New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-11-03

I the voras an head this article the admins
istrat;on of criminal Justice in this metropolis is
more eflcent than in any other city on the CONT
nent and that the First District Court since the
ahle. faithful impartial and Industrious Judge Hunt
presided over it, has done more work, convicted
Il more men. and tried more cases than any other
tribunal Of similar character in the land. Our facts
and figures will substantiate the proposition that
| Justice is neither blind or deaf in New Orleans
but that she is wide awake, active, and terrible to
evil-doers. We defy any opponent to cite a par
allel to the indisputabe facts and figures we arc
| about to present.
Since the 4th Of May, 1857, to the 18th of June
1853, there have been 343 convictions in the First
District Court; Is n,ist,idls and l62 dcqni,tals-
making a total of 523 cases tried in about two
years. Calculating Sundays, legal holidays, and
the adjournments of each summer, directed by law,
from the first of July to the first of November, it
will be found that the First District Court has aver
| aged considerably more than one case per day,
| since Judge Hunt occupied seat upon the bench.
Now. fcllowcitzens, of all paeties, look at these
facts-examne these truths, and ask yourselves
whether any fault be justly found with the ad-
ministration Of criminal justice here Is not lofty
nraise due your able and faithful officers instead Of
| sneers, censures and misrepresentation? There is
/ not an honest intelligent man among you who will
not be obliged to answer the foregoing interroga-
! tory in the affirmative.
If our people are more depraved than the people
Of other cities-if we have more aw-breakers
among us than other communities are cursed
with-(whch is not the fact-it does not follow
that our courts should be condemned Us imbecile,
unfaithful or corrupt, when they discharge their
duties with unexampled fidelity and amazing III
dustry. On the contrary, every good citizen should
rally in their defence, and by their countenance
and aid help them to become still more, if posi-
BILE, warning to the rash and inexperienced, and
an inexorabe terror to all designers of evil against
their fellow-men.
We will now cite some facts and figures in regard
to the administration of the Police Department of
the corporation Of New Orleans. No doubt the
statement of facts we are about to make will sur
prise many of our readers, who have SO long heard
the cries of police ineficiency continually dinned
in their ears, that they begin to believe them.
That our police could be improved, no one doubts.
There is not good municipal police in any city in
the United States, and there never will be, until
radical reform takes place in the mode and manner
Of doing things, which will never occur until the
owners of the country are permitted to govern
the country. Until that event happens, matters,
political social and municipal, are bound to 60 on
from bad to worse. We boast of the excellence of
our free institutions get stills and defy Christ
endom-yet, we fear if the criminal statistics of
the 170,Oo0,000 people Of Europe were compared
with the criminal statistics of rs, 600 900 popu
lation, we would not only cut very melancholy
h,,frr he IN hill de
afterwards.
But, we are DEPRESSING Let US return to our
much abused Police Department to facts and
figures. Since the present Mayor Of the city was
inaugurated and placed the control of the Police
in the hands Of an efficient and honorable chief
Thomas E. Adams, Esq.-the amount of service
which has been performed is really astounding,
and proves conclusiyely that, whatever their i'm
perfectons, the Police have neither been lazy or
Indifferent to their duties. Between June 2lst,
1858, and Sept. 2lst, 1864 period of fifteen
months-the Police of the city of New Orleans
made "a ,94l arrests Here is a condensed state
ment of the services Of this much traduced and
ridculed Police. Let readers divide the num-
her Of arrests made within given time, with the
force employed, and then they will see clearly
WletueT tHe EOHSe ana lts management ueserVe
praise or condemnation. We are willing that they
should stand or fall on the facts and figures we
have presented.
The,sum total of arrests shows a remarkable fig
IRE. But that is not the fault Of the Police. II
our people are more disposed to rascality than any
other people, it should not be charged to the Off
GERS Of the law. They should be commended for
doing their duty well as they have done, instead
of having coarse animadversions hurled at them.
And, we will observe, en- passdnt, that no Police
on earth can be completely efficient unless it meets
with the encouraging support of the general com
munity.
With the submission Of these facts, figures and
we take leave Of the subject, for the
present atleast. We might dwell at greater length,
and with entire truth, but although the subject is
by no means exhausted, this article has become
already too long for the crowded state of our