The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-12-09

4
a law may be safely left to the wise
discretion of the Congress, but It should
go as far as under the Constitution 1t is
| possible to go, and should include Sc
we're penalties against him who gives or
| receives Jribe intended to influence his
| act or OPINION as an elector; and provi-
@ sions for the elections of all candidates
but also of all contributions received and
expenditures made by political commit
| tees. ....
DELAYS IN CRIMINAL PRosBCU-
| TIONS. .s.a.'
No subject is better worthy the atton-
| tion of the Congress than that portion
| OF the report of the Attorney General
dealing with the long delays and the
great obstruction to justice experienced
| In the cases of Beavers, Green and Cay
| nor, and Benson. We're these Isolated
and special cases, l should not call your
attention to them: but the difficulties
encountered as regards these men who
have been indicted for criminal practices
are not exceptional, they are precisely
| similar In kind to what occurs again and
again In the case of criminals who have
sufficient means to enable them to take
| advantage of system of procedure
which has grown up In the Federal
courts and which amounts In effect to
| making the law easy of enforcement
| against the man who has no money and
| difficult of enforcement, even to the
| point OF sometimes securing immunity,
as regards the man who has money. In
criminal cases the writ of the United
| States should run throughout its borders.
! The wheels of justice should not be
| clogged, as they have been clogged In
| the cases above mentioned, where IL has
| proved absolutely impossible to bring
| the accused to the place appointed by
the Constitution for his trial. OF recent
years there has been grave and increas-
| ing complaint of the difficulty of bring
ang to Justice those criminals whose
| criminalty, instead Of being against one
person in the Republic, is against all
persons in the Republic because II is
| against the Republic itself Under any
| circumstance and from the very nature
OF the case 1t is often exceedingly diff
| licnlt TO secure proper punishment OF
those who have been guilty of wrongdo-
| ing against the Government. BY the
time The offender can be brought into
court the popular wrath against him has
generally subsided; and there Is In most
instances very slight danger indeed Of
| any prejudice existing in the minds OF
the jury against him. At present the
| interests of the innocent man are am
ply safeguarded; but the interests Of
the Government, that Is, the interests
OF honest administration, that is the in-
tereSts of the people, are not recognized
as they should be. No subject better
warrants the attention of the congress
Indeed no subject better warrants the
| attention of The bench and the bar
throughout the United States.
ALASKA. -
| Alaska, like all our Territorial acqui-
sitions, has proved resourceful beyol<
| the expectations of those who made the
purchase 1t has become the home of
many hardy, Industrious, and thrift
| American citizens Towns of a perman-
ent character have been built The ex-
| tent of its wealth in minerals, timber,
| fisheries, and agriculture, while great,
is probably not comprehended yet In any
| just measure by our people. We do know.
| however, that from a very small begin
| ming its products have grown until they
are steady and material contribution to
| the wealth of the Nation. Owing to the
| immensely of Alaska and its location In
| the far north 1t is a difficult matter to
| provide many things essential to Its
growth and to the happiness and comfort
of its people by private enterprise alone.
! 1t should, therefore, receive reason
| able aid from the Government The Gov
ernment has already done excellent
| work for Alaska In laying cables and
| building telegraph lines This work has
| been done in the most economical and
efficient way by the Signal Corps of the
| Army. $3.50
In some respects 1t has outgrown its
| present laws, while In others those laws
| have been found to be inadequate. In or
| der to obtain information upon which
could rely I caused an officalrof the
| Department of Justice, in whose judg-
ment / have confidence, to visit Alaska
| during the. past summer for the purpose
| of ascertaining how government Is adj
| ministered there and what legislation is
| actually needed at present. statement
of the conditions found to exist; t6geth-
er with some recommendations -and the
! reasons therefor. In which I strongly
concur, will be found in the annual re-
| port of the Attorney General. In some
| instances / feel that the legislation sug
gested is so imperatively needed that I
am moved briefly to emphasize the At
| torney-Generars proposals.
Under the Code, of Alaska as it now
stands many purely administrative pow
ers and duties, including by far the most
important. devolve upon the district
| judges or upon the clerks of the district
court acting under the direction of the
| judges, white the governor upon whom
| these powers and duties should logical
| ly fall has nothing specific to do ex-
Thanksgiving Day proclamations and
apIsint Indian policemen and notaries
public. ! believe 1t essential to good
government in Alaska, and therefore
recommend that the congress, divest the
district judges and the clerks of their
courts of the administrative or exec
and cast them upon the governor. This
would not be an innovations; 1t would
simply conform the government of Alas
ka to fundamental principles, making
the governorship a real instead of
merely nominal office, and leaving the
Judges free to give their entire atten-
ton to their judicial duties and at the
! deal of the strife that now embarrasses
the judicial office in Alaska
! also recommend that the salaries Of
the district judges and district attor-
neys I'm Alaska be increased so as to
make them equal to those received by
corresponding OfncerS In the bnlted
States after deducting the difference in
the cost of living; that the district at
torneys should be prohibited from en-
gagng in private practice; that Unitec
States commissioners be appointed by
the governor of the territory instead
of by the district judges, and that. a
fixed salary be provided for them to
take the place of the discredited fee
system which should be abolished In
all offices; that a mounted constabulary
be created to police the territory out
side the limits of Incorporated towns
vast section now wholly without po-
lice protection; and that some provision
be made to at least lessen the oppres-
sive delays and costs that now attend
the prosecution of appeals from the
district court of Alaska. There should
be a division of the existing judicial
districts, and an increase in the number
of judges.
Alaska should have delegate In the
congress. Where possible, the congress
should aid in the construction of need
ed wagon roads Additional light
houses should be provided. In my
Judgment 1t is especially important to
aid In such manner as seems just and
feasible in the construction of a trunk