" I make no doubt," said he, in prophetic words, "but your upright conduct this day will not only entitle you to the love and esteem of your fellowcitizens, but every man who prefers freedom to a life of slavery will bless and honor you as men who have baffled the attempts of tyranny, and, by an impartial and incorrupt verdict, have laid a noble foundation for securing to ourselves, our posterity, and our neighbors that

HISTORY

WESTCHESTER

COUNTY

to which nature and the laws of our country have given us a right -- the liberty of both exposing and opposing arbitrary power in these parts of the world, at least by speaking and writing truth.1' To this unanswerable argument the jury responded by an almost immediate verdict of acquittal. Hamilton was hailed by the people with acclaims even more enthusiastic and flattering than those which had greeted Morris. He was presented by the common council with the freedom of the city in a gold box, and upon his departure for Philadelphia a salute was fired in his honor. It was in the month of August, 1735, that this crowning victory of the people over their tyrannous governor was won -- just two years after the humiliation of Chief Justice Morris. The Zenger verdict established forever the principle of the liberty of the press in America. During the long controversy and agitation which preceded it, the people had familiarized themselves with the doctrine of resistance to tyrants. " If all governors are to be reverenced," said one of the writers in Zenger's Journal, " why not the Turk and old Muley, or Nero?" It became decidedly the fashion to exalt the people above their rulers, and to make pungent retorts to those who urged the old ideas of obedience to authority.