Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1879-04-26
ARE WE ALL sCOUNDRELs

consequent decrease in the demand
for his labor, the Enterprise of
Wednesday said:
There is much in the article which
applies as we'll to Nevada as to Cali
fornia. So long as there is here, as
well as in California, class which
seeks to live simply upon its abuse
of the men who carry on the largest
enterprises and employ the most
laborers in the State, and so long as
the reasonless hate of this class goes
so far as to sanction crime, if its
committal involves loss of certain
men who are rich, the above is good
reading.
The Enterprise evidently referred
to the failure Of the prosecution to
obtain verdicts in the Paul and Aude
cases. The first man was arrested
for having, while employed in the
ASSAY office of the bonanza COM
panies, stolen quantity of bullion,
which he remelted and took TO Cali
fornia for sale. At the trial, the fact
was dwelt upon that the man was not
seen TO take the bullion, and the de-
PENDANTS attorneys advanced the
claim that, when bullion has been
remelted, PROPERTY CANNOT BE
PROVED. They, therefore, claimed a
verdict in their favor. We do not
remember the words of Judge
Rising's charge, but presume that, as
in duty bound, he instructed the jury
to give the accused the benefit of any
doubt they might have as to his guilt.
The Jury retired, and, after long
consultation and having carefully
weighed the testimony. they brought
IN a verdict of not guilty.
The second case is still familiar to
the public. Joe Aude was charged
with crime which good lawyers
said he had not committed. The
Virginia bar (Which certainly in
cludes few able jurists) were about
evenly divided on the question
whether, if the facts were as stated,
Aude had committed grand larceny
or embczzlement. A minority of the
jury, with such an example as pre-
cedent, were somewhat confused, and
very properly gave the prisoner the
benefit of the doubt.
Now, what is there in either of the
two cases cited to justify such re-
marks as those Of the Enterprise ?
Nothing; absolutely nothing. Par
ties accused Of crime are tried every
day, and acquitted, not because the
jury are not morally certain of the
guilt of the accused, but simply be-
cause that guilt is not demonstrated
beyond the possibility of a doubt.
And this is in accordance with all
sound principles of right. In civil
lied communities the maxim that
ait is better that ninety-nine crimi-
nails should escape than that one inno-
cent man should be convicted" has
acquired all the authority of statutory
law; does the Enterprise desire a
change in this respect?
We will not deny that there exists
a prejudice in this community against
the wealthy of the land; but it is no
greater than it is elsewhere, and here,
as elsewhere, it is limited to the igno-
rant few. Furthermore, we claim,
without fear of contradiction, that in
no section of country under the sun
do the wealthy enjoy as many and
various privileges as on the Pacific
Coast and slope. And since slight
undercurrent of feeling exists among
the unlucky poor against the lucky
wealthy, the latter, rejecting on their
happy lot, should willingly submit
to it and endeayor, by their acts, to
deserve the hearty public appro-
baton which always rewards the
proper employment of capital.
We have discussed this matter at
some length because we deemed it of
the greatest Importance to this State
and coast that the statement above
quoted, and others TO the same effect
which have appeared in the Enter
prise during the past two or three
years, should be disproved. If al
lowed to 60 uncontradicted, the pub
lie would be deluded into the belief
that we are population of scoun-
drels, ever ready to (fguratively
speaking) cut the throat of every
capitalist who would invest his sur
plus funds among US.