democracy in america-1-第73部分

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l　the　democracy。　　The　judge　is　a　lawyer；　who；　independently　of　the　taste　for　regularity　and　order　which　he　has　contracted　in　the　study　of　legislation；　derives　an　additional　love　of　stability　from　his　own　inalienable　functions。　　His　legal　attainments　have　already　raised　him　to　a　distinguished　rank　amongst　his　fellow…citizens；　his　political　power　completes　the　distinction　of　his　station；　and　gives　him　the　inclinations　natural　to　privileged　classes。

Armed　with　the　power　of　declaring　the　laws　to　be　unconstitutional；　*a　the　American　magistrate　perpetually　interferes　in　political　affairs。　　He　cannot　force　the　people　to　make　laws；　but　at　least　he　can　oblige　it　not　to　disobey　its　own　enactments；　or　to　act　inconsistently　with　its　own　principles。　　I　am　aware　that　a　secret　tendency　to　diminish　the　judicial　power　exists　in　the　United　States；　and　by　most　of　the　constitutions　of　the　several　States　the　Government　can；　upon　the　demand　of　the　two　houses　of　the　legislature；　remove　the　judges　from　their　station。　　By　some　other　constitutions　the　members　of　the　tribunals　are　elected；　and　they　are　even　subjected　to　frequent　re…elections。　I　venture　to　predict　that　these　innovations　will　sooner　or　later　be　attended　with　fatal　consequences；　and　that　it　will　be　found　out　at　some　future　period　that　the　attack　which　is　made　upon　the　judicial　power　has　affected　the　democratic　republic　itself。

＇Footnote　a：　See　chapter　VI。　on　the　〃Judicial　Power　in　the　United　States。〃＇

It　must　not；　however；　be　supposed　that　the　legal　spirit　of　which　I　have　been　speaking　has　been　confined；　in　the　United　States；　to　the　courts　of　justice；　it　extends　far　beyond　them。　　As　the　lawyers　constitute　the　only　enlightened　class　which　the　people　does　not　mistrust；　they　are　naturally　called　upon　to　occupy　most　of　the　public　stations。　　They　fill　the　legislative　assemblies；　and　they　conduct　the　administration；　they　consequently　exercise　a　powerful　influence　upon　the　formation　of　the　law；　and　upon　its　execution。　The　lawyers　are；　however；　obliged　to　yield　to　the　current　of　public　opinion；　which　is　too　strong　for　them　to　resist　it；　but　it　is　easy　to　find　indications　of　what　their　conduct　would　be　if　they　were　free　to　act　as　they　chose。　　The　Americans；　who　have　made　such　copious　innovations　in　their　political　legislation；　have　introduced　very　sparing　alterations　in　their　civil　laws；　and　that　with　great　difficulty；　although　those　laws　are　frequently　repugnant　to　their　social　condition。　　The　reason　of　this　is；　that　in　matters　of　civil　law　the　majority　is　obliged　to　defer　to　the　authority　of　the　legal　profession；　and　that　the　American　lawyers　are　disinclined　to　innovate　when　they　are　left　to　their　own　choice。

It　is　curious　for　a　Frenchman；　accustomed　to　a　very　different　state　of　things；　to　hear　the　perpetual　complaints　which　are　made　in　the　United　States　against　the　stationary　propensities　of　legal　men；　and　their　prejudices　in　favor　of　existing　institutions。

