p. 8 | A PARALLEL IN CRIME by Roswell F. Cottrell

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 18, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 38.

A PARALLEL IN CRIME.

By Roswell F. Cottrell

At the time of the failure of the Roman Republic it is said that, “with all his wealth there were but ‘two things the Roman noble could buy—political ‘power and luxury.’” “And the poor Roman had ‘but one thing he could sell—his vote.” “Money was ‘the one thought, from the highest senator to the ‘poorest wretch who sold his vote in the Comitia. ‘For money judges gave unjust decrees, and juries ‘gave unjust verdicts.”

The spirit of the times is well illustrated by the career of Jugurtha. This prince having usurped the throne of Numidia, long maintained his position by conferring lavish bribes upon the senators; and his gold conquered every army sent against him. He was at last captured by treachery, and taken to Rome. Here he witnessed court life in all of its corruption; he saw the power and influence of money; and, although himself a monster of vice and crime, he exclaimed, “O venal city! thou ‘wouldst sell thyself if thou couldst find a purchaser.”

At this time Rome was passing from republic to empire. To-day our nation is rapidly following in the same course. A striking parallel is also presented in what we term our “courts of justice.” Read the following as quoted in “Public Opinion.”—

Startling indeed was the statement made last week before the Iowa State bar association by its president, J. J. McCarthy, touching the prevalence of perjury and bribery in American courts of justice. And the most lamentable feature of the arraignment is that abundant proof of its truth does not appear to be wanting. . . . In substantiation of this he cited one judge of long experience on the bench who gave his opinion that one-half of all the evidence received on behalf of the defense in criminal cases is false; another who believes that 75 per cent. of the evidence presented in divorce cases approaches deliberate perjury, still another who says that perjury is committed in a majority of important lawsuits and that the crime is rapidly increasing.

Surely this is the time spoken of by Isaiah when “judgment is turned away backward, and justice ‘standeth afar off.” When Rome fell, other nations planted themselves upon her ruins. But not so with our country; the United States is the last nation noticed in prophecy; and when its measure of iniquity is full, the angel of mercy takes its flight from this doomed world. Let us then seek the Lord for grace and power to stand; for “the great day of the Lord ‘is near, it is near and hasteth greatly.”

Buffalo, N. Y.

R. F. COTTRELL.