In criminal cases, the atrocity of accusing a man of crime, and then condemning him unless he prove his innocence at his own charges, is so evident that a jury could rarely, if ever, be justified in convicting a man under such circumstances.
Spooner argues against the presumption of guilt in criminal cases, emphasizing the burden of proof.
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There is no more absurdity in giving a jury a veto upon the laws, than there is in giving a veto to each of these other tribunals.
It would be a solecism and absurdity in government to allow such consequences as these.
It would also be making them consent to what they regard as the destruction of their own rights.
The people considered their jurisprudence as a part of their inheritance.