The　influence　of　the　legal　habits　which　are　common　in　America　extends　beyond　the　limits　I　have　just　pointed　out。　　Scarcely　any　question　arises　in　the　United　States　which　does　not　become；　sooner　or　later；　a　subject　of　judicial　debate；　hence　all　parties　are　obliged　to　borrow　the　ideas；　and　even　the　language；　usual　in　judicial　proceedings　in　their　daily　controversies。　As　most　public　men　are；　or　have　been；　legal　practitioners；　they　introduce　the　customs　and　technicalities　of　their　profession　into　the　affairs　of　the　country。　　The　jury　extends　this　habitude　to　all　classes。　　The　language　of　the　law　thus　becomes；　in　some　measure；　a　vulgar　tongue；　the　spirit　of　the　law；　which　is　produced　in　the　schools　and　courts　of　justice；　gradually　penetrates　beyond　their　walls　into　the　bosom　of　society；　where　it　descends　to　the　lowest　classes；　so　that　the　whole　people　contracts　the　habits　and　the　tastes　of　the　magistrate。　　The　lawyers　of　the　United　States　form　a　party　which　is　but　little　feared　and　scarcely　perceived；　which　has　no　badge　peculiar　to　itself；　which　adapts　itself　with　great　flexibility　to　the　exigencies　of　the　time；　and　accommodates　itself　to　all　the　movements　of　the　social　body；　but　this　party　extends　over　the　whole　community；　and　it　penetrates　into　all　classes　of　society；　it　acts　upon　the　country　imperceptibly；　but　it　finally　fashions　it　to　suit　its　purposes。


Chapter　XVI：　Causes　Mitigating　Tyranny　In　The　United　States　…　Part　II

Trial　By　Jury　In　The　United　States　Considered　As　A　Political　Institution

Trial　by　jury；　which　is　one　of　the　instruments　of　the　sovereignty　of　the　people；　deserves　to　be　compared　with　the　other　laws　which　establish　that　sovereignty　…　Composition　of　the　jury　in　the　United　States　…　Effect　of　trial　by　jury　upon　the　national　character　…　It　educates　the　people　…　It　tends　to　establish　the　authority　of　the　magistrates　and　to　extend　a　knowledge　of　law　among　the　people。　

Since　I　have　been　led　by　my　subject　to　recur　to　the　administration　of　justice　in　the　United　States；　I　will　not　pass　over　this　point　without　adverting　to　the　institution　of　the　jury。　　Trial　by　jury　may　be　considered　in　two　separate　points　of　view；　as　a　judicial　and　as　a　political　institution。　If　it　entered　into　my　present　purpose　to　inquire　how　far　trial　by　jury　（more　especially　in　civil　cases）　contributes　to　insure　the　best　administration　of　justice；　I　admit　that　its　utility　might　be　contested。　　As　the　jury　was　first　introduced　at　a　time　when　society　was　in　an　uncivilized　state；　and　when　courts　of　justice　were　merely　called　upon　to　decide　on　the　evidence　of　facts；　it　is　not　an　easy　task　to　adapt　it　to　the　wants　of　a　highly　civilized　community　when　the　mutual　relations　of　men　are　multiplied　to　a　surprising　extent；　and　have　assumed　the　enlightened　and　intellectual　character　of　the　age。　*b

＇Footnote　b：　The　investigation　of　trial　by　jury　as　a　judicial　institution；　and　the　appreciation　of　its　effects　in　the　United　States；　together　with　the　advantages　the　Americans　have　derived　from　it；　would　suffice　to　form　a　book；　and　a　book　upon　a　very　useful　and　curious　subject。　　The　State　of　Louisiana　would　in　particular　afford　the　curious　phenomenon　of　a　French　and　English　legislation；　as　well　as　a　French　and　English　population；　which　are　gradually　combining　with　each　other。　　See　the　〃Digeste　des　Lois　de　la　Louisiane；〃　in　two　volumes；　and　the　〃Traite　sur　les　Regles　des　Actions　civiles；〃　printed　in　French　and　English　at　New　Orleans　in　1830。＇

