The age-herald., 1900-07-22
MISDEMEANOR CASES
 BEFORE CRIMINAL COURT
A Correspondent Suggests That the Police Court be Divested of Exc .usive
 Jurisdiction.

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 have read of raids and attempted raids" by the police of places where gam ing was supposed to be in progress.
 have also read of a place of business at which a policeman was stationed to keep tab on all parties entering and leaving, and have also read of litigation growing out of this action of the police.
 And then we have had a mass meeting of citizens. the announced purpose of which was to hold up the hands of the police.'
 Now, I believe that one of the greatest sins in playing at cards for money in a place maintained for that purpose, is that it is violation of the law. It holds the law in contempt and teaches the doctrine that the sin of being found out is greater than the sin of law-breakng.
 I further believe that it is a hardship upon the police to cast solely upon them the duty of finding out who the law-break- . CTS are and when and where the acts were committed.
 It has not always been that the burden of finding out'' was solely theirs. When and how was this change made? Did this change bring about any other hardships? If so, what are they? I saw no answer to 7 these questions in the report of the mass meeting
 Iner6 was an lnnOcenI-lOOhlnS ldW pdSSeQ giving the Police Court exclusive juriSdic- ton of all misdemeanors committed within precincts twenty-one and thirty-seven, which include little more than the cor porate limits of Birmingham. The effect of that law was to withdraw from our grand juries the right to enquire into the matter of gaming and to indict offenders Not only gaming, but also all other mis- demeanors. Somebody must discover who . are violating the gaming laws. The grand juries cannot do 1t. The police are endeav- bring to do it by raids, which is a very clumsy method, method that Is a hard ship on our police. The grand jury is fitted to do this work through it's inQuisitorial powers. Let us recommit it to them. How shall 1t be done? Repeal that portion of the law which gives the Police Court ex- elusive Jurisdiction so that the Criminal Court of Jefferson County shall have at least concurrent Jurisdiction, then the grand jury may again investigate and in dict offenders.
 Another thing the law should be evenly administered. If you violate the gaming laws just outside the jurisdiction of Judge Feagin's court, the grand jury may enquire into it and indict you, and the lowest money consideration which would make Your peace with the State when called to account be- fore Judge Greene is twelve times more than the lowest money consideration if l commit the same offense within Judge Fea- gins Jurisdiction, and if money is bet on the game, then more than twenty-five times as much would 1t cost you than me. An other instance: Suppose you carry con- cealed pistol within Judge Greene's juris- diction and he gives you the lowest fine, $50 and costs, which include solicitors fee and county tax and other court costs, amounting to not less than $40, making 80 it would cost you; whereas, if am guilty of the same offense within Judge Feagin' s jurisdiction and he gives me the lowest fine, $10 and costs, $2. 50, I get off for $12.50. We should be equal before the law.
 Again, If within either of the towns of Bessemer, Pratt City, Ensley, Brookside, Warrior, Avondale, Woodlawn or any other incorporated town in Jefferson County