Of the many evils which throw back the well-being of society, none
raise in the honest mind more painful and indignant feelings, than
beholding the judgment seat of mercy and justice filled by an unjust,
corrupt, and wicked judge, who has become, step by step, hardened in
his impious enormities, and is the fully-prepared tool and supporter
of tyranny and arbitrary power. Fraud and oppression follow in his
train: the righteous laws of a just government are frittered away, or
superseded: truth and innocence are obnoxious; honesty is sneered at,
and it becomes criminal to espouse the cause of virtue. In this state
of things, wickedness predominates, and its rapacious abettors give
full scope to the exercise of all kind of oppression and injustice,
to gratify their own vicious lusts. Then it is that mankind are made
to feel the evils of power being in the hands of the worst of their
species, who, without hesitation, rob them of their property, and
divide the spoils. If there be not a sufficiency of the most spirited
and virtuous patriotism to rescue the country from their fangs, then is
despotism and degradation near at hand.
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