The Press.
London, England, 1856-12-20 00:00:00

1202

these suspicions, which a public examination
might ripen into convictions. In entertaining
these suspicions, it is impossible to believe
that gentlemen of high honour, and trust-
worthy officials, could )4e actuated by senti-
ments of or prdudice against *Jae iW-
vidual in question. Aetiitd or hulaillind, e
suspicions are honestly entertaisied.
Well, then, it is opt most imrstirtant step in
this case that die Gtomustient 4 barbcwor
suspicion of one person in particular, and thit
person is connected with the railway. But it
is said by the authorities " that it would be
" a dreadful thing to blast a man's character
" upon a criminal charge which cannot at
" present be brought home against him, and
" of which he may be possibly innocent." The
plea sounds plausibly, and, as far as the
more sentiment is concerned, we echo it
heartily. But justice is to be administered
by rule, not by sentiment ; specious words are
not to be substituted for principles of common
sense; and in the case of so foul a murder,
committed in such a daring manner, Govern-
ment should recollect that, while acting to-
wards one suspected person with fastidious
delicacy, they are hardening the hearts and
strengthening the arms of scoundrels by the
score.

Still, we repeat, that we honour the principle
that a man's character should not be blasted
on light or superficial grounds. But a truism
will not advance the argument. It is just as
-plausible and pertinent to affirm, on the other
h Ind, that the self preservation of society should
not be trifled with, out of sentimental con-
siderations for the comfort of one person who
might clear himself at once. Let us look
closer into the case, and see if we cannot
grapple with the difficulty.
Since one person is suspected (a fact which
cannot be denied) we put it calmly to the Go-
vernment how long do they suppose it possible
that his name should be kept concealed? Is
it not certain to be disclosed before many
weeks or days? How is it possible that the
name of one person suspected by the authori-
ties could be kept out of the private conversa-
tions of the city of Dublin ? Suspicions are
aroused and are active, and to suppose that
they could be smothered is absurd. So that, in
point of fact, let the Government act as senti-
mentally as it pleases—let it conduct itself
towards the supposed murderer with the most
perfect delicacy and good-breeding—it is mere
matter of time (as far as he is concerned) when
the fact of his being suspected will be gene-
rally known. That inference seems so plain
as to need no further elucidation. Let us
now look at the interests of other parties in
this business.
We put it to the Government,—whether
no sentimental consideration is to be shown,
ou the other hand, for the characters of
all the various officials and honest working
men on the railway? It is evident that at
present a taint, more or less, affects them all.
When fifty men in a place arc open to sus-
picion, the shadow of the one real culprit
darkens the whole company. Ought that to
e so? Ought several against whom nothing
can be said be compelled to endure a suspicion
of so much guilt? And, not to enforce that
consideration further, let us add that if the
suspected party " has the rights of persons "
to shield him from accusation, on the other
hand, society at large has a pressing claim to
protection, and to every possible exertion be-
ing used to seize and convict the real criminal.
What, then, should be done?
Public investigation, aided by one or more
experienced criminal lawyers of high repute,
can alone be efficacious in this remarkable
ease. Let the facts now in possession of the
Government be ventilated through the lips of
••. 7 • 4rultworthy • witnesses, and let the facts do
• their own work. The investigation may be
either semi-official, or at the instance of the
directors of the railway. All we suggest is,
that it should be an open one, and that the
:" special aid of the most skilled criminal barris
Sere in Ireland should be employed. It is a
441.80 in which skilful and vie/Orono cross-
axaminer alight achieve wonders. Prevarica-
• tioil by a witness, along with other cir
aunastances, might place the guilt beyond
reasonable doubt.

THE PRESS.

Hitherto, we fear the Crown lawyers (though
gentlemen of great talent) have scarcely risen
to a level with the difftmilty before them. The
Attorney-General 411fr.4.. D. FITZGERALD) is a
most eminent 'nisilieius' lawyer. In cow-
mercial eases, tad in' ,/ tisignin points of law, pas
'is seen fob greA Oityatto tge. r'But he never ?lid
serious terimiaol cattail tb conduct ; and his
colLeai Mr. COIRIaI* (the Solicitor-General),
'4 a ound liaptiftir b4.rister, an adept Na
spinning the finest 14b of casuistry that ever
could be woven out ofo!stonting,ent remainders."
It is only barristers, Whom long practice in
criminal eases has armed with habitne.l firm-
ness in dealing with nice questions of life and
character (which may depend on single ques-
tions in a cross-examination), who are equal
to the responsibility of denouncing the party
on whom suspicion gloomily converges. Bar-
risters unused to such arduous cases, like
surgeons not conversant with amputations,
become nervous when the sword of State is
handed to them. They dread the conse-
quences of wielding the deadly implement;
and while they squeamishly falter, villains get
ready their weapons in every alley, and the
garotting association thrives apace in in-
creased security.

