Revelations in Los Angeles
By Editor
Revelations in Los Angeles.—We have had in the last few days some striking revelations centering in Los Angeles,—revelations of crime, revelations of low moral standards, revelations of maudlin sympathy with evil-doing, revelations of the cheapness with which human life is held. After spending months to impanel a jury, successful only in part, to pass judgment upon two brothers, each charged with fearful crimes, the two men confessed their guilt,—each of the crime charged against him. One blew up a building with dynamite and gas, and twenty lives were taken, wives widowed and children orphaned. The other blew up big iron works, and providentially no one was killed. The maximum penalties of the crimes charged are respectively death and twenty years' imprisonment. The leading attorney knew their guilt for months, yet was doing everything to defend the criminals and defeat justice, and induced the criminals to plead guilty only when certainty of conviction was inevitable. Thousands of hard-working union men paid weekly stipends to the extent of $200,000 to defend these criminals, believing them innocent in the face of overwhelming evidence already revealed. Now they are undeceived. We feel sorry, and it is no wonder they feel bitter. One man kills another in the heat of anger or strength of feud, and is executed for his crime speedily; but here are men who plot destruction of life and property, plot against men who have done them no evil nor would do them any evil; yet we find men defending the worse criminals regardless of the safety of society. Surely such possess a low moral consciousness of sin and crime. One noted Socialist, himself not long ago tried for murder, declares he would not confess tho he were guilty. It is predicted that this is only the beginning, that other revelations will involve in the same class of crimes more prominent men. The whole composite moving picture is a fearful one, and it is hard to tell where the unrolling film will end.