American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-07-06
-
Blind Justice.

Blind Justice.
If it might conduce to q more
equitable balancing of the scales,
It were well that the eyes of the
sightless Goddess were opened te
The enormities which are constantly
occurring through her administers
ton. The emuinent EngIishman
Who pronounced Law q cob web
where small insects are entangted,
but which larger bugs easily break
through, receives daily endorsement
Of tile correctness of his definition.
Justice is relentlessly stern to the
foor and unfortunate, but the
wealthy and influential 60 unwhipt
to that degree which fully warrants
fhe satire of Henry NJ. Stanton. in
his poem of fThe Moneyless Man -
''Go, look at yon judge. in his long flowing
gown,
With the scales Wherein law weighteth
equity down;
See him frown on The weak while he
And punishes right, while he Iustifies
Where larOas their lips on the bible have
To rsqsles = verdict they've already
Go there, In your patches, and find, If You
Any law for the canss Of a meneyless
man,
1t is not long since the New York
fictorEahs presented us with two
characteristic scenes, placed sfde
BY side. A prominent and influen-
tial citizen of q northern city was
before the bar Of Justice convicted
of embezzling vast amount of
other peoples means. The Judge
tfemfsed the sentence he pronounce
Cd With expressions of sorrow and
regret amounting to an apology to
tho culprit, while the prosecuting
attorney absolutely boo hoo6d and
plead for mercy for the criminal
whom it was his duty to prosecute
to the extent Of the law. There
was no palliation of the crimes-no
excuse or extenuation beyond the
fact that the accused had been a
prominent and influential man and
his family had moved IN the highest
circles. The other picture was that
of a poor Irish woman before a
lhagistrate's court begging for
mercy for her hatherless boy, who
was charged with stealing a loaf
Of breaals Ybe Justice. fn the latt.r
case. safe with q stern brow, an
moved by the piteous appeal of the
widow for mercy; and her explana-
ton that absolute starvation had
driven her son to tho act he had
committed. There was NO temper
ing Of mercy with justice in the
latter case. This illustration is true
60 the existing condition Of affairs.
We see It every day exemplified
The great criminal, whose hands
are dyed with human blood, or he
Who counts his stolen Wealth by
millions, is greeted with smiles by
fbe public, and honors are lavished
npoi him. But let all lesser fry
forbcar from violating law. For these
IRE punishment, which Justice pre-
tends To- visit upon all offenders
alike, is more sure. Only a few
days ago was there au instance in
which a man, charged with assas-
was acquitted, IN our
State, and tire mob, when the YER
dict was announced, bore him aloft
on their shoulders in triumph. Tho
case had been heard previously
upon a writ of habeds corpus; but
on hearing tho evidence, che Judge
was so impressed with the utterly
character OF the decd
that he had refused to
grant bail. The man whom Judge
thus guilty is acquitted in
FIVE minutes time by jury, the
mob bears him forth in triumph,
and the newspapers publish con-
tratulatOry paragfaptIs upUn the
Foul prostitution of Justice.
The Queen OF Spain, wife vf Ming |
a n