The Globe. WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 1876.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 602, 24 May 1876, Page 2

The Globe. WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 1876.

In yesterday'B issue we published a letter complaining of the partial action of the police in respect to the custom of some of our citizens exposing goods outside their premises. The writer of the communication complains that he has received notice from the police to desist, whilst others are allowed to continue the practice with impunity. After the receipt of Mr Paterson's letter we took occasion to see for ourselves as to what extent the system is carried on, and we must say that provided that the tradesmen in the city so off-nding have received no notice, similar to that which he was served with, that there issomething very partial in the transaction. There is scarcely a street through which we passed, but we witnessed the exposition of bedsteads, boots, blankets, implements of husbandry, clothes and other miscellaneous properties, obstructing the footways, whilst butchers' meat, especially obnoxious as damaging to the foot passengers clothes, is to be found hanging half way out of the open shop windows. " What is sauce " for the goose is sauce for the gander," and why one or two should be selected is a matter which is probably confined to the inexhaustible wisdom of the police department. In our humble opinion we do not think that even the merchants should be allowed to occupy the footpaths of the city with bales and barrels and cases, any more than the small shopkeeper. In any case we are bound to think with those Magistrates who look upon the exposure of goods outside of the premises of the shopkeeper, as a great temptation to the thief, and there is scarcely a week which passes but the country is put to the expense of providing board and lodging for some criminal who has availed himself of the opportunity thus afforded him to test the ability of the detective force, by endeavouring _to escape with some of the tempting bait bo placed before him. It has been held that persons having temptation placed in their way and yielding to the same, whilst suffering from hunger or in a moment of thoughtlessneHs, would not have thought of or mere especially have committed such petty thefts, had the goods so exposed be<n inside the Bhops, as they then would have had to become guilty of premeditated crime. This is, we believe, a reasonable view of the circumstances, and we cannot conceive why the country should be called upon to pay for the keep of criminals, whose crimes are brought about by such means ; we think it would be far more just, that whenever such cases as those we refe

■.,, >. re brought before the Court *, th l the expose* of the goods stole i si i Id be called upon to contribute t tutJiupport of the prisoner—or if tna

goods are to be exposed they should be bound to provide a person to w»ttk them. We are quite prepared to admit that in some businesses that open shop fronts and stalls are of very great assistance to the storekeeper, as numerous passers-by are induced to examine the articles, who would not think of entering the shop to ask the price. We are, however, going from the point we have to con aider, which is with respect to the action of the police. We know that their action in other instances is partial, as witness the raids upon publicans and cabmen, and now comes another class of raid which the writer of the letter calls persecution. We do not blame the individual policeman so much as we do those who give him his instructions. Indeed we are convinced that were the members of the force permitted to perform their duties impartially toward all persons, that they would have much more respect shown them by the public at large. It is no answer to this to say that the police must begin with somebody. A much more simple way would be to advertise that such and such a section of an Act was to be put in force on a certain day, and publish the words contained in such section, and after that to prosecute all offending persons. We trust after having pointed out a method which we feel would satisfy all parties, that we shall cease to hear of exceptional cases.