In the Killarney Court-House on Monday, Judge Curran was presented
with a pair of white gloves to commemorate the absence of crime in the causes with which he had to deal. This is quite a startling thing in Kerry, and is doubtless, as the Irish Times of January 3rd states, a result "of the improved legisla- tive and administrative methods, and the increased activity on the part of the police in preserving the law and peace of the county." It may be said, of course, as the Parnellites always maintain, that the disease has been driven in by the Crimes Act, and that secret associations are taking the place of open League meetings. If it be so, it is odd that these secret associations do not attempt either moonlighting or any other form of violent crime. And we do not particularly object to driving crime inwards, where that means driving it back from external action into the mere imbecility of unfulfilled intention. Whatever may be the guilt of unfulfilled evil intentions, they are at least less guilty than fulfilled evil intentions ; and if the Crimes Act has exchanged the latter for the former, as in Kerry it certainly has,
it has done pure good.
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