The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-10-10

REV. NJ. d. JUMP has a second letter
on the eighth page of this paper. He
saws he has heard Webster's dictionary
spoken of as an authority in definition.
We judge his acquaintance with the work
dates from the time when he needed au-
thorty for his meaning of the word
magistrate; :" otherwise he would know
that the common words, reference" and
difference, are not spelled with two
"f's' each, as he spells them. Of the
word magistrate" Rapalje and Law
rence's Law Dictionary, published last
year, gives this definition:
The term magistrate" is sometimes used in
wide sense to denote person charged with du-
ties of government and being either supreme,
namely, the sovereign or chief executive officer
OF nation or State, e. g. the president OF the
United States governor of a State, or subor-
dinate, namely, those officers who are appointed
by or are subject to the sovereign. In practice,
however, "magistrate" means judicial officer
having summary jurisdiction In matters of
criminal or qudSi-cirminal nature and is COM
monty used IN America TO designate two classes
ofjudicial officers, Justices of the peace and po-
lice justices.
They say, in effect, that the word is
commonly used in America in substan-
TALLY the sense we attributed to it. Our
correspondents uncomfortable tendency
to speak that of which he knows nothing
is clearly exhibited in the next para
graph, wherein he assumes that some
one on or about the REGISTER premises
is disturbed oyer his charge against the
magistrates. If he knew anything at all
about the paper he would know that no
one connected with it in any way is or
ever was magistrate. A number of
magistrates are among its subscribers
and pay for their papers; so do number
of clergymen. If a magistrate were to
make what we believed to be unfounded
charges against the clergy, and we gave
our opinion of the magistrates views,
would it be sensible to suggest that some
clergymen. possibly near the REGISTER
Office" felt THAT something must be
done to parry the force of it," The
charge "raRkleS" in this case simply be-
cause we dislike to see a good cause
made ridiculous through the ignorance
or stupidity of its advocates.
Mr.. Jump knows all about the statute
for the punishment of official delin-
quencies;'' yethe says lit is well known
that nothing can be done under that stat
ute except through the grand jury" But
the statute itself says proceedings may
be instituted "by indictment or informa-
ton of the States Attorney What the
grand jury has to do with an "infOrma-
ton of the States attorney" we are I'M
able to see. Then he has something to
say of "irreverence for law" But this
modern Thersites would arouse public
sentiment and increase reverence for the
law by vilifying those who stand before
the people as the opponents of the law,
namely, the magistrates. That is what
he calls arousing public sentiment; it
seems to us to be, rather, debauching
public sentiment. According to the
standard set up by Mr.. Jump Bob" In
gersoll, who misrepresents and abuses
the clergy, is entitled to rank high as an
evangelist; but most sober minded men
and women look upon him as a brilliant
yet essentially cheap and superficial
charlatan, who finds this the easiest way
TO make a dollar. We venture to assert
that public sentiment is all right and thai
the magistrates are all right; we have
expressly said that the prosecuting Off
GERS were probably not fully up to thei
work. The prohibitory law is enforced
with nearly or quite the same thorough
ness that other laws are, such as thos,
against murder, adultery, horse-stealing
thieving, etc. No one ever says tina
public sentiment is not strongly agains
these crimes, yet they are committed
and sometimes the accused goes free
Only the other day there was a case il
Rutland county. A man died under cir
cumstances indicating that he had beef
poisoned by his wife. 1t was shown il
the preliminary examination that his wifi
had threatened to make way with him, an
a perfectly competent and trustworth,
chemist swore to the finding of a deadl
P''9Oh III thO NioSOia Vi lhc Icdu uldI
Yet the grand jury did not bring in tru
bill. Now would it be just to say tina
the jury were not true to their sworn du
ty? Clearly it would not, 1t is plai
that the evidence was not such that
warranted an indictment.
AS against Mr.. Jump and his school G
alarmists we will quote a prominer
gentleman of his city, Hon. G. G. Benz
dict. Mr.. Benedict is known all over tn
the State as an able, clear-headed, carefI
man, thoroughly in sympathy with til
prohibitory law and presumably quite 8