Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-03-27
A YOUNG American schoolmate

of the new Spanish queen, Mer-
cedes, has been writing some let.
ters to her friends in her native
home, Boston, which give q
charming picture of this youthful
sovereign. In their convent life
the future Queen was subjected to
exactly the same discipline which
was dealt out to the scholars of the
lesser order of blue blood. Rank
was held as no excuse for delin-
quency, and the beautiful young
patriclan took her punishment just
as gracefully as Prince Hal of old.
The fact is that the United States is
rapidly becoming the only country
in which wealth and station pro.
tect from the consequences of
moral and legal delinquency. The
same course that was pursued in
the administration of the affairs of
the French convent in which
Mercedes received her education
prevails in the French Courts and
and in the European Courts gener-
ally. The higher the rank the
more severe is the infliction of
punishment. When the only son of
old FieldIMarshal Wrangel incurred
gambling debts which he could not
pay, his father paid them and
handed him a loaded pistol, with
the remark, "There is but one
thing for a Prussian officer to. do
who has disgraced himself" and
the son at once blew out his brains
in the paternal presence. When
the Baron de Bolleau, the brother
in-law of Gen. Fremont, was ar
raigned in the French Courts fol
fishy matters connected with the
negotiation of the Memphis and III
Paso bonds, he was promptly con
victed and sent to the galleys. The
privileges of rank exist in Europe
only as long as their possessors be-
have themselves. How differently
do we manage things in the United
States to-day? Jay Gould. instead
of peering from behind prison
bars for the transactions in
Erie which spoliated the
stockholders in that unfortunate
road, is to-day in Washington, per-
sonally directing large lobby,
whose aim is to defeat legislation
by which the United States hopes to
get its dues from the Union Pacifi C
Railway. The despoilers OF the
Freedmen's Bank, Jay Cooke &
Co., and thousand other Megathe'
RUINS of roguery, down to such
vulgar, whisky manipulating vii
lains as Babcock, Mckee, ct ALA
enjoy absolute immunity from
punishment. But there is a sort o
judicial allegation whose demand;
must be met. The recipe is sim
pie one. Whenever any pool
wretch, impelled by hunger and
iron necessity, is arraigned fol
stealing a horse, or a sum undel
one hundred dollars, he gets the
full penalty of the law. The ad
ministrators Of justice seem to be
imbued with the idea that there is
something pusillanimous and des-
picable in small theft that should
be visited with the utmo ost severity
of the law. We suppose that, IL
time, we shall adjust these matters
into a system. Under an admins
tration of the law devoid of con-
ventional hypocrisy, the man who
steals one hundred thousand dol
lars, or upwards, should receive a
premium commensurate in amount
with the "stake" with which he
gets away; while the wretch who
is faint hearted enough to commit
a petty larceny will get imprison-
ment for life. When we shall have
. in the United States the courage to
formulate into law the unwritten
code upon which justice is gener-
ally administered, we shall at
IL
the reproach of a deep, ingrained,
Chadband hypocrisy. There is
some consolation, although not
much, in that.
Iri is not strictly pleasant, as q
partizan editor, TO feel that ones
party may not have done right
We regard the Democratic party