Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-04-26
Maudlin Sentiment in a New Role.


day. in passing sentence on Boston
lhnU!Itc.
John Mcpou"u2h is am old soldier
and, until hi ia,e blundcr, lucky
and favored one. 1t may be said to
his credit that during the war he was
i"icd Tor gallant conduct and meri
tnf.uu>lv rose t. the rank Of Ma or.
1t seems that for a term OF years he
has been Assistant Superintendent OF
the delivery department in the Boston
po-toiiice, lucrative position and in
yOIying no small amount OF trust ami
responsibility. But the Major was
tempted and fell. 4 letter had been
cmhezzlcd and the theft was traced so
directly to tie Assistant Superinten-
dent that lac pleaded guilty to the
grave crime. Without unnecessary
ado, Judge Nelson sentenced him to
five years in the States prison.
80 far 90 the facts in the case
Now for the screnely bobbing up of the
maudlin sentiment craze Before
sentence was passed, the counsel for
the prisoner asked for leniency from
the court on the ground that Me
Donough had been gallant soldier
in the late war, where he had obtained
the rank OF Major, and that he had
borne 4 good character in the post
Office up to the date of his crime"
Then his counsel had the cheek to
ask that the prisoner be allowed to
spend his five years incarceration in
the the house of correction instead of
in the States prison.
This silly pretext, and sillier request,
touched the District Attorney in a
tender spot and brought from that
functionary noble and powerful
argument in which the court fully
concurred.
The District Attorney, in comment
ing upon this matter said he thought,
like Col. Walker, that zone who had
honorably served his country on the
battlefield should be held in the high
est esteem by all citizens. But here
was man who had charge of all the
carriers in a Boston postoflice, who
had assisted the authorities TO detect
the stealings OF those under him and
send them to the State prison. He
therefore thought that the defendant
deserved only little pity at the
/ hands of the court"
The judge thought so too, and SO
, passed sentence as above stated.
OF course, the hub city has been
, much exercised over the affair, for
and against, according to the moral
complexion of the parties engaged in
the discussion; justice and equity on
} the one hand, sentimentalism and
sympathy on the other hand. Des-
pite all this aftermath, the Major
doubtless has his new suit ON by this
time. 1t is to be seen, however, in
what way the sentimental-sympathy
fad will affect executive pardoning
power.
The Nation reviews the matter in an
exhaustive article, putting many trite
points in novel light. The following
extracts will bear reading:
"This case raises squarely an issue
which has really, though not avowed-
ly, been before the people of this
country for some time. The District
Court decided it in the only way
which the safety Of the citizens will
allow. That issue is: Shall the war
record of a distinguished soldier,
which, OF course, ended at least thirty
years ago, exempt him in any or all
cases, even that of detected crime of
+ the most serious character, from
treatment to which any other citizen,
however respected in the community,
, and however we'll conducted except for
this crime, would be subjecteds
, Within the last ten years in Massa-
chusetts, citizens of what is called
high social position, and supposed to
, be beyond suspicion, have received
long sentences to the States prison
, for forgery or embezzlement. The
, good standing in which they had been
up to the hour of detection, was not
I allowed for moment to weigh in
their favor, it being held of paramount
necessity that those in less favored
walks of life should see that there
, was not one law for the rich and an
other for the poor; and that, too, al
though the same sentence would
cause treble suffering to the man oil
culture and delicacy. In the case OF
McDonough, the court readily admit.
ted the statement of his counsel that
he had maintained good character
, up to the embezzlement, in which he
had been detected by identically the
same means which he had assisted in
! using to detect and sentence subordi.
mates in his department; but that
could not influence the judgment, MOI
did his counsel expect it to. He
rested his whole plea on the war
record
alt is, of course, we'll known that
from the moment the war ended till
this day, its veterans have had grea.
advantage in obtaining posts of trust
). public or private, over all civilians oil
their own generation and the next
, Lucrative places have been vacated
for them; others have been made for
q them; they have been retained in ser
vice when other men would undoubt.
edly have been retired. They have
been exempted from the workings oil
the civil service commissions, and
every government Office at this mo.
ment has veterans in it who are past
= work yet defy any power to remove
! them. This has been maintained