Year: 1860

~ WeAS n O9A 1uAA NAeN OOACu AVA OAe


Senator Iverson, of Georgia, rampant
Slave Codeite, made speech lately in the
Senate, in which he denounced as traitors to
the Union those men who would not aequi
esce in, respect and obey the decisions of the
Supreme Court Of the United States. We do
not dispute the justice of the denunciation,
but we think it should come frtm the Rep
resentative of some other State than Georgia.
We happen 10 know little about the sort Of
regard which that State has been in the habit
of entertaining for the Supreme Court We
have examined the history of Georgia suff-
ciently to know that its Legislature once de-
liberately resolved that the Supreme Court
of Georgia was in no wise inferior to the Su-
preme Court of the United States, but co or
dindte with it, and that the Supreme Court
of the United States had no right TO reverse
a decision of the Supreme Court of Georgia
We recollect, too hearing men who figured
in Georgia in 1929 3O.3l and 80, repeatedly
allude to the most fragrant violations Of the
Federal laws by the officials as we'll as the
people Of Georgia, and the most deliberate
and contemptuous disregard of the DEGREES
of the Supreme Court of the United States
by the Courts of Georgia. Among the in
stances alluded to was the intrusion Of Geor-
gians into the limits Of the Cherokee Nation
and the appropriation of their lands and
their gold mines, despite solemn treaties
signed by the General Government, guaraL.
teeing the Cheokees against such intrusion /;
the illegal arrest and trial of Cherokees who
were in no manner amenable to the laws of
g eorgia; and the Imprisonment of mission


aries in the penitentiary of eorgia, because
| they refused to recognize the laws of Georgia
as of any binding effect upon them within the
limits of the Cherokee Nation. Worcester
and Butler, two white men living as Mission
/ aries in the Cherokee Nation, chose to disre-
gard some law enacted by the Georgia Leg
isature and assumed to be in force in the
Cherokee Nation They were tried in one of
the Courts of Georgia, and condemned to
imprisonment for one year. we believe, in
the penitentiary. They obtained a Witt
of Error from the Supreme Court of the Uni
ted States, and that tribunal ordered them
released. The Georgia Court paid no atten.
tion to the mandate whatever but kept the
parties imprisoned. Shortly afterwards, if
we recolect Alright, Cherokee named Tas
sells (Corn Tassels) committed an offense for
which he was amenable to the laws of the
~ e A
Georgia Court, however, assumed jurisdc
ton, tried him, convicted him and condemned
him to be executed. A Writ of Error came
from the Supreme Court of the United States,
commanding a stay Of proceedings until the
question of jurisdiction could be determined


The Supreme Court decided that the Geor-
gia Court had no jurisdiction, but in the
meantime Corn Tassels was hung.


There were other instances of fagrant


disregard of the authority of the Federal
Supreme Court, by the judiciary and the Of


ficials of Georgia, which it is not necessary
to take the trouble to mention. We have
cited a sufficieney to show that there never
was less regard manifested for the authority
of any tribunal than that which has been
manifested by Georgia for the Federal Judi
ciary. And yet it is Senator Of such State
as this who gets up and denounces as traitors
to the Union those States and those individ-


uals who do not absolutely acquesce in the
decision and opinion both, of the Supreme
Court of the United States in the Dred Scott
L. 6 l. .,


Court happen to jump with the notions of
Georgia, they are worthy of all respect and
the tribunal is to be venerated. Whenever
they clash with the peculiar notions and de-
sires of that member of the Confederacy,
they are to be treated with contempt.


Georgia is not alone in this sudden con-
version to the doctrine that it is rebellion to
the Government to question the validity of
decree of the Supreme Court. But it is
with Georgia only that we have at present
to deal.


We believe that the only safety to this
Union is a perfect subordination of the State
Courts to the Supreme Judicial Tribunal of
the Country but had we so persistently de.
MED that authority in times past as some
have done, we should be a little backward
about any very loud mouthed villifcation of
men who were simply talking of doing what
we had repeatedly done The old story of
the OK and the bull will never lack illustra.
tion, as long as petty sel6shness, whether of
men or of sections, takes the place of a broad
hearted and pure minded patriotism.