The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-11-30
The Courier and Judge Robinson.

We direct the attention of our read
ers to the following articles of differ
ent dates, which we copy from the
Evansville Courier. They throw
some light on a subject which has
been the occasion of considerable ex.
citement in the city:
From the Evansville Courier, Nov. %, so ]
NOT LAw-NoT JUSTICE.
Last Friday, the Judge of the
Vanderburgh Criminal Court, Ma
jor A. l.. Robinson, pronounced
Judgment against several persons,
for selling liquor on Sunday, pleas
of guilty having been made by a
number of the offenders. In pro-
nouncing Judgment, the court deliver
ed itself of some most remarkable
sentiments. as we find them reported
through the columns of the Evans
vile JOURNAL. just read the fol-
lowing:
Judge Robinson stated to one Of
the above liquor dealers yesterday.
that for the first offense he would as
sess the lowest fine; and for each SUBJ
sequent offense he would add So. He
also suggested to the prosecuting at
torney that every man that plead
guilty to selling liquor on Sunday bad
forfeited his bond. Each man that
took out license, gave bond to obey
the conditions of the same; and, as it
was unlawful to sell liquor on Sunday,
the bond was forfeited. He recon-
mended to the prosecutor that he
prosecute for the amount for the
amount forfeited on each bond, and
said all that was necessary to prove
the charge was to produce the court
docket in which the plea of guilty y
was entered.
We should like very much to know
why saloon keeper forfeits his bond
because of plea of guilty any more
than if he is pTOUen guilty? Andupon
what principle of law or justice is his
| bond forfeited in either case.
The law imposes certain penalties
for the performance of certain acts.
If the terms of the law are violated,
and the penalty, prescribed as a salts
| faction for such violation, is exact
ed, the offense is satisfied, and the
offender is not liable to any further
punishment, and no additional penalty
can be imposed.
There Is not lawyer of brains In
the world but what will confirm this
as a correct statement of the law.
By what right, then, does Judge
Robinson presume to advise the
prosecuting attorney to treat a saloon
keepers bond as forfeited because he
acknowledges himself guilty of selling
a glass of beer on Sunday?
I 70
cracy in its most Objectionable form
It is the Judge of the Criminal Court
setting himself above the law, trying
to make his own edict the rule of his
court, and indicating in advance of an
action what his own opinion will be
upon the trial of such a case.
There is, We have said, no crime
known to the law that is not thor.
oughly punished when the offender
has been tried and has paid the pen
atty due the offended law. The crime
is then fully expiated. The murderer
and the thief, when having under.
gone the prescribed term of imprison.
\ ment in expiation of their ofenses
stand free before the world, but Judge
Robinson tries to make the saloon
keeper more criminal than the muir
derer and more guilty than the thief
It is time that the people were
aroused against the enormity Of sucl
monstrous doctrines. We are glad tC
know that they are becoming aroused
Long enough such wrongs have beer
endured, and the time is fast coming
when an outraged public will take the
remedy in their own hands. The de-
tenders of such iniquities will BIZ
buried beneath the odium of an out
ragged public sentiment. The excuser;
and paIliators will be suspected anC
distrusted. THE PEOPLE agiU pro
nounce and enforce sentence ag0ins
those aoho c0ltatenance Ibis gvorse THAI
| hedthentsh tyranny.
| From the Evansville Courier, april 80, GO
OUR CRIMINAL CoURT-THE JUDGE
SHIP.
It is no longer an open question
whether we are to have Criminal