New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-08-12

We have spoken again and sgaiu Of the earnest
attention which should be given BY all lovers Of
their country and of free institutions to the judi
ciary and the administration OF justice. OF the
various functions of Government many are per-
formed well or i'll without our knowing anything
about it. The Army and the Navy, and the D-
pOma.ic Intercourse in our Federal Affairs, aud
much Of the log rolling and the corruption which
affects and infects 30 much Of our State and City
Governments, may exist or not, 60 on or come TO
an end, and many an honest citizen neither knows
nor cares about it, as long as he ia unmOlested in
| bis private AFFAIR.". Bat the administration Of
| Justice is matter which comes home 10 every
mans business and BOSOM literally; it affects his
business, his contracts his debts and bis dues, bis
reputation his family, his personal liberty and his
life itseM Now, however wrong it may be in men
to be 80 busy as not TO look into the management
/ of all their other public affairs 1t lie abso.
lutely fatal to neglect this Of Justice, in whose
scales everything they hold dear may at any mo-
ment be tried. 1t behooves them TO see to it that
the balance is true, and the weights honest and
the bandsge impermeable to the blink of corrup-
ton, and the sword impartial as well az sharp.
The last three or four years are full enough Of
pregnant instances Of the urgency of the people
miDding this part of their business, if none other
Passing by the scaa1alous Developments in
this city, and the extraordinary Instances
of what Fielding terms justices Justice"
on which we have had 10 animsdvert on the
part of our own Courts Of Examination and Sum-
mary Jurisdiction, Tiers lie no lack of Judicial
enOrmties on broader and more general stage
that are patent for the whole world to see. Look
at Judge Crawford course in the cases of Herbert
and Brooks was there ever an instance OF more
open and gross swsyipg Of justice to the side OF
the strong and the powerful Cast an eye over at
Kansas, ard see what atrocities are there wrapped
up in the gagb OF Justice. Remember for moment
the treason trials of Judge Grer; the imprison-
mant of Passmore Williamson by Judge Kane
cas- es to which there has been nothing analogous
ia England since the days of Scroggs and JeAreys,
an, TO which Europe affords no parallel at this day
short of Austria and Naples Consider the Con-
str uctive Riots invented by Judge Curtis of Msssa
cb usetts, under which he procured indictments
as ainst men for making speeches in Faneuil Hall,
al ID through which he drove coach and six. after
visit to Washington had taught him that he had
o verdone bis task. Regard Judge Sprsgue. of the
anne State, excluding juror from the juy.boI
because he said that his aympathies were always
with the oppressed" Consider all these things,
and say whether it any wonder however great
may be the pity, that the great name Of Justice
has grown to be by.werd and mockery in the
streats.
1t is disgraceful fact that there is no civilized
county in which wealth and position is so sure to
apt to plume ourselves on our superiority over
England in the matter Of equality before the law,
and to ina CINE that rank and wealth can the
guilty fror2 punishment there in degree unknown
| Acre. Whereas, the exact contrary lie the fact
! A nObleDan or q member Of Parliament who had
, shot wsiter at one CT the Clubs under precisely
the ,ams circumstances as theee Of Herbert's csse
would have been hanged all the more inexorably
becau se of the difference in the rank Of the pa.tes
The love Of fair play and equal justice of the En-
| pli.h nation would have demanded IT, aud 10 Gov.
erDment would have dared to interpose between
the criminal and the gauOws. So, II the most pow.
ers,l country member in England had gone into the
House of Lords and committed the same violence,
under the same circumstances, on Lord Derby or
Lord Clarendon, he would have been sentenced to
be transported for term Of years and been secuted
from all respectable society after it wss out. OF
these things there are abundant preoedents. Be-
] sides Earl Ferrers, who was hanged at Tybum
about a century ago, and sfterwsId dssected at
| Surgeons Hall, for the murder Of his steward,
there are abundance of lesser instances but equally
in point Not many years ago retired officer CT
rank, a lsudholder in Scotland, was hanged fer
shooting one of bis laborers. Tue Earl Of Mar
only escaped the same fate BY missing his man,
hut received and served out sentence Of imprison-
meut for the offense. A landed gentleman An the
West of England, only year or two ago, was
sentenced to term Of transportation for an assault
upon q servant girl. a young officer in tae Gdsrds
WAS sentenced to fortnght's hard labor with CON-
mon thieves for an assault on policeman, aud no
interest could procure remission Of the sentence.
Sir John Paul Dean is at this moment st hard Is.
Dor az q tailor in one Of the penal prisons about
London. And 20 Of many other cases.
Now. we affirm that in scarcely any Of tlese
cases could the same justice have been done in this
county, How many instances are there any
where Of men in the relative position Of these men
meeting with corresponding equality Of penalty :
II il absurd to say that any equal prop triton Of
nnni,b,ble offenses have rot been committed by
s,cb men. OF course there are some apparent ex
ceptons; but they will generally resolve themselves
into efen,es against the property Of the conuu.
nitv ~ sg,inst the persons Of the wealthy class