The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-13
Best Ways to Make Human
 Life Safer in AlabAma.

the papers and otherwise upon this sub ject during the past few months by men of all stations, but to my mind the key note has not been touched by any one. This Is very clear from Judge Alston's letter.
 sire to lay the blame at the door of our Judges, juries and Legislatures, but 1t Is very evident from Judge Alstons statements and also from the records of the various courts, that every Judge and almost every jury have discharged their duties upon this line. And 1t is certain that the laws of our State cannot be changed without becoming barbarous, therefore 1t Is unkind and unfair to even intimate that our courts and legislative bodies are at fault
 It is very clear that our courts have been impartial in all of their decisions, and this Is commendable. because 1t shows that they are not allowing them and papers, but are continuing to let every homicide tried in their courts stand upon Its own merits. If'they should not they would then not be safe, honorable men. If they should allow one homicide to effect their rulings and verdicts in another case of homicide they would not be competent and no man would be safe to go before them. Therefore any effort upon the part of the public to influence our courts in their ruling and verdicts is
 
 That every homicide should have fair trial and be punished according to law and evidence no loyal citizen will attempt to deny, and all are anxious that this be done. but will this do away with homicide? No.
 We should begin to take steps to put down the evils of our country that make criminals of our citizens as well as to punish.
 If our courts are at fault at all it is by not paying more attention to the mi nor offences.
 Carrying concealed weapons, selling whiskey In violation of law. public drunkenness, gambling. Sunday viola tions, etc, etc., are not noticed so much and usually you will find that the man which we call minor laws, are the men who become the murderers.
 l once heard Judge Bilbro of Gadsden charge the grand jury at scottsboro, and he paid particular attention to the mis- demeanors especially, selling whiskey, gambling, selling cartridges. carrying concealed weapons and shooting on Sun day, etc, and in the charge he said: Gentlemen of the Jury, I find that the punishment of these minor offences saves | LIS of many of the greater ones, and it is | usually the men who are allowed to vio- late these minor laws that finally violate the greater ones." (Of course this may not be his exact language, but 1t is very near it.J ildl SI anu Jury ldlIly ClCdheu up Jackson County. I was living at | LangstOn in that County and every Sun | day you could hear shooting going on, | and especially ut night on the way from | Church, and the merchants there-all ex- | cept two-were selling cartridges but that grand jury stopped the entire business. | Our merchants had to go to court and | many of our citizens there had to go and | some of the worse element went to Tex | as to get out of 1t. After that it seemed n q n nov ] believe if every Judge in the State would do this 1t will do more to dimin- ish homicide than anything else. One other thing that the great army liquor traffic and the licensing of other evils in our leading cities So long as our country sets up an evil to catch the 1 hoys who go to our larger cities for em- | criminals. A large per cent of the homi- | cides of Alabama are caused either di- rectly or indirectly by whiskey and yet we are afraid to mention it. If we ar- range for the raising, of criminals we | may expect to have them.
 Judge Feagin of Birmingham has gained considerable notoriety because of the stand he has taken against carrying pis- | tols, and he Is to be commended for 1t, | but from the accounts in the Birming- ham papers he has not stopped it. We find that in the drunken quarrels there l the pistols are drawn as same as ever and this will continue though you hang a man for 1t every few days, unless we stop the fountain of the evil.
 We find that men are allowed to get pistols at almost any old price there. | You may go down on the streets of that city and find the show windows full of and they are in reach of every boy of the country and every fellow knows where to go to get it.
 Judge Feagin may disarm the fellow, but the first time he gets drunk and has some sharp words with some fellow may be his best friend-he knows just | exactly where to go to get gun to put in his pocket to go back and kill the fellow with.
 We are to blame as a State for the amount of homicides-not that they are not punished, but because we are so sell fish that rather than go down in oul pockets to pay the expenses of govern ment and for running public schools, we l will establish these institutions for rais- ing criminals just merely for the amount l of money the government will get for 1t This is the only reason why 1t is done to the G of it 1t, there is not St will agree with me at this point if he will he honest with himself
 If any one has any doubt as to the correctness of this view l can begin and | Alabama which happened within the past few years, that were committed by men of good families and that had been vel raised. so far as the family training was concerned. but were driven to commit the deeds by the influence of saloons as | licensed by our government
 Let our Judges charge the grand juries against the misdemeanors and then let our Solicitors stand up and prosecute them with as much energy and eloquence as they do the homicides and then let all | of our officers and citizens and papers begin to work up a sentiment against the sale of whiskey and pistols and cartridges and when these things are done and the sale of these things are stopped in oul midst, If homicides and assaults witt | Intent to murder don't decrease 50 pei cent within the next five years you may hang me. w. D. Parrish. |