Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-09-23
wEDNEsDAY..."sEpT'R 3d. 1885.
Wise's Worst.


Tn the Dispatch Of January Q, 1854
Is the statement from our regular Wash
;rcton correspondent that on the Stf
Hon. JOHN s. WISE introduced a bill
to repeal the THURMAN law.
Does the reader know what the
THURMAN law is? 1t is the law
which saved X. y. MUSFoRD and
number OF others OF the best citizens
Of Richmond from one of the most
cruel prosecutions which anybody ever
commenced in q Federal court in Vir-
einia. Do you recollect how JOHN
S. WISE tried to convict the
gentlemen referred to Of crimes
against the elective franchise, and
to have them sent to the penitentiary ?
Do you recollect that it was because he
had become offended with them for
having done too much, as he thought,
towards securing large majority for
MASSEY over WISE in this city? He
failed TO convict them, but he would
hardly have failed had his bill previous
" become law.
The THURMAN law is a law for
which, as we have often before said, the
southern people owe Senator THUR
MAN, Of Ohio, debt of gratitude which
they will never be able to pay. 1t was
like the second Magma Charter in
Epcland-.he act oils Charles H., which
made ireemen of the English people. 1t
freed the southern people from the imi-
tation JEyFREYsEs who had so often
packed juries to try them. 1t drew
the fangs from vipers of the UNDER
WOOD type. 1t secured to every
southron indicted in Federal court
for crime an opportunity to have fair
trial by a jury of his equals.
We say that Mr.. wIsE's attempt to
have the THURMAN law repealed was.
perhaps, the worst act Of his life. 1t
was an outrage on the people of this
State that a man holding the place of
congressman at large should have made
the whole people of this honored old
Commonwealth responsible for an at
tempt to restore a condition of things
under which it had been possible to
pack juries in the Federal courts, aud
hold in terrorem over free-born Vir-
ginians, and all other southrons, the
threat to imprison them in northern
penitentiaries.
The THURMAN law provides in effect
that jurors shall be selected equally
from the two parties. 1t requires the
names Of the persons from whom the
jurors are to be drawn to be placed in
a box by the clerk Of the court and a
person OF the opposite party to that of
the clerk-in this city by Mr.. PLEAS
ANTS and Colonel ii. CoALTER
CABELL. An admirable law it is, and
We have never ceased to feel grateful to
the distinguished Ohio Senator that he
performed such service for the people
of his native State.
The Baltimore Sun of yesterday gives
the following as Mr.. WIsE's bill
"a BILL TO REPEAL SECTION . OF
AN ACT PASSED JUNE 30, 1879,
ENTITLED AN ACT MAKING AP-
PREPARATIONS FOR CERTAIN JUDI
CIAL EXPENSES FOR THE GOVERN
MENT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
ENDED JUNE 30, 1850, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES"
" BE IL enacted by the Senate and
House Of Representatives. Of the United
States Of America, IN Congress assem-
Jled, That section 2 Of an act passed
june 80, 1879, entitled an act making
appropriations for certain judicial ex-
penses for the Government for the fiscal
year ended June 30, 1880, and for other
purposes be, and the same is hereby,
repealed"
Mr.. THURMAN had been compelled
TO have his bill epgraned upon an ap-
preparation bill in order to get it
through Republican Senate. That's
the reason il is described rs it is in Mr..
WIsx's bill.
Mr.. WIsE's bin was treated with
the contempt il 90 richly merited, so
far - We know. We do not recollect
that it was ever heard Of again in the
House Of Representatives. The Sun
says Of il;
"Mr. Wise's bill would have again
put It in the power of the partisan
United States marshals in the South to
constitute their juries of Republicans
only. The bill was introduced months
before the last presidential election,
and at time when Mr.. Wise and his
friends doubtless had no idea that A
Democrat would be elected"