The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-01-16
i56RGE AND SNAIL THIT YES.

The close observer cannot fail to discover !
a growing discrimination, and a very unjust
one, between the rich and the poor, no mat
Ter whether developed by virtue or vice. One
class may reach human perfection, but the
world seems blind to every excellence, while
another may fall far short Of the same stand
ard, and receive a greater measure Of com
mendationy So with vice. The same offence
elicits a different measure Of chsrity-lhe
same crime a different punishment Petty
larceny brands the poor man a thief, and he
wears the dIsgtpcst 20 his grave-no repen-
lance can wash itout-while the rich may
steal and pluuder at their will, and it Is Look
ed upon as only an "indisereiion," clear
case of ''l1leptOm anis," new term applied
TO respectabIe4he9es.. Fte custom of soci-
ETY. sanctions this injusbce-the adninIsira-
ton Of the common law slegaAizes it. We
were led TO these reiKarks, by perusing the
following items, which we clip from an ex
change: 4. -.-,.
-rvvr-,,-v-he uuys hard labor was the sen
NNnSo VI db t1AisA aoDotCt VIM puhtu y Cali ut
from helsd t9leat when he hNngry.p is
z" !. poor man, with a wife and four children
stai ing, recently stolesA bucket of eoaFin Lon
dom. Hc wls seized, tired, snda sentenced 10
J-F1 li9uths' imfHson neaL lis wife tainted in
courL. ... s....
"fHe MAJESTY of the iaw" was vindicated
I Ia both these cases, No lqpbt the grave
jugs tod the jury "tAe Law must take its
+ c0urse, as be elUsed lecture to the hungry
and shIvenns culprits But how many
''Fosues 70 raffiss" have eseaped justice in
that very .court, aud Aad their raseAIity le-
Gaiized by qu'hUs ana the glitter Of gold.
How many victims of lhcir yflliauy left that
ssst y justice IN dcs.al, ben the whole
sale sw!ndlers were exon. ated by law, One
/ eoes - prison for sasinga carrot ~when he
was hungry" Another receives felonS
doom for stealing a bucket Of coal to keep his
wife an little ones from freezing No plea
| Of necessity-no instinct that prompts to fee
| from the worst of deaths, paliates the crimes
Of the poor. 0ne may hunger, another shi-
yer, wife may faint in court" no synpa-
thy, no charity, no humanity is wasted upon
them.r y a-g -t.. .t M
But when rich thief, ike Sir Morton Pc
to-. Vanderbilt or Drew, commits grand lar
eeny, then 1t is that emotions of pity are
awakened, and "What.a calamity p "Wha.
misfortune p rings IN gilded halls. The.
walls o. woe and misery that follow in the
wake of theiE villiany, pours no counter cur
rent to the gushing tide Of sympathy bestow-
cd upon these sanctimonious hypOcrites.
Widows may be driven to the streets, aud
\ orphans to the haunts of vice, yet they elicit
no thought or.lcare from she apologists of
high crimes. They are too busy IL condo
ling with first class thieves.
Who knows but that these hungry and
shivering culprits had been ieft the only al
Tentative VI starvation ~ crime, By The dis
l honesty Of some respectable thief They may
have been two 1of the thousands who frosted
one OF the many corporations licensed to
swindle the poor and nhsuspecting. These
may "suspena" and breAk, aod the robbers
strut of with full pockeIs---still they are re-.
cognized and earessed BY that same soc ETY.
which points the finger Of scorn at thefr VIC
tins, who steal bucket " eo>l OF cat A,oar-
-ot vs. >he- I'D Ak1 ~ a. f.. t..,rs -. go
l9' ees -.lea 4 ..i~sl i..ay ssa.i Add M. "A
az -asef Qcths exec a.lop