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EDWARD D. WORRELL. 151

suppose that the eulprit is alone interested; and upon bare
eonjectures or a mistaken sympathy turn him toose upon s0-
ciety encouraged to plunge still deeper in crime and iniquity.
This disinelination to enforce obedience to the law is said to
be the bane of republics, and no doubt contributed in a great
degree to the downfall of the Roman Empire. Rome was
once the mistress of the world, but no sooner did licentious-
ness and disorder gain the supremacy than she sunk into an
insignificant dependency. Our republic is yet in its infancy,
and although we have done more to extend the area of human
freedom than the most sanguine votaries of liberty eould
have hoped for, yet we are far from being able to calculate
with any certainty upon the future, and he who flatters him-
self that our ship of State is never to encounter an angry
sea greatly underrates the depravity of the human heart.
An unrestrained liberty is as great a curse as @ despotism,
and the true secret of political economy is to steer between
the two extremes, If we wish to avoid the fate of other re-
publics, we must temper our liberty with proper restraint.
‘We must enact wise and humane laws and permit no man to
violate them with impunity. A settled conviction in the pub-
lie mind that the lawa will be strictly enforced without re-
gard to person or condition is alone essential to check the
onward course of crime. Unfortunately so many avenues of
escape are offered to the offender that he has ceased to regard
the Jaw as an obstacle in his way; he counts the chanees and
finds the percentage largely in his favor. For every fifty
murders committed in this country there are not exceeding
three or four executions. This is not the fanlt of the law, but
of those who are called upon to execute the law. Under our
form of government there is no tribunal whose duty is so
responsible and upon the faithful discharge of which so much
depends as a jury; for exeept by your edict no man can be
brought to punishment for a violated law. I conjure you then
to meet this responsibility so far aa this case is concerned.
with a full determination to do justice to the State as well as
the accused, and if you are satiafled beyond a reasonable
doubt that he committed the crime as charged in the indict-

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