Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1878-03-09
III SENTENCE OF ANDERSON.
The unishment FOO Mild for m.
aGnitudc Of tho Crime.
rom the n. y. Sfaat--Zejtup,

rom The n y. .Staat--Zeituny
In tn" case of Anderson, the return
ing be trd swindler of New Orleans.
Judge Whitaker has sentenced him to
'"p yea 3 IN state prison with hard labor.
anu 10 the payment of the costs Of
court. Considering the crime OF which
ANDERSON was convicted, this sentence
must De characterized as mild. The
Judge evidently gave weight to the rec
ommendstion OF the jury, asking mercy
Tor the condemned man, and be thus
anew demonstrated that he was not en-
gagged In mere political prosecution.
II was In his power to inilict a more
severe punishment, and in avoiding this
ne acted IN harmony with both Justice
and public opinion. The crime OF An
derson and of his colleagues was, in-
deed, OF such nature that it deserved
more extreme sentence. The foyery
OF election returns and the talsitics-
ton OF the ballot. committed by board
whose duty 1t was to make an impartial
and Just count. cannot in anv case be
regarded as a trivial offense. What was
IT, then, tnat induced the jury and the
)udSe to be so torbearIng, in spite of
the magnitude and scope Of Andersou's
crime? Was is the circumstance that
they regarded the whole affair as mere
political peccadil!o. as 1t is often describ-
ed by certain republican journals? BY
no means; tor IN that event they would
have acquitted the prisoner. What,
then. was the reason of their forbcar-
ance? 1t was simply the fact that his
crime was committed al time when
cheating and fraud were to certain
extent the order oil the day in Louisiana;
and it was consummated under circum-
stances which might bave put to the
test better men than the returning board
swindlers. AS things are. it is not OF so
great moment that the four scoundrels
should be rendered harmless for the
rest of their lives through the infliction
OF a severe punishment-this the people
OF Louisiana can now take care of; but
ii Is of importance that they should be
punished, and that the majesty OF the
greatly outraged law should be vindI-
Gated.
From these considerations, in which,
we suppose. every right thinking man
will agree. this light sentence ought to
he received with general appreciation.
Above all, it must now be clear to every
one that the prosecution OF Anderson
has nothing in common with political
prosecution inspired by party spirit. OF
course. some republican journal and
statesmen will continue to cool their
anger on those who this case have
simply done their duty. From the very
| inIIdness of the sentence they will draw
| the false conclusion that the complaint
| itself stood on weak foundation. But
this will avail them little, and by 1t they
will only prove anew that they them
selves are incapable OF judging sques-
ton OF public right otherwise than from
a mean party standpoint. AS for those
republican statesmen who, Immediately
alter the announcement ., the verdict,
! found it necessary to mix themselves up
with this AT tIr. they may. perhaps,
already perceive what every child In
A,Ierica knew beforehand. that they
| had no business with it; they may see
that their effort, has not had the least
| effect upon it. and that through their
precipitate action they have only drawn
upon themselves large portion of the
uiium which belongs to the fraud OF the
returning board. This WAS entirely un-
necessary. since the conviction OF Ander-
SON or of either of his fellow -scoundre!s
affects neither the position OF the presi-
dent nor that of any other member of
the federal administration; and their
action is all the more to be lamented
because the administration was not in q
position TO make itself ridiculous with
impunity. Perhaps these gentlemen
have also now reached the opinion that
they would have been wiser ii they had
held their tongues.
The republican party journals will
naturally continue to pour out the walls
OF their wrath over Judge Whitaker.
We shall certainly not undertake to con-
done any political or other otlenses
which this official may have committed
at an earlier period; but on the other
hand. there are two things which we
know quite certainly. The first OF these
is that the attacks upon him would never
have been made if the jury had acquitted
the good Mr.. Anderson and the second
that, so tar as the trial is concerned. the
Judge has done his duty. That people
like Anderson, Wells, and their col
leagues would rather not have anything
to do with such judge is very natural !;
but their case appears to be OF such .
kind that no judge could have helped
them. Anderson has already appealed.
and his three associates desire to be
brought before federal court. Both
these applications Will be heard at an
early day. In the interest OF justice it is
to be desired that the trials of all the
returning board swindlers should be
carried through in the same passionless
manner as that of Anderson. and that, as
there has been in this case, so there
should be in that of all others, not even
an appearance of political persecution.
The March-April number Of the North
American Review is issued. and contains
the following articles: 1.-The Army of
United States. with letters from Gems.
Hancock and Sherman" by Gen. James
A. Garfield; English and American