Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-06
SqATHLN'4 INDICTMENT
.,,,or Houston Charges the Court CT
IppesIs With Tramplirg uDder
Pooy ibe CoBs,i'u ion aho "A
The Laws.
s,,nnus End Uncertain Course OF fae
ho ,-..,,sl LewUs Interpreted BY JAS
tiees White ard Wilson.
NosuE11n, TE1.s, Feb. %. ISIS.

noa the brow OF each man should oe nIltten
cha. he thinks OF the republic -i@oman
T,e noblest heritage which free men
AN leave their posteritY is perfect sys-
I'm of laws, the safest repository of the
I,horties. morals, and property lights of
mankind.
To such proud patrimony is every
,,,aricnn born; and is pres umed to know
.ao law. That be0efcebt maxim as
mas the Intelligence of the citizen, the
simplicity of tue law and the fitness OF Its
srn5uuders. With the priceless bequest
If our laws descends duFy commensur-
.te with the ssnciy oil toe trust: ID
gnsrd sterniy the inherent purity Oh tnese
ssws. and to wa'ch jealousy those 10
Thom their Interpretation Is corndeo.
n we are untrue 20 tnls holy
ut we are thrice peTtdieus:
. ..Go IN ourselves, false to the great dead
20 o. ave. and fal5s to the unborn mill
W. W. VINO should inherit these tables of
10 1.U5 unbroken IS they coma down from
t .s sinai Of the past, whose summit is
UT with the clouds of awful revelations
"a Gsmp win the blood of liberty's mar
tyred dead =. 49,, bo-,oro,. ,,art.ot
Il
.,1 sury,vs when their Interpretation Is
onrruste TO the unworthy. A wise sys-
tsr of jurisprudence and incompetent
i,5ges ia 6 combination that can only re-
snif d1ssstrously to the citizen; people
ygho will endure such folly deserve to
suffer.
Within the minds Of men yet young
stiiI fingers the memory of 6n insolent
and tyrsnnic1l judiciary, whose sets, still
nrsseryed in tae Texas Reports vols. 81
10 3s7 and the address proceedings of the
FourEsenth L legislature, rest like bl1ck
nall or the history of TexSs, and should
warn every citizen agsinst the recurrence
of such calsmities. Until recently no
man dared simulate the example OF that
judiciary, which was q fit Outgrow.h OF
The horrors of reconstruction.
Those Judges, however, who derived
their title from b1yonets, could well con-
tenn the people beneath them, but when
tribunal nss been chosen by the sui
frages of free people they
should remember that one OIL
the cardinal principles underlying
an elective Judiciary is thai tint
iudge, realizing that he is
creature OF the people, will remember
that he Is 6Hswerable to them for {
righteous discharge of his duties, anC
should an Off Ger become oblivious OF thl
principle, the people are untrue to them
selves If they fail TO make an example o
him, II they let his acts or omission
pass unrebuked they connive at their owl
disgrace aud are filter far for the chains o
oriental despotism than the responsible
ties Of free and enlightened government
II it shonld appear that court Of lSst re
sort, holding in It's hands the liberties
too often the lives, OF ciGZers OF Texas
vas unworthy of its great trust, ever
patriot should feel instant and profount
horror; the certainty of the Law
is no more, the criminal ms,
dismiss his dread of punishment, and thu
innocent, Wrongtully accused, may wei
tremble; the simple laws Of our ances
tors, understood Of all, have becom
dark and terrible riddles, as fatal an,
mysterious as those which the Sphin.
asked of her fore-doomed victims.
The record of an officer is the propert
of the people. II is due the people o
Texas that certain sets and omissions @
the Court of APP )eals be explained, and
the conduct OF members of the exalte
tribunal has been in anvWise uuseeml
it is the solemn duty G
every man in whose breast Their
yet CLOVIS a spark of pltrioHc fire to max
the fate of the delinquent terribl
stonement. l charge members OF tha
court, calling them by name, with con
duct most unworthy of the great ofic
which they hold and at war with tn
mighty trust which too generous peopl
have reposed in them.
For su5stautiation of these charges,
refer to the cited records.
There are two sides TO every question
there is bat one side to fact, and wit
facts alone do desl.
None but j hypocrite will mince words
one who wishes to act frankly will tres
things as they are, and not as the imsgint
ton of imbsciles would like to have theI
appear.
I charge John P. White 8nd Samuel A
Wilson with E palpable violation of sec
ton OF article Of the state constitu
ton, which reads IS follows:
"The Court of Appeals shall have az
p3llate Jurisdiction co-eXtensiVe with tn
limits of the stste in all criminal cases c
whatsoever grade, aud in all civil cases
unless hereafter otherwise provided b
law, Of which the county courts hav
original or appellate jurisdiction. L
civil cases It's opinions shall not be pub
lished unless the publication Of sue
opinions be required by law"
Had it been the intention of the peopl
in adopting the present constitution absc
lutely to prohibit the publication with
out legislative requirement. of tn
reports Of the civil cases decide
By the Court of Appeals, coul
they have expressed that intentio
in language more explicit and positive
And yet in 1883 Volume l, Court OF Ap
peals Civil Gases, prepared any publishe
by John P. White and Samuel A. Wilson
appeared, followed by volume 2, es fas
as its conLents could be ground out.
No statute has ever been passed re
curing Cor permittipg) such publics
tions. Preface to vol. l, Court of Ap
pesls, civil csses1 They are profitsbl
publications. Preface to vol. q. Nov
did these gentlemen infiict these publ
cations on the public In contempt or l.
norAnce of the constitution, which the
hsvs sworn to support?
Did they regard that provision Of tn
constitution as meaningless?
Sirs: A lswyer of president visio
placed that In the constitution; its wis
dom may not have been apparer
at first, but now it shines upon u
in all the radiance of reveale
truth. BE either foresaw conflict be