The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-12-05

legal statement, but that is the basic {
idea Of his opinion. The state
supreme court sustained him. 1t
also sustained his contentious ia the /
matter of the assessments Of street
railways which had suburban lines
aud thus Increased the tax receipts
of the county and city by large sums.
The criminal court at this period
was conducted 10 so lax a manner
that it had become a scandal. Re-
form was demanded by the people
through the public press A prosecu-
ting attorney was to be elected The
party managers, however much they
deprecated the reform cry, realized
that good politics demanded the
choice of a man Ut plrtS and no esty
for the place. They offered the nom-
%ination to Reed. UHe was shy; he
liked to mix In politics for the excite
ment of the game, but had no ambi-
tion for office. He wanted TO prac-
tice law. He was urged to take the
nomination as a favor to his friends
and finally i~nsistance won; he con-
sented to make the a C and won.
REED was prosecuting attorney for
ffte6a months; In that term he
revd ptionized the criminal court.
From January !, 1899, until Reed
left the office, there were but two
acquittals. Men we're not put on
trial unless the prosecuting attorney
was convinced of their guilt, and then
he used all of his strength to con-
Wet. There were 1877 cases tried,
1874 for felony and 81 for misdemean.
ors Each of the 1874 persons charged
with felony was sentenced to an
! average term of seven years and three
r months, a total Of 1884 years i'm
prisoDment. Murderers we're given
an average of "a years and s months
Highway robbers we're sentenced to
terms as long as 30 years Five judges
sat in these trials and 1927 jurors
we're drawn for them Do you won
( der that Reed has fame 10 Kansas
S City as great as Folk has WOO ia ST.
: Louisy He had gone into a court
notorious for its laxity, a court with
i out system; he found that important
r records we're missing, the weapons
with which murders had been com
m.tted were lost, that no list OF
y necessary witnesses had been kept,
I He organized. Systemized and revo-
o lutionized the office. The effect of
d his administration was a panic among
+ criminals and even those papers that
S were politically opposed to bin &C
knowledged his great public S rvice.
o Then came his friends 10 the c)un
sells OF the democratic party and
y urged that he run for mayor His
y term as prosecuting attorney had
e nine months to run beyond the date
the next mayer should take office.
but they urged that he was no logger
d needed In the office, that the fame he
+ won as pros cutOr was the great
e political card the party needed. The
0 Jones administration had been in.
effective; it had been dominated by
d the Metropolitan Street Railway. The
people cried for reform aud the demo
cratic hope OF triumph depended or
e the party's ability to give the people
II what they cried for. Promises were
made to Reed. He was to give hi.
IS aid, his name to the ticket and he
e was to have veto on the nomination.
Of other city officers He consented
is and, when committed, learned-i'
n was almost a matter Of course-tbaI
lie the promises were not to be kept.
J. He was Handicapped for the two
t years of his term as mayor by +;
majority against him in the uppe'
IS house Of the council, which refused
TT to approve his appointees for iv,
ID important offices which became va
Of want He had to 20 to the supreme
" court to out the men who beld on t,
u their places and only in the last day
Of his term were his appointee
le approved.
N He was nominated for a secont
a. wi bout opposition save from tn
re Metropolitan Street Railway Co
which was operating under a fran
a. chise framed by its managers an,
N which gave the company every thing
ID the people nothing. Reed had threat