Montgomery County sentinel., 1888-03-30
A Noble Charge.

"a friend i the court is better than a
penny in purse" Better than many pounds
to the moral and law-abiding Of our com
munity is such man as Judge McSherry.
Only dot on the map remains to show us
that Greece is aOt-only the shadow of her
physical greatness abides. The Parthenon
is dust, Athens shrunk, Corinth and her com
merce wasted; partition, oblteration, have
left US only memory's thrill OF former great
ness But the spirit which gave one great
virtue its undying name perPetuated the
virtue In every age Reading this wise,
courageous address, the shade Of Sparta, the
speech of her unmatched sons, the daring
which was doing, the fierce face against the
wrong, the strong and uplifted arm for right,
issue TO our presence. 1t covers the whole
ground. 1t goes a long step beyond any
declaration Of duty Grand Jury has heard
upon that subject-thc violation of q par
ticular statute
This gentle and uniorced accord
Sits smiling to my heart.
The charge premises violation of the local
option law. No one denies that. Do the
Grand Jury soish to know il? If needful,
and proper, let them intimate wish for wit
nesses As to several cases, hundred hon
est men will put their hands upon the crimi
mails. None but II novice dreams that all
the operations of law will be either perfect
or impartial in the degree of ablity-that it
will always go as far to punish wrong doing
as its power and opportunity extend. Ex
perienced observers, specially sufferers from
NAL administration of plain and specific
statutes, feel what Dickens has put into
words: There are many pleasant fictions
OF the law in constant operation, but there
is not one SO pleasant or practically humor
GUS as that which supposes every man to be
of equal value in its impartial eye, and the
benefits of all laws to be equally attainable
by all men, without the smallest reference
to the furniture of the pockets" In u former
article pointed out the fact that negroes,
and perhaps u low white woman or
two who have SO far fallen and debased
themselves, may be convicted and punished
for their crime. They have neither friends
at court nor money in their purse. They
must pay the fine, or go to Jail. The cross
roads merchant whose capital is ample, and
profits from whlskey selling immense, buys
up all witnesses, and defes the law. While
we are justly proud of the morale of our
county people, we can scarcely hope to see
the day when low and trashy people will
not be found in sufficiently large numbers to
make it worth while for dealers lower than
their patrons TO conduct in secret the pro-
hibted traffic. Nor does any sensible man
expect tnat tne law, Stdnuiug iSOldgeu anu
unsupported by moral sentiment, shall be
adequate to the labor of extinguishing this
fire brand in society. Moral suasion gave
US the law. The moral, the humane senti
ment, as much as the primal instinct which
seeks personal safety and advantages, now
our first victory, and were this removed, no
legal enactment could be enforced. On the
other hand, moral suasion has no effect upon
men either so trammeled by their vices that
they cannot rend the chains that bind them ;
or, are utterly Indifferent to every argument
of honor, patriotism, duty, humanity, and
care not whether their vicious course lead
them and their dupes to present iniamy and
\ coming he'll, if they may but satisfy their
vile and sordid souls with heaps Of self
damning and accursed gold. The talk about
moral Liberty"is is all very pretty and poeti.
cal. But we dwell among dark and damning
fdcts The poor drunkard is so far to be
pitied that he is most bound of all this
worlds bond slaves. Deprecate his weak
ness? Yes Deplore his folly? Yes! Shun
the society of drunkards, and warn against
contamination; make has crime odious; lay
on him the just and full measure OF bis
dark, disgraceful crime? Yesl And more
Save him, if you may, from the clutches OF
his vile and heartless slayer. But slay the
slayer first! Talk not of technical viola
tiops OF the law. II the accusation be not