848 Slide – American State Trials 1918 Volume X Leo Frank Document

808 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.

ments of attachment and confidence in the President, and
their determination to resist the oppression of the French
government: the President replied to them, in answers which
generally were the echo of their sentiments, and in fact, his
expressions were aa general as the nature of the addresses
would permit—therefore, the traverser ought to have blamed
the addreasera, and not the President. The Marine Society
of Boston, as old seamen, address the President in favor of
a navy; the President in reply, thinks a navy is the proper
defense of the country.

I believe, gentlemen, in the first part of my charge, I made
remarks on the assertions of the traverser, that the President
had borrowed money at eight per cent in time of peace,
Therefore, it will not be necessary to enlarge on that point.

You will please to notice, gentlemen, that the traverser in
his defense must prove every charge he has made to be true;
he must prove it to the marrow. If he asserts three things,
and proves but one, he fails; if he proves but two, he fails
in his defense, for he must prove the whole of his assertions
to be true. If he were to prove, that the President had done
everything charged against him in the first paragraph of
the publieation—though he should prove to your satisfac
tion, that the President had interfered to influence the de
cisions of a court of justice, that he had delivered up Jona-
than Robbins without precedent, against law and against
merey, this would not be sufficient, unless he proved at the
same time, that Jonathan Robbins was a native American,
and had been forcibly impressed, and compelled to serve on
board of a British ship of war. If he fails, therefore, gen-
tlemen, in this proof, you must then consider whether his in-
tention in making these charges against the President were
malicious or not. It is not necessary for me to go more min-
utely into an investigation of the defense. You must judge
for yourselves—you must find the publication, and judge of
the intent with which that publication was made, whether it
waa malice or not! If you believe that he has published it
without malice, or an intent to defame the President of the