My　present　object　is　to　consider　the　jury　as　a　political　institution；　and　any　other　course　would　divert　me　from　my　subject。　　Of　trial　by　jury；　considered　as　a　judicial　institution；　I　shall　here　say　but　very　few　words。　When　the　English　adopted　trial　by　jury　they　were　a　semi…barbarous　people；　they　are　become；　in　course　of　time；　one　of　the　most　enlightened　nations　of　the　earth；　and　their　attachment　to　this　institution　seems　to　have　increased　with　their　increasing　cultivation。　　They　soon　spread　beyond　their　insular　boundaries　to　every　corner　of　the　habitable　globe；　some　have　formed　colonies；　others　independent　states；　the　mother…country　has　maintained　its　monarchical　constitution；　many　of　its　offspring　have　founded　powerful　republics；　but　wherever　the　English　have　been　they　have　boasted　of　the　privilege　of　trial　by　jury。　*c　They　have　established　it；　or　hastened　to　re…establish　it；　in　all　their　settlements。　　A　judicial　institution　which　obtains　the　suffrages　of　a　great　people　for　so　long　a　series　of　ages；　which　is　zealously　renewed　at　every　epoch　of　civilization；　in　all　the　climates　of　the　earth　and　under　every　form　of　human　government；　cannot　be　contrary　to　the　spirit　of　justice。　*d

＇Footnote　c：　All　the　English　and　American　jurists　are　unanimous　upon　this　head。　　Mr。　Story；　judge　of　the　Supreme　Court　of　the　United　States；　speaks；　in　his　〃Treatise　on　the　Federal　Constitution；〃　of　the　advantages　of　trial　by　jury　in　civil　cases：　…　〃　The　inestimable　privilege　of　a　trial　by　jury　in　civil　cases　…　a　privilege　scarcely　inferior　to　that　in　criminal　cases；　which　is　counted　by　all　persons　to　be　essential　to　political　and　civil　liberty。　。　。　。〃　（Story；　book　iii。；　chap。　xxxviii。）＇

＇Footnote　d：　If　it　were　our　province　to　point　out　the　utility　of　the　jury　as　a　judicial　institution　in　this　place；　much　might　be　said；　and　the　following　arguments　might　be　brought　forward　amongst　others：　…

By　introducing　the　jury　into　the　business　of　the　courts　you　are　enabled　to　diminish　the　number　of　judges；　which　is　a　very　great　advantage。　　When　judges　are　very　numerous；　death　is　perpetually　thinning　the　ranks　of　the　judicial　functionaries；　and　laying　places　vacant　for　newcomers。　　The　ambition　of　the　magistrates　is　therefore　continually　excited；　and　they　are　naturally　made　dependent　upon　the　will　of　the　majority；　or　the　individual　who　fills　up　the　vacant　appointments；　the　officers　of　the　court　then　rise　like　the　officers　of　an　army。　　This　state　of　things　is　entirely　contrary　to　the　sound　administration　of　justice；　and　to　the　intentions　of　the　legislator。　　The　office　of　a　judge　is　made　inalienable　in　order　that　he　may　remain　independent：　but　of　what　advantage　is　it　that　his　independence　should　be　protected　if　he　be　tempted　to　sacrifice　it　of　his　own　accord？　　When　judges　are　very　numerous　many　of　them　must　necessarily　be　incapable　of　performing　their　important　duties；　for　a　great　magistrate　is　a　man　of　no　common　powers；　and　I　am　inclined　to　believe　that　a　half…enlightened　tribunal　is　the　worst　of　all　instruments　for　attaining　those　objects　which　it　is　the　purpose　of　courts　of　justice　to　accomplish。　　For　my　own　part；　I　had　rather　submit　the　decision　of　a　case　to　ignorant　jurors　directed　by　a　skilful　judge　than　to　judges　a　majority　of　whom　are　imperfectly　acquainted　with　jurisprudence　and　with　the　laws。＇

I　turn；　however；　from　this　part　of　the　subject。　　To　look　upon　the　jury　as　a　mere　judicial　institution　is　to　confine　our　attention　to　a　very　narrow　view　of　it；　for　however　great　its　influence　may　be　upon　the　decisions　of　the　law　courts；　that　influence　is　very　subordinate　to　the　powerful　effects　which　it　produces　on　the　destinies　of　the　community　at　large。　　The　jury　is　above　all　a　political　institution；　and　it　must　be　regarded　in　this　light　in　order　to　be　duly　appreciated。

By　the　jury　I　mean　a　certain　number　of　citizens　chosen　indiscriminately；　and　invested　wit