Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-10-13
,cOUNTRY'S DANGER
IN CRIMES SWAY
A Mississippi Judge Talks Plainly
to the Grand Jury.
THE LAW MUST Be RESPECTED.
II 1t is Not We Shall Soon Be Re-
duced to u Prfmeval State,
Where Brute Force Is the
Only Law Recognized.

mere bEute EoTcc - tnc
Only Law Recognized.
Quitman, Miss, Oct. Judge R. F.
Cochran delivered the following vigor-
GUS charge to the grand jury on the
opening of the Clarke county circuit
court:
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury-The
statute requires me to charge you con-
corning your duties and to expound the
law to you as l may deem it proper
nd necessary.
Before calling your attention to the
numerous offenses denounced by the
law, l desire to make a few prelimi-
nary observations in respect to the en-
forcementof the law. which l think is
needful. All of the essential principles
of the criminal law are founded upon
and taken from the divine law, and
in the main are declared in the ten
commandments. The wisdom of the
good and wise men who have lived in
the past has developed and formulated
a perfect system of law for the gov
eminent Of men which, if rigidly and
wisely enforced, would very much
liken the government of earth to the
government of Heaven.
No state ever had a better and more
perfect system of laws than the state
Of Mississippi. The most efficient
measures have been adopted for the
punishment of crimes, but, unfortu-
nately, the trouble is in the enforce
ment. The enforcement of the law
rests solely upon the good citizenship
of those charged with it's enforcement.
Good citizenship not only requires that
a man should have a good character,
but he must at the same time stand
for the enforcement of the law.
Evidence of Good citizenship.
Iwant you to understand that a man
may be thoroughly respectable, church.
going, home-loving, debt-paying and
still, by his Indifference and negli-
gence, be an ally to the forces of evil
who constantly seek to overthrow all
law. A negative character of this kind
is worth nothing to a commu-
nifty, and may be a positive nuisance.
God Almighty hates a man without a
backbone. | a man who has not
only sufficient backbone to stand for
the enforcement of the law, but a
backbone that will equip him at all
times to use his power and influence
to compel evil-doers to obey the law.
Every blessing which you enjoy by the
protection of the law was conceived
and established by men who had the
courage Of their convictions. ANY man
who is unwilling to stand for the right
and to fight for it and insist upon Its
dominance in the community is not
and can not be a useful member of So
ciety.
: If there is a nan on this grand jury
who is not a good citizen in the sense
that I have defined the term, he is not
fit to do grand jury service, or any sort
of public service. One Of the difficult
4 ties that stands at the very threshold
n in the enforcement of our law is our
u jury system,
III A member Of the board of supervis-
Mors who places a blind tiger, or other
VI terminal, or a man who sympathizes
u with the criminal class, on the jury
| list ought to have stripes placed upon
him end be compelled to work the
public roads with a crowbar for Il
months. If the board of supervisors
of the Tenth district do not stop de.
bauching the public service by putting
the ignorant and criminal classes on
the jury list I intend to pour hot
vitriol down their backbones that viii
not only take off the hide, but removr
some of the joints as well.
Judge Scored Jury.
A vicious, ~unreasoning and unrea.
Eonable sympathy for criminals is de-
b%eauching the administration of the
criminal law. This is a strong state.
ment, but every honest and intelli.
gent man must confess it is true. In
Neshoba county a man was convicted
for shooting another in the back five
times, and there was not a single ex.
%tenuating circumstance. The jury, with
some hesitation, returned a verdict Of
guilty, and recommended the defend
ant to the mercy of the court. l KEEP
the jury standing while | sentenced
the defendant, giving him the max
lmum punishment under the statute
and gave the jury to understand, il
language which they will never forget
that they had just about as high a con
ception of mercy in the administra
ton of criminal justice as a hog ha
of Sunday. If they did not feel lik,
fools, they did not feel natural.
In Noxubee county a man was con
victed of crawling Under the house O
another at night and poking his pisto