The Ocala banner., 1906-10-19

I law is administered; that something
is justice. That virtue that gives to
everyone what is his due, must be the
influence that controls every judg-
ment and decree that emanates from
our courts. If our juries and judges
do not possess this virtue they are
unfit instruments of the law. To the
people of a government wherein they
govern. justice ought to be the first
aim and the controlling spirit of all
their laws.
Various definitions, or ideas, of JUS
tice, are found among the writer's on
4 the subject. Possibly as fair state
| ment of justice and law as can be
| given Is that of former Justice Rob-
| erts, of Texas. He says:
stone. but something that ought to
be more durable than marble or
| granite; that must go hand in hand
with freedom If it is to last in this
| country; must be the cornerstone of
| this and every other temple i'm which
Justice is the dictate of right, ac-
4 cording to the common consent of
mankind generally, or of that portion
of mankind who may be associated
in one government, or who may be
governed by the same principles and
| morals. Law is a system of rules,
conformable, as must be Supposed, to
this standard, and devised upon an
| enlarged view OF the relations of per-
sons and things as they practically
exist.
| Justice is a chaotic mass of prin-
ciples. Law is the classified map of
principles, reduced to order and put
In the shape of rules, agreed upon by
this ascertaining common consent.
Justice is the virgin gold in the mines
that passes for it's intrinsic worth in
every case. but is subject to a vary
ing value, according to the scales thro'
which II passes. Law is the coin from
the mint, with it's value ascertained
and fixed, with the stamp of the gov
ernment upon 1t, which insures and
denotes its current value. The act of
| moulding Justice into a system of
rules detracts from it's capacity of
abstract adaptation in each particular
case. and the rules of law, when ap-
piled to each case. are most usually
but an approximation to Justice
"Still. mankind have generally
| thought 1t better to have their rights
| determined by. such system of rules
than by the sense of abstract Justice
as determined by any one man, or set
OF men, whose duty 1t may have been
to adjudge them. Whoever under
takes to determine a case solely by
his own notions Of its abstract Jus
| tice' breaks down the barriers by
which rules of Justice are erected in
to q system and thereby annihilates
law"
| Now, since ours is a government of
law. the citizen can only hope to OBJ
tain the amount of justice that is
contained in the laws. And because
| we make the laws we are responsible,
and must blame ourselves If undue
injustice grown out of them.
Therefore, the. first lesson that
would impress on my hearers today
is, that Ii is for you to see that the
laws administered in this building
come as near to pure justice as con-
ditions OF society will permit.
| The other thought that l call your
attention to is Of paramount impor-
| tance I'm these United States at this
time. II is that principle of natural
justice that no law, circumstance, in
| convenience, cost or anything else,
should deprive human being of, that
| is, that no man shall be condemned
in his person, property or reputation
| without notice and an opportunity
to be heard. This principle is so root
ed and grounded in every idea of JUS
| tice that IL is an indispensable ele-
ment of its nature; and the recogni-
| tion of this principle is by no means
confined to the courts, nor incumbent
on them alone, but its absence from
the administration of any other branch
or department Of government must
necessarily work wrong, open avenues
of corruption, falsehood and intrigue,
and bring disrepute to our civil af-
fairs.
No matter what charge may be
brought against any one, nor how
guilty such one may be. common
decency. orderly government. the pro-
lection OF the lives and liberty of the
law abiding men and women of our
land. require that that one shall have
a fair opportunity to make defense,
When that right ceases to exist our
republic is gone. 1t Is to preserve
justice and law. to protect the weak
and ignorant. that we build these
temples of justice, and they, and what
they represent, ought to be sacred to
every American We should see that
our laws are fair to all. and that
only men of true sense OF justice
are permitted to control our public
affairs.
1t is in the hope that this build
Ing which the people of Marion coun-
ty are erecting may ever be kept pure.
free Of injustice, and the citadel to
which all alike OF our people may
come to defend their lives, liberty,
property and character. that Ocala
welcomes you to the exercises of this
occasion.
Hon. H. w. Long on behalf Of the
board of county commissioners AMI