Reading Time: 3 minutes [386 words]

858 &X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.

tions meant to be put,” and which were propounded by Mr.
Nicholas, declared Colonel Taylor’s evidence to be inadmis-
sible. No evidence, he said, ia admissible that does not justi-
fy the whole charge. The charge you mean to justify by this
witness, as T understand yon, is, that the President is a pro-
fessed aristocrat, and that he has proved serviceable to the
British interest, You must prove both these points, or you
prove nothing. Now as you do not attempt to prove the
whole of one specific charge, but only a part of it, your evi-
dence cannot be received; this is the law, both in civil and
criminal eases; he who justifies, must justify an entire charge,
or else his defense does not amount to a justification in law.
You have not proved the truth of any particular charge,
though in order to excuse it, you must prove the whole; to
prove the truth of a part only, is not proving what is ma-
terial. The attorney proposed to prove his indictment. He
has exhibited his oral and written testimony to prove it. The
traverser excuses himself from the imputed guilt, by averring
that part of some of the charges is true, Is this evidence
proper when the whole charge is in isme? If it be, the proof
of a very trivial part of an important indictment would ex-
euse from the whole; but I pronounce the law to be other~
wise, and take the responsibility on myself, and risk my char-
acter on it, It may be said that this will preclude the party
from the privilege of his testimony; but this will only be a
misrepresentation, it precludes them from no legal benefit.
My country has made me a judge, and you must be governed
now by my opinion, though I may be mistaken; but if I am
not right, it is an error in judgment, and you can state the
proceedings on the record so as to show any error, and I shall
be the first man to grant you the benefit of a new trial by

Ques. Ist. Did you ever hear Mr, Adams express any opinion
favorable to monsrehy and aristocracy; and what were they?

Ques, 24 Did you ever hear Mr, Adams, whilst Vice-President,
express his disapprobation of the funding system?

Ques. 3d, Do yon know whether Mr. Adams did not, in the year
1794, vote against the sequestration law, and the bill for euspending
commercial intereourse with Great Britain?

Related Posts