Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-11-01
LAW AND IT'S yIOLATORS.

Our limited experience of the ma
cLinery employed by the courts, for
the vindication of justice and the en-
forcement of the laws, has impressed
us with the belief that much reform is
needed to make the means adequate to
the ends. That infractions of law
should be promptly and certainly pun
ished. is proposition too clear to ad.
nit doubt. 1t is equally true that,
in many cases, the ofenses are SO triv-
ial, and the machinery so cumbrous
and unwieldly, that justice to the Of
fender cannot be reached without in
justice to the government, whether
State or federal. or to the tax payers
generally. Take, for instance, the
numberless cases of infractions of the
revenue laws-those especially, which
relate to Illicit trade in whisky and to-
bacco. A man suspected of dealing
in either, contrary to law, knowing the
consequences of detection, hides him
self and factory in deep, wooded glens
and mountain gorges, and resorts to
every device to cover his tracks. The
government detectives pursue him per-
haps, for months before they discover
his hiding place, and then find that the
bird has flown. His implements are
seized and sold for, perhaps one-fourth
of the cost of the chase, whilst those
who have bought his whisky or tobac-
co, and to whom the word-detective
is an abomination, and who have an
idea that, TO cheat the government, is
a venial offense, if not Q virtue, will
not hesitate to mislead the officer and
stoop to immoral acts to shield the
culprit fromthe penalty of the law.
But, suppose the offender is caught,
tried and convicted, the fine imposed
is rarely collected and his imprison-
ment adds to the cost of the prosecu-
ton without reimbursing dollar of
the costs TO the taxpayers, who have
the bill to foot. The detective and
other subordinate officers of the fed
eral government, who are paid by the
job, actuated bymercenary motives, are
eager TO multiply arrests, with little
regard to justice, and every case sent
up to the courts brings with it a crowd
of witnesses, often of character, intel
lectual or moral, which makes their
testimony of more than doubtful value
to the calculation Of the case. Thus
the prosecution drags on with constant
~ accommodating costs, and the case is
often thrown out of court as OF too
little importance to be farther investi-
gated. But the subordinate officers
have gained their object, whilst in the
localities of such arrests and trials be-
fore commissioners, much has been
done to demoralize the people without
any equivalent to the government, or
TO the cause of justice. Such is the
number Of these cases that the
evils growing out of them, are not
only wide spread, but call loudly for
redress. because the consequences are,
too often, hostility to the government,
false swearing and bribery-crimes
against private and public virtue, for
the suppression of which, and the pro-
motion of virtue, good government
always directs its best efforts. The
defect, is not so much in the machinery
employed as in the want of honesty in
its engineers. The blood-hounds of
the law-as they were long ago desig-
nated-not unfrequently pursue game
that is not worth the chase They get
a stipulated price for the scalp, skin
the carcass, then hand it over to the |
courts as a costly, yet worse than
worthless trophy of their diligence in
upholding the majesty of the law, the
dignity of the courts and the honor of
the government
In this connection. we cheerfully bear
testimony to the dignity, and impair
TALLY with which Judge Trigg dis
charges his duty. But whilst the law
is his guide. humanity is not forgotten |
and, We doubt not that he deprecates
the mass of frivolous cases crowded |
into his court. and sympathizes with |
the poor devils, whose greed, cO-ope
rating with ignorance. leads them to |
infractions of the law which multiply |
costs 20 the government, with no pos |
sihle chance of remunerating, either !
in money, or improved public morals. |
One remedy for this deplorable state
of things, may be found in the APP |
pointment of honest officials to trans
act the business between the govern
ment and the people-when the for
mcr set the example of fair dealing, |
the latter will be inclined to follow
suit. The machinery Of the courts
may be perfect; but so long as its
agents are dishonest, decentralization.
ia. and ont of, office will continue to |
hc the order of the day.