The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-12-31


Ergtard IN A war against America. We Will
n OF infer that he would become the ally of
the Federals."
A Lssp OF LIBERTY AND LAw.--Great
Britain certainly is better entitled TO this ap-
peliation than the L. s. even was at the best
period Of it's existence. II is true that we
never had king, nora hereditary aristocracy,
but the sovereign of England is mere wealth
ercoek upon the church spire, for ornament
| rather than use, and for use only so far as it
yields 10 the current of public opinion. Its
aristocracy has generally the merit of at least a
thousand years of good blood it is no mush-
room affair, like the laughable limitations on
this continent, it is composed of the best gen
tlsinen Of the land, whose well ascertained
position enables them to be kind and atlable
TO those beneath them without hazard to
their own dignity.
Instead of being dangerous to liberty, the
aristocracy OF England has been its most trust
| worthy friend and champion. In the United
| States there was always tyrant, the mob,
which, in the developments of the last year,
| has proved that of all tyrants it is the most
absolute, irresponsible, bloody, ignorant, bru
| tai and base. Did it ever, in its best days
| demonstrate the capacity for self government
which cripging and place-hunting demagogues
ascribed to it Did it choose the best men
| for President, or for Governor, or for mem
| bers of Congress, or for anything else wherein
| It's choice was exercised! Was not the truly
| great man, who acted upon principle If ever
L - u
| lived IN America) ard dared to rebuke the
popular tyr,,nt for his evil prorensities, and
| uid not pretend 10 believe that the cor popuii
OF fallen humanity is any more likely to be
| por De' than coz Giab0A, sure to sign and seal
his own political perdition! Look at the
| "rtrtaoas and iMtelttgeRt people, of the L nj
| ted States by the lard flames OF this Internal
| invasion, anu Is there ANY tyrant Of modern or
| OF ancient times who can approach this mon.
| ster III the variety and magnitude Of his viie
| passions and alfoclous crimes What tyranny
| is there, what deed of wickedness, what VIC
| lation OF Aoerty, what moral debasement, from
| the cold bl0oued massacre of women and
| children to tie most miserable petit larceny,
which has not been performed by the repre-
| sentatives of the United States, and approved
| by the "virtuous and intelligent people p
| What chance is there for so much as ID pro-
| test If The few wise and good men in its own
| section against The most tyTannical and in
| human act which the despotic mob, through
| its Washington representative, may perform 7
| The silence OF death, or the Bastile, is The
| only alternative which the despot presents.
| We have long been OF opinion that, with all
| the talk about liberty and equality in the
| United States, there was less Of either, and
| certainly vas. inferi0rity in the admins
| tration of justice, to Great Britain. 1t is true
| social equality in England is unknown, and so
| it is everywhere, and nowhere more than it
is in the Union, where an ups,art money arts
| tocracy, having neither education, good blood,
| nor good maunors, has uni tormly treated the
poor with degree of brutality and tyranny
| unparalleled il any part Of the world. But
| equality ii the administration of Justice is a
reality in Great Britain, as it never was in
tue United States Here money could always
save rutilan from the consequences of his
crime; there the proudest nobleman and the
wealthiest commoner who violated the iaWs
OF the land have no more chance of escape
before an English judge and jury than the
nleanest occupant Of ST Giles England is a
land Of law in fact as well as in name-a land
where every mans life and property, az we'll
! as liberty, are secure; land which, in its con
sentative spirit, its equal administration of
justice, and its practical sympathy with the
poor and humble, our own new country may
well adopt as its model.
In looking over late file of Lond0l. pa
pers, we observed one of its solid columns of
editorials devoted to a case which in an Amer
lean newspaper would have scarcely occupied
ten lines Of local. 1t was a casa OF boy,
who, for throwing a stone in baronet's win
dow, had been fined twenty shillings, aud sent
to prison for month, whilst man who had
committed the same offence upon the window
of publican, had been discharged upon the
payment of Il small fine, and without any
boldly arraigned the magistrate for the op-
pressive punishment of a mere child, and the
Partially shown to a greater offender III terms
and with all emphasis which to American
journalists seem altogether disproportioned to
the character of the offence.
But the press in England is freer and Drawer,
as well as more digIiified and intelligent than
in the United States, and the people, of whom
the press is representative, are more rigid
in their ideas of justice and fair play. The
government also never forgets the claims
of its humblest subjects upon its attention in
any part of the earth. We have lately noticed
d case of this kind, which occurred under our
own observation, and which well might form
a model for official example in our own gov
ernment.