SATURDAY,

accounts—they feed the two latter, which are
the working accounts.

it account, is
As given by the
lr under the
ilte to time to
prepares an
he is likely to
ter the various
uthorises the
te Exchequer
a transfer is

[erect from the
Exchequer account in the Bank of England to
the Exchequer credit account, which stands in
the name of the Paymaster-General in the
books of the Bank of England.
Here, as we remarked when we last noticed
the subject, the control of the Exchequer
ceases. The Comptroller of the Exchequer
will not issue a credit to the Paymaster-Gene-
ral, even under the authority of the Treasury,
unless he is himself satisfied that a vote of
the House of Commons has been come to, and
also ways and means passed for the sum re-
quired; but the credit having been granted to
Uri Paymaster-General, and the amount en-
tered to his account in the Exchequer credit
account, he acquires all power over its subject
appropriation—subject only to the rules laid
down by the Treasury for his guidance.
The 2nd, or cash account—lt is necessary to
remark that the Paymaster-General has not
only in his department the paying out of
money, but he has also the receiving of money.
One of the witnesses describes him as the
banker for almost all the public departments.
It is this cash account which constitutes his
bank. The confusion of functions which thus
appertain to the office of Paymaster-General is
one of the matters requiring mature considera-
tion. It is a sore subject with the Comp-
troller of the Exchequer. He complains of it
frequently in his evidence ; he complained of
it in an elaborate letter which he addressed to
the Treasury on the 16th of January, 1849,
in which he objects to the Paymaster
thus having at his disposal sums not
issued by the Exchequer, and not limited by
the same specific Parliamentary appropriation
which applies to Exchequer credits.
This cash account is of' great magnitude
(nearly six millions passed into it last year),
arid is very heterogenous in its character.
Sums of money from all sources are paid in
there. The Turkish Loan is amalgamated
with the Mercantile Marine Fund, the produce
of old stores, with the Patriotic Fund and re-
mittances from soldiers in India, with the fees
from the county courts.
The 3rd, or drawing account, is the first of
the working accounts, or accounts which are
actually operated upon by cheques ; and the
Treasury minute of 22nd of December, ISIS.
as amended by another minute made in conse-
quence of an Exchequer remonstrance, defines
with great exactness the modus operandi. It
ordains that public money shall not be drawn
from the Exchequer either before it is wanted,
or in larger sums than the services require—iu
other words, that the balances shall be kept as
low rQ. possible. It provides that no funds shall
be placed either to the drawing or the bill
account, except by writes-off or transfers from
the Exchequer credit account and the cash
account ; that the person who is intrusted
with the duty of supplying those accounts
from the Exchequer credit and cash accounts
shall have no power to draw cheques; and that
the person who is intrusted with the power of
drawing cheques shall have no knowledge of
the state of the accounts on which he draws,
and no power to place funds to those accounts
to meet the cheques. There arc also various
other checks—by countersigning. and daily
examination of pass-books--calculated to pre-
vent the possibility of collusion or fraud.
The 4th, or bill account, requires no parti-
cular notice. It is obvious that a considerable
part of the payments, in respect of the public
service, must be by bills, and the acceptance
and payment of these bills are regulated with
precision in the Treasury minute.
In a few cases, apparently of urgent neces-
sity, the Paymaster-General makes payment
in cash. They are confined for the most part
to poor claimants, such as the wives or chil-
dren of seamen, widows of officers of the

The Lst; or 4,o,lmofrihr credit
simply doe p.ccomittlf 111-ib cfedits
CompAroller of 11611 hequei
authotti Of the Trigiury m tit
the P,lLynester; thi. Pa ster
estiSte ch /lay Alf the h
refit** of ithe A* uncle
hem* sbf *vice ; X'Obury ai
issue,d the Comptroller of thi
thereupo'n grants the credit, and
then made of the amount so orde