Year: 1864

of Common Pleas, for which they pres
tend to have the authority of an act Of
Congress? What then? The United


States Supreme Court has decided
that it can only correct errors of State


Courts by an inspection of a certified
transcript of the proceedings; but sup
pose the Indiana Common Pleas will
not transfer this cause to the Circuit


Court of the United States, nor will
the Indiana Supreme Court allow its
clerk to furnish any transcript? Il
1t is pretty evident that we are on
the eve of further forcible intrusions of
the Federal power into the delicate
and complex political machinery of
the States. What will be done we
shall take the liberty of anticipating.
Neither the Common Pleas nor the
Supreme court of Indiana will be mos
we'd from their duty. They will not
succumb to the demands of the FEEDER
al Judges any more than they have to
the assumptions of martial law and
military orders. They will stand firm:
but will the other branches of the
State Government? We are inclined
to doubt it. The Legislature may be
disposed to resist, but Governor Nor
ton has no other fame but that Of
man whom Office has deranged, and his
natural want of capacity is aggravated
by the continual excitement of a high
Executive position. He probably
looks to the Presidency, and therefore
feels disposed to strengthen its powers
of usurpation. The people Of Indiana
are intelligent, and before the war
were exceedingly prosperous and hap
py. They are unfortunately too much
committed to violence. There is a
large and increasing conservative par
ty, and we commend it to them at
once to consider well the great impor-
tance of sustaining the recent decis-
ion of their Supreme Court. 1t is a
we'll founded and learned and spirited,
as well as most scienticperformance.
1t appears at great emergency to
the rights of citizens and the liberties
Of the whole people-to the sovereign
ty Of the State. 1t will challenge
successfully the tests of human scru-
tiny, of talents and of time. 1t is the
brightest gem in the judicial diadem
of the Northwestern States. 1t con-
Germs the white man and him only, or
there would have been a great deal
more said in its praise. But when the
negro slavery fanaticism has had its
day, the value of that contribution to
the arsenal of freemen's weapons
against tyrants will be appreciated.


To give it permanence, however,
there must be lively sense of its I'M
portance felt among all classes OF citi-
zens; and, while the farmers and other
producers should do their best to give
aid to the Judges; the professional
men of the State, and especially the
young men, should continually make
it their study to understand our whole
system Of government far better than
they do, so as to be able to perceive
its dangers quickly, and provide
promptly for repelling both open and
insiduous attacks. Let them emulate
the example of the illustrious Madison,
who resigned his seat in Congress, in
1898, in order to run for the Virginia
Legislature, so that he could make
State resistance more effectually to
the Adams Alien and Sedition Laws.
He not only brought those unconsti-
tutional and odlous statutes to the
ground, but he placed such ramparts
round the Constitution that, when this
war is over, the Constitution will be
found as perfect as at its birth. Such
is the debt we owe to the author of the
Report and Resolutions of 179S-99.


- Eng.