New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-09-04
character of tho American people for justice
This is intended and nothing more.
TIKI LONG ISLAND VERDICT.


THE LONG ISLAND VERDICT.
The verdict of the COroner's Jury in the Long
Island catastrophe is not Of character to satisfy
the public or further the ends of justice. What
ever force might otherwise belong to it is weak
ened by the dissensions of the jurors, some of
whom seem to have been more concerned about
frivolous determinations, than interested in ren-
dering just and straightforward opinion on the
evidence before them. Seven of the jurors,
including the foreman, agree that the collision
was produced by the carelessness of X. j.
Race. the conductor Of the mail train, and James
White, the engineer of the express tram.
These seven and three Others further find that
the trains on the Long Island Road are not
run on time, that there is great mismanage-
ment of the road, and "do hereby censure
Oliver Charlick, the President OF the
Railroad, for the careless and irregular
manner in which the trains are run, and
consider that he is indirectly responsible for the
aforementioned catastrophe" Mr.. Oliver
Charlick may well congratulate himself if he
supposes the public intend to let him OIL with
any such indirect" censure as this. He knows,
and we know, that he is not indirectly but
directly responsible for this slaughter-if there
be any logical meaning of the word direct. He
| it is who organized system of mismanagement
so utterly vicious, so criminally reckless OF the
most ordinary precautions, that collisions became
necessary and inevitable on that road, and only
miracle could have averted them. II "accl-
dents" did not happen in one way, they must In
another. Parsimony and incompetence charac-
terized every act that Mr.. Oliver Charlick,
az President Of the Long Island
Railroad, ever did or caused to be
done. He appointed himself Superintendent
in order to save the salary of capable officer.
He constructed timetable which his trains
never did nor ever could follow. Having ar
ranged in this manner for collisions, he dis
missed the brakemen who might have made
them less disastrous. When asked on the in
quest why he did not take one measure of
prudence which it was proved would have pre-
vented this massacre, he had nothing to say
except that he did not consider it necessary.
He admits that the trains on this single track
never ran on time, yet he does not claim that
he ever removed one of his subordinates or took
any step to improve matters. 1t is nonsense
and worse than nonsense to say that such
man is indirectly" responsible for q catas-
trophe which is traceable, by chain in which
no link is wanting, straight home to him.
What to do with him. The Grand Jury of
Queens County will not do ats duty unless it
indicts Oliver Charlick for manSlaughter. I'm
der the statutes of New-York he is legally tri-
able for that crime, sand We believe may be con-
victed of it-for if ever there was "killing of
human being by the culpable negligence of
another" this is that case, and Oliver Charlick
is the guilty man. What says the District
Attorney
Suppose he declines to bringthe matterbefore
the Grand Jury, or suppose that body throws ont
the bill--then what Then, and in any case. so
ciety ought to lay us brand on this culprit, ex-
cude him from its circles, deny him recognition,
and make him feelthat the force ofpublic opinion
is stronger than the statute and more expeditions
than the law. So in every other case. If rail-
ways are to be managed henceforth as hitherto,
the position of q railway manager must be made
dsreputable. We don't admit pckpOckets to
our parlors nor invite demireps to dinner. Why
should men like Oliver Charlick, or like Hunt,
the President of the Housatonic, or like the
President of the Oil Creek Road, be tolerated
in society," We go for practical measures, and
we deem it very practical one to shut them
out.
Still, we are getting OH. Formerly we had
not 80 much as a coroner's verdict TO help us.
Whtewashing was the invariable habit, and
"nobody to blame" the reiterated verdict.
Within fortnight, however, three yerdicts of
culpable negligence have been rendered. I'm
happily, the opinion of coroner's jury in these
cases has no legal force or efect-does not send
anybody to jail. But it is something. 1t makes
a case for further action; it helps direct the
finger of scorn and execration toward the guilty
ones. Let us perseyerc, let the press do its
duty, and presently legislators and then juries
and Judges will begin to do theirs.
SAN DOMINGO.