The Rice belt journal., 1902-07-25
SHORT CUT TO INSOLVENCY.
Texas Opinion of Judge MiIIer's Dis
like Of Gun-TOting.

The following from the Beaumont
Enterprise while bit overdrawn,
pays tribute to Judge Miller which
every fair minded man in the parish
will recognize as his just due:
1t costs $3S to pack gun in Beau
mont. Across the Sabine in the
Louisiana parishes of Calcasieu and
Cameron the price is 800, straight.
The difference consists exclusively in
the Judge. Texas law puts this matter
in the hands of others than the district
Judge: Louisiana law gives the matter
of assessment to the parish Judge, who
in the parishes named has established
fixed rate from which there is no de-
Walton. If you want bargain counter
goods you may procure them at Beau
mont, where any tough may carry
gun who has $3S. to blow in. Across
the Sabine the same man, any nan,
will have to put up a century OF dol
lars.
The parochial Judge in that dist rict
is Edmond Miller, remarkable in as
many respects as you have fingers.
When he took the bench two years
ago life in the lower districts was
worth about one dollar and a half and
| it was an understood proposition that
| if gun toter would plead guilty and
not throw too much talking onto the
district attorney that he would get Off
| the regular rate for those cases when
no trial was had and as court met only
twice a year the result was that every
| boy who had two dollars and half
packed a gun nearly as long as him
self and equally as well loaded-except
on steamboat days, when liquor was
/ unusually plentiful.
Edmond Miller has no sliding scale.
Everybody pays the same and one
may not nave the goods placed on the
! bargain counter by pleading guilty.
In the matter of having no slidir 6
scale the lawyers of Lake Charles DO
not agree with this int1eXible judge
who is disciplining the lawbreakers
against the feelings of his own heart,
and who makes the fine uniform in or
der that the lowest felon in his district
may have no cause to claim diScrlml-
nation. One hundred dollars is an
awful wad to drop-in Louisiana and
the natives over there would rather
have thier souls torn out by the roots
/ with hot tongs rather than lose thai
much This appeal to the DOcketboOi
) has made the tough element in tina
locality hard to catch. While the med
1 icine is almost too severe yet it mus
be admitted that it is remarkabl.
effective it having the rough element IL
Judge Miller's parish as wild as bun
l ches of quail that have been shot int
a few times.
= The in1exible Judge Miller on tn
/ bench, and the good fellow Edmon
e Miller off the bench are two differen
: people. The one is grim and cuts ou
= justice with blade that knows n
: weakening-th other is hail fello'
y we'll met, who smoks a good cigar
e He has cut his way to the bench as on
= would cut trail through the jungle
D Between the range of that barefoote
| yvbD rnnsnl1itnS n
= the Mermentau twenty-five years ag
" and Louisiana ermine thereis sulle
It gulf that must be bridged by the ma
# who passes over it. Unaided an
l. alone this man toiled slowly upwar
g in the night while others slept; bui
S his own bridge. He is the man wh
d has raised the rate on the gun tote
: and has put up the price until packin
a pistol in his district is counting IL
d Solvency.