The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1904-11-23
A WARM CHARGE.
JUDGE COCHRAN POINTS OUT WHY
THE LAWS ARE NOT BETTER
ENFORCED.
Justices Of the Peace Are Mainly Re-
spOnsibIe. He Says.
A Straight Talk from the Shoulder
Which IS Fine Readiae.

Judge Cochran addressed the fol
lowing pointed remarks to the
justices Of the peace of that coun-
.ty:
4 have the name and postofice
address Of every justice of the
peace, constable and minister in
the tenth district, and the gist of
what / am going to say to the JUS
tices Of the peace will be publish
ed and mailed to each and every
one of them. will, therefore,
assume that each and every JUS
tice Of the peace Of the tenth dis
trict is now before me and that ]
am addressing them as body.
You have, under the law, original
and concurrent jurisdiction with
this court over all misdemeanors,
including the unlawful sale of in
toxicating liquors, carrying pis-
tolls concealed, assault and battery,
disturbance of the home, and, in
fact, nearly all of the offenses that
are troubling the peace of socitey.
You have the same power to pun
ish, and the same power to inflict
maximum penalties that this court
has. The circuit court has only
two terms in each county during
the year; your courts are open
every working day during the
year for the trial of criminals. In
the seven counties of the tenth
district there are seventy criminal
courts, armed with the power to
suppress crime in nine out of
every ten of the crimes that are
committed which are disturbing
and destroying public morals. If
this court was in continuous SEES
sion during the whole year in
your county no one believes for a
moment that crime would be ram
pant. Now, if you have the same
power to punish criminals in all
misdemeanors that this court has,
| want to ask you why it is that
crime is holding high carnival in
your county? What are you do.
ing to suppress it2
Record Of a Meridian Justice.
Instead of suppressing crime
if the charge were made that you
are directly encouraging and Ii
censing it, you would encounter
great difficulty in making your
defense. Your dockets will show
that in very large number of
cases you impose a fine of one
dollar and costs. You are rum
ming your business for revenue
only, without any regard for the
public good or public morals. i
do not hesitate to say to you that
a justice of the peace who fines al
criminal one dollar and costs, I'M
less the circumstances are excep-
tional, ought to be impeached as a
corrupter Of public justice. In
my county, it is reported to me
that one justice of the peace has
imposed not less than 1913 such
fines since the first of January,
and there are more frequent APP
peals made to me to break up the
corruption of this court than
there are to destroy the blind IT,
gers of Meridian. Shame on the
thought! When the grand jury
meets in Lauderdale county in
January, there will be an awaken
ing Of the slop-shops running for
revenue that will paralyze them.
The criminal law has no saw
ing or reforming power; its only
force is the deterrent force; its
sole mission is to thunder its ter
rors at the fears of the people. If
it is not enforced and maximum
/ enaIties inflicted, they will not
fear it. This truth finds ilIustra-
ton in the non-enforcement of The
law against the crime of perjury.
The criminal law was designed to
hurt; if it does not hurt, it has no
power or virtue. The sentiment
that the criminal law should be So
administered that nobody will be-
hurt is the suggestion and scheme
of the devil.
s.rhorn cn:r.a f,,,ld ~ Ys,o,,o,.s.I