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Show MATOJTACTttRraCLOPINION. Id tbo present discussion of the causes of tho escape- of criminals from - the j3t penalties of their crimes, public pub-lic opinion- generally charpes the failure fail-ure to enforco tho law to judges and jurors,. and these arc tho ultimately responsible re-sponsible parties. But beforo a criminal crim-inal oaue oomes before tho courts for final trial,tho press and telegraph are at work manufacturing publio sentiment in favor of or against the accused; and ! aa mankind are generally inilioed to mercy, especially in cases where there is a tinge of gallantry, romanco, or mvsterv. connected with the crime, the prisoner charged with its commission goes scot-free. It s an axiomatic truth that the longer the final trial ol a prisoner charged with aoapital crime is postponed, tho better aro his chances for acquittal; and whilo this is due in part to tho opportunity atforded for the death, or "spiriting away," of important im-portant witness, it is also in part due to the faot, that it affords the press and telegraph a longer time to influence influ-ence tho mind of the publio. The grand strategy of a lawyer is to postpone tho trial of a client-prisoner until the entiro public arc familiar with all the points in his favor. Tho incentire to these remarks was a telegram received on Wednesday night relative to the Stokes trial, which fairly represented that class of cases ' in which money is the main element of defence. It was clearly in favor of Stokes, and cunningly devised to win publio sympathy in his behalf. Of ooureo the telegram was a syaopsis of a report published in some New .York newspaper; for tho telegraph companies compan-ies always shift responsibility as to the truth of such telegrams upon the shoulders of Bomo reporter. Our most careless readers cannot have failed to observe the bias, even in reports as to ordinary matters, and these reports are the texts of telegrams, or ratbor they are the sermons of which the telegrams-are texts. In criminal cases like that of Stokes, where romance, family, and business relations, and wealth and influence combine to intensify publio feeling, there will bo a large and less candid use of rcportorial instrumentalities instrumental-ities rhan in ordinary cases. While often the bias of these reports is bought i with money even "blood money" it is not always so. Personal and political politi-cal relations, friendship, community of character, dislike, envy, andspite, are powerful agents in determining the j character of a report ; and so ingrained ingrain-ed are these sentiments, or pissions, j in human character, that they exert an influence unperceived by the individual indi-vidual whose moral sense and judgment judg-ment they warp. |