The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-13 00:00:00

angry repetition of an irrelevant challenge to
the Opposition. We fear it is too true that the
Conservatives, as it party, aro little more dis*
posed than the Whigs to adopt a vigorous and manly
course.
But the Opposition are not bound to lay
awn a policy, while it is the first duty of a Go'
et to do so. It is no excuse for the weakness,
the yactilatiou, 411,i probably
r successors would pro
verninb,"- or the ambiguous conduct of those
who hold office that „_
—thou ia that is scarcely
do no better, and might--
g
credible—do worse'. DrecIPLINE.--
THE "EXAMINER" O CONVICT . the convict
We have long been convinced that uld be
licensing system is incurably bad, and sn.- lice
abolished altogether. The supervision of the pe.,.a.
will not mend it, but, on the contrary, will be a "`
to the reformation of the criminals if they have sea„,
disposition to take to industry and honest courses
As the nhancellor objects, the supervision will
a brand on the convict, shutting him out from on_
ployment and bonnet intercourse. The man il:
go out of jail with a 'broken fetter attached to
uy which he will be dragged back to crime. If by
has any eenee, together with improved disposition,
he will refuse to accept liberty on such terms, nr•'
will rather wait for the expiration of big sentencf
when he will go forth a free man, instead of a
bird with a clipped wing. Tha discharged co f.
has a fair field before him if his dispositions are for
His past may be unknown, and retrieved by geedo
conduct. The police have no right to *1 uPhe
him, or meddle with him in any way, so long, st'o3
obeys the laws and lives honestly. He passes flo
ST
the jail, mixes in the crowd, and may begin a say
career without prejudice or impediment of no,
kind. But the unhappy ticket-of-leave ma
do
tracked from his first quitting the jail, and 111-
to report himself periodically to the pow.'
016
will never get away from his character•
nd
character may bo changed, but the brand
upon it remains unchanged and sali,enii;,e
conspicuous, And because of the very mypse
of him it is that he is to be placed in this hop
condition. Becasue it is thought that he IneY.rn,
form he is to be practically cut off from reformer°,
If the man is not to be trusted, keep the jail let
closed upon him ; but to trust him
.so far as to
him out, and then to retract the trust by puttlif
him under the eye of the police, is a vase *lndhlii;el
chievous inconsistency, cruelly defeating the °Lracc
of reformation. When the convict who has --a
undergone his punishment is discharged, it EneYevber
be with the slightest expectation or hope Oa' not,
will change his evil ways, but, trustworthy er°-,;
forth he must go, free for good or ill ; and why
not the same course be taken with men a W"hB-gt
better hopes can be entertained P It may be —bo
not to abridge sentences at all, but if they are t° ig
abridged we are quite sure that the true polieldi,
not to hamper the granted liberty with any efElba.
tions which may be adverse to the recovery 01
ratter and honest employment. We are neet',l,a
sick of the twaddle, for it is no better, abotd,,,`ii,
workiLg of the licensing system in Ireland• bad
has only a partial success there, but it it
ag
the most complete, the state of opinion in Irelav"hot
to crime is so different from that in England'
the same results could never be worked out, es Fral
chilly with a machinery as different as them ,°,llO
element. When Mistress Deborah Woodcock 'e
her brother the Justice that the pretended 111,-.01
master is a vagabond, Justice Woodcock saws
" What of that, you foolish old woman ? I "7„-nd
vagabond, I like a vagabond." And when Ire;c-'s
is told that a man is a law-breaker, her OF"'
much to the same effect. Ireland has not 03,11-r,
objection to convicts, nay, to some a decided prefer;
ence is given. This being the case generallY, `to
supervision of the police is clear of two danPr's It
which it will be exposed in this country. the
does not carry with it much prejudice agsiestr,ea
convicts, nor mark them out for exclusion it
employment and intercourse; and this being sc'n'or
does not tempt convicts to purchase the silenc;ro
good report of the spies over them. Here we "„,,
certain of much of both these bad conseqnett;
and the supervision of the police will, we aPI 'of
hend, work the corruption of the police, in *iv) f.
any checks that may be devised. The ticket °,
leave man always quits the jail with a little Inctielt
money in his pocket, and he has the strong
motive motive to obtain the silence of the police as to what
he has been, and its good report as to what be is.
With so large a body as the police, and so varionsblo
composed, can we believe that there will net,
some corruptible, and the vice, once introduced, is
sure to spread ?