The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1884-04-12
Thtptoplts( olumn
THE RIOT IN CINCINNATI.

Mr.. EpIToR.-The following reiec-
tions upon the late riot in Cincinnati, You
are at liberty to publish if deemed
worthy of a place in your paper.
The lesson taught by that riot is the
great danger of every attempt to bring
into disrepute, the law as administered
in courts Of justice.
1t is said that the verdict in Berners
case was brought about by dishonest
practices, that the jury were either bribed
or were so corrupu themselves as to
sympathize with the criminal. This may
or may not be true. An assemblaye of
two OF three thousand people, wrought
up to high pitch of excitement, by III
tiamatory speeches, are bad judges of the
conduct of twelve Jurors acting under
the sanctity OF an oath Bear i'll mind
these men are shut up from all outside
influence; they must not have expressed
any opinions about the prisoners guilt;
they are selected because their minds are
free from bias or prejudice; they know
nothing of the case except what is testified
by sworn witnesses; they are to make
true deliverence according to the evil
dence and the law of the land, which de-
clareS that the prisoner is entitled to the
benefit of every doubt and that it is bet
ter that ninety and nine guilty men shall
escape than that one innocent man shall
be hanged. They are impressed with
the thought that this law is the same
which they would invoke for their pro-
lection, if they were placed in the Grim
nal dock. The distinctions between
murder and manslaughter are fine and
metaphysical, too fine and metaphysical
for the exact comprehension of men of
ordinary, every day understanding. Law
yers OF experience. trained minds, elo-
qnent and earnest, magnify every doubt
and belittle every fact, is it to be Won
dered at that under these circumstances,
men should err in favor of human lifea
OF the mass of people at the Music Hall
meeting it is fair to say that not one in
ten could have told the difference be-
tween manslaughter and murder. They
had determined before hand that Berner
should be hung and when he was only
sent to States prison for twenty years,
they demanded that what the law had
failed to do the mob should set right.
There may be cases, especially in large
cities, where juries render verdicts from
corrupt motives, but | believe that even
there the instances are very rare. For
nearly thirty years have had pretty
thorough experience of juries. | do not
say that they do not make mistakes, they
are human; they have the ordinary weak
nesses and passions of humanity; their
position is a most trying one; they are
brought face to face with new questions
and yet in all these years have never
known one single case in which the YER
dict Of a jury was rendered through cor
rupt motives.
1t may possibly be that some better
mode of trying cases than by 4 jury will
some day be devised. confess that
shall hesitate a long time before give
my sanction TO any other mode of trying
criminal cases, but so long as the pres
ent system is the law of the land, | hold
that man an enemy to the Republic, and
to the peace and order of society who
strives to throw contempt upon or dra.
into disrepute the administration of JUS
tice in the courts regulated by the law.
In 4 republic the laws are made by the
people and for the people, and every man
should be taught that the law is his only
protection, entitled to be respected and
obeyed under all circumstances.
II errors exist they are not to be rem
edied By newspaper criticisms or intiam-
atory speeches at Indignation meetings,
which tend to create an impression in
the public mind that the judgments of
courts or the verdicts of iuries have their
origin in corrupt motives. If the judge
is corrupt he can be impeached, if the
mode of selecting jurieS is defective the
Legislature meets frequently and new
methods may be adopted, thus the ma
,iesty Of the law is upheld in that it proves
itself able to right every wrong, and men
arc taught that most salutary les son, that
the law, and only the law is to be looked
to for protection.
If 1.-The better class of citizens" as
many of those who organized and took
part in the Cincinnati meeting, delighted
to call themselves, would show willing
ness to perform their share of jury duty
instead of begging off or devisng means
of escaping, there would be far fewer
bad verdicts. Let business man be
summoned on a jury and Immediately he
begins to invent excuses.
In Ohio the members of volunteer mil
itary companies are exempt from jury
duty. Thousands of the better class
of citizens enrole themselves in these
companies and escape being summoned
as jurors, they pay fine every time their
regiment musters and SO evade military
duty. Thus intelligent, upright citizens
remain in their stores, and on their farms
and at their business, while the .jurieS
are selected from the idle and those who
gladly seize upon any means of getting a
dollar, and when these render improper
verdics the men who have shirked their
duty hold indignation meetings. and in
cite the mob to hang the man whom the
law has adjndged not guilty of death.
When men learn to recognize the
solemn duties of citizenship and that
every evasion of these duties, every word
uttered OF act done to bring the law into
disrepute, is a blow at the integrity and
permancy Of free institutions and the
safety Of society, then the days of mob
violence will be at All end. w. J. }.
GENERAL, NEWS NOTES