The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-02-03

m-anTV-InlIu SLACCN ups ia PAO
WI he third of his series of sermons on
en- ~ Churchless Millions" this morning,
ASSOCIATION Hall, by the following re-
S;ow of current events:
There is q lingering tradition that courts
fIow are places where citizeng who have
~ aan wronged, or denied rights, may OBJ
~ instice. People used to believe that
20 goddess who presides over this famous
tLoi6e wore a bind, fold and held the
onaios in fair balance, showing favor to
neither rich or poor.
An this is fast becoming q memory.
The neople are losing confidence in our
ao1rts. To 90 into court is q dangerous
CUoooediug for the ordinary cit zen to-day.
The people are growing to believe that
80 goddess who presides at the seat of
Tnotioe has slipped the blind fold, cut a
Docket in her gown, and winks con iden
tt;oIIv TO discreet clients sometimes. There
:. also q growing notion that the weights
I,oad in the manipulation Of these scales
20 loaded and the secrets known only to
the manlpulators.
Among the masses of the people there
ioa growing contempt for law, courts,
;rdoes and iucies, that means a revolution
LIST zone or cur civilization will pay for
faal consequences. To an ordinary man
nowadays to 90 into court mean to go
into bankruptcy, if he is not already
bankrupt before he goes into it Certainly
the man who enters a suit to-day in our
courts cannot even predict with assurance
the possible cute me. God only knows
What or when The end of his suit will be.
And if it be true that sven Deity cannot
know a pure contingency, then God
himself cannot tell.
There are certain glaring outrsges that
characterize the courts of law to-day that
should live anxious thought to every
Christian citizen.
l. TIE administration of our criminal
law and the conduct of our criminal courts
is fast becoming a roaring farce.
Law is openly violated by a certain
class Of men who make politics a business.
The policeman walks leisurely by the open
saloon on Sunday, sees the crowd going
and coming, but it does not disturb him.
He twirls his billy and walks on, or else
steps inside, gets a drink free, shakes
hands with the boys and co. tinues his
round until he finds a hog in the ditch.
Then he assumes the dignity and majesty
of law, whacks the poor fellow over the
head and "runs him in" We must not
be too severe on this officer. The truth
il. when he is conscientious and does his
duty, the "iudge" will often undo all his
work and di scharge every case. This is
ain ost sure to be the case when the
offender has a "pull," or is the friend of
some greater scouadrel who has a pull. 1t
was the full knowledge of thes3 facts, of
the weakness and pusilanimous character
of our lower courts generally, that gave
Flack, our high sheriff, the dating impu-
dence to successfully use the courts them
selves as the instruments of a das ardly
crime.
On the 25th Of November, 1890, the
New York Herald exposed in a colu nm
and a half the outrageous fact that the
officers of the law courts and prosecutors
hal together %conspired to shield a villain
who had committed a most Infamous
crime, because he was rich! He pied
guilty to the charge OF abducting a little
girl Of thirteen. He entered this plea
under an assumed name, "Mr. John
Stevens, of Newark" This subterfuge
was winked at by the "honorab,e"
court, and "Mr. John Stevens, Of New
ark" was fined $1,000. Instead of wear
ing striped clothes, this scoundrel now
lives in his magnificent home in New
York, surrounded by his social clique, en-
joying his wealth and eminent respecta-
bility. We are told that even Mr.. Gerry,
as President Of the Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to Children, agreed to
this miserable lie and farce committed in
the nam OF law, justice and the sovereign
people If New York! Mr.. Gerry says he
is opposed to such a policy, but did it to
shield this mans family from disgrace. It
might be pertinent ID suggest just here to
Mr.. Gerry and his Society, that the
Christian citizens Of this Commonwealth
do not regard his Socie.y as chartered to
proptect childIe against the cruelties Of
the po,r but in the name OF humanity to
protect them from the brute, whether he
wear purple and fine linen or the tattered
rags of the tramp. Il the record Of that
trial which the recording angel took were
unfolded now, what a tale it would tell!
How many crisp 81, 600 bills fnttered
around the temples Of justice in those
days, only the angels and Mr.. John
Stevens, of Newark" probably know.
The impression is growing into an over
Whelming conviction in the minds Of the
common people, that many officers of the
law are more and more coming to work
IN harmony with the criminal classes.
People believe that they levy tax on the
saloons, gambling bells, dives, brothels,
and even the pick pockets, and that a
Vision of spoils is the basis of adjustment.
Ihey are growing to belie7e that when
cases do get into court, that the only
crime there really recognized is that of
poverty. Whether all this be true or not,
i DO not say; but p~eople-the masses of
Tne people-are coming to profoundly be-
neVe 1t. When we see clowns, political
nacks and ~crirnina. saloon keepers lifted
INTO the judges seat, our confidence is not
strengthened in the majesty of law or the
reality of justice.
2 The laws delay is reaching such pro-
portions, that the very ends of the exist.
ence of a court of justice is being multi