The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-01-31
Exposing Their Own cowardice
or Corruption! The United
States Supreme Court
O~isQgaceS Itself!

The wspapers all over the land are
discussing the recent decision of the So
preme Bench of the Nation, in the Har
rs case which again declares the Enforce
ment Acts or the so-called "ku klux
Acts,'-unconstitutional. null and void !
This is no new judgment, among fair
minded men And it has been repeated
" affirmed, not only by the leading legal
minds of the Bar, but also by the best
| authorities upon the Bench. 1t was SO
he'd by the supreme Court of Kentucky
ten years ago; and by judge Woods in
Circuit Court of Texas in the lie Grand
case. 1t was re-sfirmed by even vile
10 Bradley" in the cases of Cruick-
| shank, and Judge Rives, of Virginia, in
1881. And now the highest tribunal of
the Nation has dared to meet the sub
iect squarely and decided it fairly.
The gist of the recent decision is that the
"l4th Amendment"-uDder which the
Ku Klux Bills were passed-does not ap
ply to Ld,riduals but to STATES, and
that Congress has no right to step in,
and treat the citizen of any State in dis
regard of that States laws and courts.
Congress can require the STATE to for
bid persons from going in disguise, and
to punish them for SO doing but the en-
tire machinery of punishment must be
through the State officials.
H VILLAINY OF 1T.
Having stated the facts, we quote an
extract from a leading editorial in Char
lesion Ne,rs and Comicr:
The United States Supreme Court
| has taken its time in declari0g the law,
and it Is only too evident that political
exigencies prevented it from rendering
earlier such a decision as that which is
now given to the public. Infinite injury
has been done by the enforcement of the
very laws which are nOw declared to be
unconstitutional. The decree of the Su
preme Court does not give back to the
weary prisoners the years that they have
passed in jail, in misery and %privation, un-
der the action of partisan judges and sub
s~ervient juries. The decision of the Su-
preme Court does not compensate the
refugees from Carolina for their suffer
ings while they were absent from their
homes, having been driven away by the
expectation that perjured witnesses
would manufacture charges against them
on which they would be convicted. though
as innocent as angels. No wrong that
has been done is undone. No suffering
that has been inflicted is atoned for.'
The COurier's mild mention does not
touch the real features-the actual
shamelessness and disgrace of the case.
Instead of just now arriving at a decis-
ion. it is veil known that the Court"
(~so-called) reached a decision fatty
averse to the Ku Klux Bills, Immediate
ly after their passage,-or as soon as
the Habeas Corpus cases could be
brought before them. But Ulysses,
and his cormorant crew, were then con-
trolling armies, States, Congresses, and
courts and even the Supreme court, in
its c%owardice, Cor corruption,) refused to
interfere to stay the cohorts of the Die
tator from their ribald deviltry, the like
of which was never witnessed in any
modern nation, even the most monarchi-
cal!
We recollect that one day-ten years
ago-while in the chilly and torturing
cells of Albany Bastile, there came two
letters. One was from Gen. Collett
Leventhorpe, full of encouraging words
based upon a letter from Gov. Vance,
who had been just told by Senator
Reverdy Johnson and Attorney General
Stansbery, that Johnson was assured
by Justices of the Supreme court that
the Court had voted to declare the Con-
gressiOnal Acts unwarranted, null and
void! The other letter was still more
exuberant, and rang the changes upon
the same tidings, with all the enthusi-
asm of deep affectiOn,-''The court has
decided! Your prison doors must open
at once r'-was the tenor of the time.
And truly there was enough to justify
the rejoicing for could it be possible,
could any one conceive of a Bench of
nine venerable Justices of the Supreme
Court so debased, or so cowardly, as to |
deliberately withhold their decision, or
dodge giving a decision, simply in or
der to permit Grant and his myrmidons
to wreak their partizan passions upon
an u%noffending people?
Yea!-the court had already so low
cred itself that few persons accustomed
to watching the course of public affairs
had any expectation that the Judicial
Veto would be uttered. The young
man who received the letters was so in
credulous of any honorable course on
the part of the Court, that he felt irri-
tated that anybody should be deceived
by the prevalent rumors 'If our re-
lease be dependent upon righteous de-
cision by the present Federal Court
he wrote to his friends,-''we shall be
here ten years hence, or die in our cells,
as three of the Carolina boys have al
ready done"
That was in 1S73,-and as it hap
pens,-at last--tcn years thereafter the
decides that a lawless wrong was
inflicted upon us all! The court knew
it was an vile outrage under a lawless
law, but would not interfere until all
the harm that could be done was COM
pleted! Such are some of the beauties
of the American Judicial system!
|
For some time Mr.. w. n. Smelling has
been missing chickens from his COOP.