Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-06
POPE BOB'S PLEA.

Opening Argument in the Star Route
Cases--An Appeal for am Honest Verdict
How Jurymen May be Bribed by Pub
lie CiamOr.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5.-The criminal
court room was crowded this morning with
an audience anxious TO hear Col. niger
soils address to the jury IN the star soute
cases. The colonel began his argument
with an expressed desire that the jury
should understand him. He was as much
opposed to official corruption as any man
In the world. The taxes were paid by Ia
Dor and industry, and they should be dis
bursed by integrity. and man that was
untrue to his official oath, to the position
that the people honored him with, ought
10 be punished. He had not one word to
say in defense of any man who he believed
had robbed the treasury. He wanted the
jury TO understand that he was not defend
ing nor excusing, nor endearvoring to pal
late the slightest dishonesty III any public
official.
The jury had been told the people of the
United States were demOrallZed people.
that the tide of dishonesty was rising ready
TO sweep from one shore of the country to
the other. It had been appealed TO find
innocent men guilty. in order that this
tide might successfully be resisted. 1t
had been told that it was necessary to make
an example OF somebody in order that the
country might take the road to honesty
The country he'd been in war. but he de-
MED that the war had demoralized the peo-
pie. Whoever fought for the right did not
demoralize himself: he enonbled him
- Al
Try had passed had been a reformation. not
a decentralization. The war was a period
of moral enthusiasm, during which
the people had become
thousand times grander
and nobler than they had ever been before.
When we shook the shackles of four mil
lion people it did not demoralize Us.
When We changed the hut of the slave
into the castle OF the freeman.it did not de-
moralize Us. The jury had been told that
the United States was distinguished among
the nations of the world only for corrUp-
ton. 1t made no difference to him that
it was quoted from Republi-
had always supposed the people
of America were distinguished for
free schools. for free speech, for just laws.
NV AOA NOiA Pt4OAi. IliC Jul was peal
ed to also to become corrupt. He never
would try to put o stain on the forehead of
his country III order that he might
consign some honest men to the peni-
Tertiary. The only mercy his
clients asked of the jury was the mercy of
an honest verdict according to the evil
dence and according to law. That was all
they asked-what they expected. An hon
est verdict was verdict in accordance
with the evidence. Whoever found YER
dict to please power, whoever violated his
conscience that he might be in accord or
supposed accord with an ADMINISTRATION
organ, was bribed. Whoever found a YER
dict that it might increase his reputation.
was bribed. Whoever found a verdict
for fear he would lose his reputation, was
bribed. Whoever bent TO public demands
orbowed before the press, was bribed. Fear
prejudice, malice, the love of appreciation,
bribed thousand where gold bribed one
An honest verdict was the result not Of fear
but OF courage; not Of prejudice but of
candor, ana above all it was the result Of
love of Justice. Then turning to the ex-
animation he argued that overt acts charg-
ed must be proved exactly as alleged, 10
matter whether the description was Gnnec-
essary or not.