New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-12-06
"IT IS A HARD CASE"

So say the rum sy mpathzers when poor drunksrd
falls into the clutches of the law and has to suffer its
pepsy But are there not two sides to tlis question
Indeed TO bee in at the beginning what right has sny
man to get drunk What right has he 10 throw away
bic brains and turn klmsef oose ike mad OK upon
the community? How does he know what he may
then do7 Who else can tell Is he safe person 70
be abroad? IL any ops else safe in his PATH These
are questions which ought be taken uo the account
il we would know where the severity of the csse lies
Who commit the crimes with which society Is nov
affected Who set dwellings on hrei Who
murder Il innocent ssd deienseless! Who frighten
e tmid as they 20 into the street where the drunkard
Is Keeling and brawling toward his wIetched home
Have not The mid and unprotected as god right to
20 sbrosd as sny ore else And as they go out aud
come in have they rot right to expect reasonable
que, snd safety in the stretts' Is not society bound
TO protect its weaker members In this respect Does
il no, now pretend to do sol Wild animals are not
pt Knitted to run at large. Nay, even the harmless
cow and pig must not be in our streets; society Will
not bear he incopvepb nee and annoyance. Bat who
Of ali the tmid and defepseless would not prefer to
meet ttese domestic sImals Cather than encounter
bloated staggering, blsspbemng drunkari! 1t "a
bard case-thst any one should be subj 7cted to the
friehts which timd females often experience from such
objects; even II the evils Of intemperance were no
greater than The GO society would have perfect night
to sobid intoxcation with proper palms and penalties
end thus try TO ebate the nuisance And then II We
add the well at,eSted fact that thresourths Of the
crime end psuperism in almost every community arise
FRI IN iptempersnce, IL would be hard CASE Indeed II
we had tight to protect ourselves against such
depreciation on our peace and safety.
And yet Ie. q man be prosecuted for go oifendlng
against the rights asd comfort Of his fso ~-men, aud
there are always those who have mawkisb, sense
ess SYM patty for him which overlooks his crime, and
ov.rooks the interests the peace the safety OF all
Others And ,ometlmes trey clsmor and rave about
those who are engaged in executing toe laws against
such oe nders as though The yerest psrsecu-
tors 10 the word and they the most outraged victims,
The early martyrs suffered nothing 10 comparison with
them the early prosecutors were Yid and pdfdl com
pared WITH these modern tonnsDtors. This Ia the
highoDed mora sympathy, this the righteous indis-
nation offep expr. .sed within the pueu OF the Cham
be Of Justice. The Judge en- the bench is another
Jeffiies The Prosecuting Attorney IL armed with
pinchers anS kn fe to fay his victim alive The wit
nes.es Tor tie people pack of bloodhounds yep-
ing sfter their prey. But the hanges-op the drunk
AIDE companions al witnesses are the ony person
with sny signs Of humsniiy left In them All the rest
of ere alton are as though they were not They have
nothing 10 do with the mater-no interests at stake,
DO rights to defend, dangers to avert, no word to
say. 1t Is q hard csse