The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-07-10
IN HOTEL LoBBIES
AND ELSEWHERE
A JUDGE on Alabama crime.

= s119E vi fAldDdTHd 0III1Sa
Probably It is Of no general interest
that The grand jury of the Montgomery
City Court. which has jurisdiction over
crime throughout the capital county, is
now IN session. but tHere Is concern for
every Alaoamian n the. exhaustive and
remarkably able charge of Judge Thomas
to the jury" eaid former Montgom-
erian.
Il cannot imagine any method whereby
a man of money could do SO great SER
vice TO the psople than to cause a copy of
Judge Thomas charge to be placed in
the hands of every white man in Ala
bama. The judges plea ana general pre-
sentation of the lawlevsnsss Of crime In
all its varying forms and the law against
crime arc so complete ana so clearly and
logically stated that any man able to
read print could under stand them.
Judge Thomas statistics as to the taxi
ing of human life, which we generally
refer TO by the plain title of murder
make a mournfully disgraceful showing
for Alabama. According to these
figures 1877 persons are tried each year
In Alabama for Staying fellowmen, and
an equal number for attempting murder
In the percentage Of this worst of all
human crimes, murder Alabama is
shown to DE the fourth state in the Union
which is condition very nearly as low
in morals as the state is high in litter
acy. The three states which surpass our
state in the murder percentage are
Texas. South Carolina and Georgia, in
the order named.
1.-The figures speaking for themselves
indicate that human life Is regarded too
lightly In our state; and that their fun
force is only seen when considered COM
paratiyely, declares the Montgomery
judge, ard he proceeds to draw some
comparisons that are to say the least
astonishing.
''In Alabama, with population of bs2S,-
967. there are 1877 murders year. while
In Carada with a round five millions of
people there are but fifteen murders a
year. N England and Wales, with 3D.
764, ia Inhabitants, OF sixteen times the
number of people who dwell i'll Ala
bama, there are 322 murders, or l25
more than In Alabama. If the MUIR
der rate of England and Wales equalled
that of Alabama these countries would
lose 1923 persons by murder every year,
end you may rest assur rcd there would
be 1923 hanglngs; for in England the tax
ing of human life is murder and every
murderer is hanged There is no stay of
proceedings. no appeal to n Supreme
Court no pardon board and not com
mutation CT sentence once In ten years.
Roughly calculated one Albanian in
every ten thousand is murdered and one
Erglishmsn in every million Human life
is che hundred times safer In England
than in Alabama, and If Alabama was
as law-abiding as England we would have
but two murders in the state each year,
instead of within three of two hundred.
"'rhese are facts bi ought out by the
figures IN Judge Thomas charge to the
Montgomery jury. Even IN neatnen India
the murder rate is less then one fourth
that of Alabama, and for every one man
who commits murder in heathcn japan
seven Alabamians commit murder here
in our own Christian state. If Alabama
could have three or four hangings every
week for three or four years, life might
become reasonably safe