kills one of the passers-
by, whom perhaps he had never
seen or heard Of before, will it
avail for that mau to come before
a court of justice and say, I am
not guilty. 4 never saw the de-
ceased L had no malice against
him. (and malice is necessary
| ingredient to constitute murder y
| it is a cruel falsehood to charge
me with murder This does not
satisfy society, it does not satisfy
the law made for the protection
of society. So the law intervenes,
and says, Although you may
never have seen or known the de-
ceased, you have heart devoid OF
social duty and fatally bent on
mischief and the law implies
malice from the reckless act OF
hurling the billet of wood from
the house-top into the crowded
highway and destroying the life
of the innocent. So there are in
Vulnerable examples that might
use to illustrate the proposition,
that acts and circumstances some
times speak louder than words !;
} as true when applied to political
> action and official life as to law OF
morals or social duty.
l repeat, 1 have nothing to dc
with the motives Of the'Senatol
from Virginia. make no charge'
against him. I have nothing bu'
the kindest feelings personally to1