JUSTICES' "JUSTICE."

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 162, 13 July 1914, Page 5

JUSTICES' "JUSTICE."

[to thb editor.]

Sir, —I hope that Messrs J. J. White and E. H. Penny, Justices of the Peace, rested peacefully and enjoyed pleasant dreams on Saturday night after their administration oi justice (?) to- -the two unfortunate men who appeared before them in Court in the morning. For my part, had I taken part in such an inglorious exhibition of British tairplay I should have been haunted by the spectre of a man whose only crime was that he had "knocked down his v cheque and had had to "doss-down' as best he could for the night for lack of the wherewithal to pay for a more comfortable bed. He had a situation to return to; but will that situation be kept open: for him while he does time" ? No employer could be expected to work short-handed tor a month, or put off a new hand whom he might have engaged to make room for the old one after his sentence had been served. Ido not wish to say anything .against the unfortunate fellow's companion of Friday night and Saturday morning; bujt surely it the latter was entitled to a. chance the same chance should have been given to the man whose "record,' according to the two dispensers' ct justice (?) was "against him." This record, according to your report or the case, comprised (three convictions for drunkenness, the last of them having takjen place three years ago. : Against this ancient record was the statement of the sergehnt of police that he was a hard-working man; whereas his companion before the bench of justice (?) "had done very, little work during his sojourn of about four months in Blenheim." ' I cannot j for the life of me imagine how" any sane man could reconcile it with his conscience-, considering the circumstances of the two cases, to treat one j man differently from the other. It j is an outrage on British justice, in my humble opinion. Let the two . "Justices" carefully ponder over the following lines, and gather from them what consolation' and justification they can: — '■ i

Thou ah justice.. be. fchy/ plea, .consider this, ; ... . * , That in the course- of justice rior.e or ns■'■ ' . ' '

Should see salvation: we do pray, for . ■mercy ~•■■*»■ ■•• ■ - "ii; ' '• *'•■','' And that same prayer dotih teach us all to render The deeds of mercy. ,

Mercy was shown to one-man;' what did the other get? Gaol. usTmA _

TO IHE EDITOR

Sir,^Th© moral of the Court ptoceedings in Blenheim on Saturday apparently is that there is one law for the man of education who has fallen on evil days and another for the.common .toiler who, having been helped by the "friends" who always „ gather round' a wages cheque to turn that cheque into "booze," is down on his luck. In ordering the well-educated man to come up for sentence when called tipon while sending the farmlaborer to prison for a month for vhe pame'offence; the two leading citizens who heard the evidence showed how; capable they are of coming to a'just decisiOn\ A WORKER.