The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1901-02-09
M'k/NLE y HAS n PRICE,
ORNT.

In his very able paper. The Com
moner, Mr.. Bryan calls attention
to the fact that trial by jury is not
one Of the blessings TO be conferred
upon the Filipinos by the Repub-
lican administration. In his in
structions to, the Philippine COM
missioners, President Mckinley
omlts that clause of the sixth
amendment guaranteeing to the
citizen ''trial by an impartial jury
of the State and district wherein the
| crime shall have been committed. "
Our benevolent executive has evil
IDENTIFY considered this great safe
guard an impeachment to his plan of
assimilation" The sixth amend
ment to the Constitution reads:
shall enjoy the right to-a speedy and public
trial by an impartial jury of the State and
district wherein the crime shall have been
committed, which district shall have been
previously ascertained by law, and to be
informed of the nature and cause of the ac-
cusation, to be confronted with witnesses
against him; to have compulsory process for
obtaining witnesses in his favor and to have
Tue dSolStAuCC Oh counsel Tor MS 0e1cnSc.
President McKinley's instruction
taken from the sixth amendment is
as follows:
In all criminal prosecutions the accused
shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public
trial; to be informed of the nature and cause
OF the accusation; to be confronted by wit
nesses against him; to have compulsory pro-
cess for obtaining witnesses in his favor and
to have the assistance of counsel for his de-
Tense.
In this instance the president has
deemed it his ''plain duty" to have
a part of the constitution follow the
flag. To carry out his policy of
''benevolent aseimiiation" he has
found it inadvisable to guarantee to
his oriental subjects the funda-
mental right of trial by jury. He
has adroitly Invested the sixth
amendment of the clause which
gave II life. Without that clause 1t
practically to nothing.
Writing to Tom Paine in 1880
Thomas Jefferson said: II con
sIder trial by a jury as the only
anchor ever yet imagined by man,
by which government can be held |
to the principles ofits constitution.
But President Mckinley has a
very high precedent for his denial
Of jury trial to the Filipinos |
George III did the same thing when
he was engaged in subjugating the
American colonies.
In 1916 that unwise~ monarch
lid not think that the Americans
we're good and intelligent enough to
govern themselves, and in his efforts
% "benevolently assim:late" them,
lie found that it was his 'splain
luty" to deprive them of the right
o be tried by jury when charged
With a violation of the laws. Jeffer-
on properly termed this act of des-
,otism "detestable and unsupport-
bile tyranny" If il was tyranny
IN the part of King George to de-
rive the Americans of this greatest
afeguard of human freedom, it is
infamous and odious,
oming from Republic-thatP Pres
dent Mckinley is attempting to
upon a people struggling Z
or independence. !.
This recent evidence Of imperial !
'm will surprise no one who has {
cen following the trend of political 2
vents at Washington. The Federal +
administration does not try to con- {
cal the fact that it is being run q
trictly on the English style. 1t
cts Its ideas and policies from !
,ngland, and in time of trouble
resident Mckinley had an unques- .
oned privilege to look to English :,
istory for a precedent. And as .
gorge III happened to have been :,
/ the same line Of business as our
wn distinguished president, 1t is .
OF to be wondered at that he fur =.
ished the precedent. >,
The publishers of the Messenger