The age-herald., 1898-10-18
A SPLENDID SHOWING MADE
The Report is Elaborate and Full of
 Tabulated Information.
NECESSARY REFORMS SUGGESTED
In Obedience to the Statute Requiring Him to Do So, the Attorney Gen eral Recommends Changes
 in the State Laws.

Montgomery, October H.-(Spec al.)-At- torney General Fitts today filed with the governor his biennial report covering the period from September 30, 1896 to the same date of this year. It is admirably prepared and arranged and makes a splendid show ing for Mr. Fitts' administration.
 The report is elaborate and is full of tabulated information, but the following extracts from the resume deal in an ab- stract way with the facts of most interest to the public. The attorney general says:
 "From the general consolidated state ment it will be seen that 11,2lO criminal cases have been disposed of in the enire state during the two years covered by this report that of this number there were 6703 convictions, 1852 acquittals, 2,061 nolle prosequies, and 494 cases were abated or withdrawn. It will be proper, however, to say just here that hundreds of misdemean- ors are disposed of annually in the various counties of the state by hearings before judges of probate sitting as judges of the county courts, no account of which reaches this office at al because such trials in the county courts are not reported to this department the state in such cases being represented Dy deputy SOIcltOrS WHO arc not required to make reports to me.
 "From the general consolidated state ment and from former reports of this of flee it appears that criminal cases have been disposed of in the state during the several biennial periods of the last twelve years, as follows: In 1SS5-S6, 11,011 cases; in 1SS7-SS, S572 cases two circuits not re- ported.> .n 1SS9-90, 12, Di cases. In 1S91-92, 2433 cases one circuit not reported for each year. In 1S93-94, Il, ,694 cases. In 1s95- 96, 12,11S cases, and in 1Ss7-9S, n,210 cases as above stated.
 "Of the 6,703 convictions in the past two years, there were twenty eight (2S) sem tences to death. 1,503 sentences to the peni- tentiary, 995 to hard labor for the county, 25S sentences to jail, and 2,9O4 fines imposed and secured. Two persons escaped after conviction, and eleven were sent to the in- sane hospital. One was discharged and one was pardoned.
 .'Twenty-four sentences to death were Tor murder and four were for hape.
 "It appears that there were 402 cases Of homicide disposed of in the state. Of this number there were seventy convictions or murder in the first degree, eighty-one con- yictions of murder in the second degree, sixty-six convictions of manSlaughter Tn the first degree, and twenty-one convictions of manslaughter in the second degree.
 Assault and battery seems to have been the predominating crime, there being l,59o cases of that offense. Of this number 962 convictions were secured, 3Ol de1ehuants sentenced to hard labor for the county, Ill to iail and 547 fines were paid or secured.
 .sThe kindred crimes of burglary, robbery and larceny Gin both degrees) foot up 26S4 cases with ,94S convictions, 96S sentences to the penitentiary and 654 sentences to hard labor for the county, besides jail and fine punishments.
 "There were 1,225 cases of carrying con- cealed weapons, in i45 or Whlch CONTIGUOUS were secured.
 "The per cent. of convictions in cases dis posed of for the past two years throughout the state is about sixty per cent, an in crease over the per cent. Tor the biennial period which immediately preceded the present one.
 ",The per cent of convictions in the sev- eral courts ranges from thirty-nine to eighty-one as will be seen by reference to the several tabuated statements which show the records of the solicitors separately.
 sOut of Il 210 cases disposed of, solicitors have entered nolle prosequies in 2,O61. Thus 1t appears that the time of public officers and the money of the state has been used to set on foot 2,061 prosecutions which had to be abandoned when about to be put tc the test. There must of necessity always be a cOnS1QeraDle nuI1per VI Hoiie proseuuieS, witnesses disappear or become corrupt after testifyng before the grand jury, etc, etc., but I hope the number will decrease and that thorough work in the grand jury room and prompt prosecutions after indictment will be found to remedy this matter somewhat
 .During the two years covered by this renort 231 criminal cases were brought to the supreme court for review. or this mum. her 150 were affirmed or dismissed ano eighty-one reversed, being higher pei ccntage of affirmances than ever attained before.'
 During the two years, the report shows the attorney-general has rendered 1O3 writ len opinions, requiring considerable time and investigation besides nnumerable yer bal opinions to the auditor and others.
 The report reviews the status Of the Flor ence bridge case, and calls attention to the litigation in the Tax Collector Lott case in which the attorney-general recovered fol the state judgments against MT. Lotts bondsmen, amounting to some $l5OOo, whicl after being cut down somewhat by th' compromise board was paid into the stat' treasury.
 The attorney general, in obedience to { statute which requires him to make sug gestions touching changes in the crimina law, submits the following suggestions:
 l. That the sta ute with respect to thu yenires for petit jures be amended so a. to save and prevent such venres from at tack on any ground whatsoever excepting only fraud in the drawing or preparation of the same.
 2. That all the local prohibition laws il the state be repealed and in lieu of thes hundreds of local acts, oftentimes confusin; and conflicting, one general prohibition lay be enacted for the entire state, to be op erative alike everywhere, except in town and cities enjoying police surveillance where high license may be more accept able.
 3. That an act be passed to properly de fine and punish acts of lawessness, popu larly known as ''whitecapping.'
 f. That the punishment for buglary o dwelling houses be so changed as that tn minimum punishment therefor shall be fiv