Our system of delays and remands helps, we suppose, to
protect the innocent, but it sometimes works very badly. Mr. Hooley was further examined on1Wednesday, and poured out another list of bribes which he had paid voluntarily or involuntarily to all manner of people, Peers, Members of Parliament, journalists, speculators, and others. Those statements are, of course, read with eager interest, and have often a ruinous effect on those whom they concernāone pre- viously unsuspected and probably innocent City editor, for instance, resigned his appointment at onceāand none of those assailed have any prompt redress. They write letters of course, but they cannot deny the charges on oath at once, they cannot cross-examine, and they cannot bring actions for libel. They may, in fact, suffer for weeks a wrong for which the law affords no remedy. We have not the smallest sym- pathy with people who take bribes, rather wish they could be punished more sharply than they are, but they are entitled, like everybody else, to common justice, and they do not, under the system, always get it. Neither, it will be said, does the innocent prisoner who has to wait months for his acquittal, but then we have built up our system of bail pur- posely to diminish that abuse.
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