Defence of Criminals 



presents from age to age the code of the dominant 

 or ruling class, slowly accumulated, no doubt, 

 and slowly modified, but always added to and 

 always administered by the ruling class. To-day 

 the code of the dominant class may perhaps best 

 be denoted by the word Respectability and 

 if we ask why this code has to a great extent over- 

 whelmed the codes of the other classes and got 

 the law on its side (so far that in the main it char- 

 acterises those classes who do not conform to it 

 as the criminal classes), the answer can only be : 

 Because it is the code of the classes who are in 

 power. Respectability is the code of those who 

 have the wealth and the command, and as these 

 have also the fluent pens and tongues, it is the 

 standard of modern literature and the press. It 

 is not necessarily a better standard than others, 

 but it is the one that happens to be in the ascendant ; 

 it is the code of the classes that chiefly represent 

 modern society ; it is the code of the Bourgeoisie. 

 It is different from the Feudal code of the past, 

 of the knightly classes, and of Chivalry ; it is 

 different from the Democratic code of the future 

 of brotherhood and of equality ; it is the code 

 of the Commercial age and its distinctive watch- 

 word is property. 



The respectability of to-day is the respectability 

 of property. There is nothing so respectable 

 as being well-off. The Law confirms this : 

 everything is on the side of the rich ; justice is 

 too expensive a thing for the poor man. Offences 

 against the person hardly count for so much as 



153 



