The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-04-05


west than this project, ana we wish it, with all
our heart, every success, cad we shall watch its
results with marked interest.
STONES THROWN FROM A CRYSTAL PAI.ACx--
NATIONAL CANT-THE BEAM and THE MOTEs-
1t has long been the habit Of Eaglish JOURNALISM
to rail at the social delinquencies of our people,
rs being the direct and inevitable results Of
republican form of government No crime Of
marked atrocity, no domestic offence ct all I'M
usual in it's features, has been suffered to pass
uncommented upon in this spirit In vain has
it been objected that whatever may be the form
of government in a country it can exercise but
little influence over social vices. It Cen create
political offences by legislation, but it cannot
alfer or give o fresh direction to passions which
are common TO all communities. Human nature
is The same everywhere; and whether the go
vernment be despotism, a monarchy, or & re-
public, those living under it will be swayed'by
the same vicious propensities that rule mankind
elsewhere. Our English contemporaries do not
seem disposed to admit the philosophy Of this req
sonng In the true Pharisaical spirit they seize
upon our backslidings and compare them with
their own moral projections. Comparative mo
rality is always delicate and ticklish question
to deal with; but as we are not allowed to treat
it on broad general principles, we must fain
descend to vulgar facts.
The developements in connection with the Wis
consin and Ohio State frauds and the Navy Yard
Investigations have, we see, furnished one Of
those journals-the London 7fmes-with another
OF those opportunities for preachment on the
vices and fundamental errors Of republican so
ciety, in which it periodically loves to indulge.
If we are sinners, it can at least be said of us
that we are no hypocrites, aud we confess at once
the epormity Of the offences with which we are
charged. What we do not acknowledge, how
ever, and what by no process of reasoning, can
we be brought to admit, is that these delinquen-
cies are peculiar either to American society OF
to republicanism. We think we can show that
under the boosted constitutional system Of Eng
land, its costly state church and It's reSacd arts
tocratc training and Influences, as brutal, as de-
grading. and as vulgar offences against law aud
morality are daily recorded as any which are
committed under our democratic and religiOusly
independent institutions.
Let us first investigate crimes against society.
and examine the right which Eaglshmen have
to lecture us in regard to them. The facility
with which the marriage tie is dissolved here il
continually thrown in our teeth. Until the new
divorce law was passed in England, Of course
the difficulty and expense Of procuring legal
separations operated as check upon the inclina-
tons Of the unhappily mated. and LEFT us no fair
means Of comparison. How stands the case now
Since the LIST of January the new Divorce Court
in London has had three sttings, averaging
fourteen days each, and on each day no less than
four applications, founded on charges Of adultery
and cruelty, have been sustained and granted.
In regard to murders, one has only TO take up q
London paper to see that that obedience to tho
law which is claimed 10 be the great character
istic of Englishmcn exercises but small ia-
fuence in restraining That class Of crime.
In one number Of the Morning Chronicle
five barbarous murders. In fact, every
London mail that arrives brings US % fresh cata-
logue OF these atrocities. as to government
frauds, we have only to refer to the case now Oo-
cupying the attention Of our tribunals in con-
nection with the Weldon Commissarat, to
show that delinquepcies of this kind are by no
means uncommon under the purists who have
the administration Of civil aifairs in Great
Britain. We should indeed have thought that
the Developments made during the Crimeaa
war, when becatombs of lives were sacrificed by
official corruption, would have sufliced to keep
English journalists silent on this point. The
loose manner in which justice is administered in
our courts is also made subject of reproach To
us. We admit the fact; but bad as it is, we pre-
fer our system to that which in political prose-
cution like that pending against the members Of
the Phoenix Society in Ireland paralyzes the de-
| fence by interceptng aud making use Of the cor
| respondence which passed between the prisoners
and their counsel. The soi-disoa free institutions
| in which such practices prevail we have tho
confessions of Sir James Graham to prove thah
they are frequently resorted to-difer in our
opinion but little from the avowed despotism OF
the Continental systems The form does not
alter the fact any more than does the self
Righteousness of the London Times convince IA
| that morality and pnritanism are identical.
/
THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN AND THE LEGIsIA-
| TITRr Nnthipp haa rat haan done tOvyarda spt-