The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-01-22
WHAT A DISTRICT ATTORNEY
CAN DO.

! NH4N ~.
New Orleans Picayune, Jan. 10: For
a long time the official known by va
rious designations in the several states,
but ienominated district attorney in
Louisiana, and charged with the prose
cution of persons arrested and brought
before the courts upon criminal charges,
was considered to possess no functions
i'll the enforcement of the laws save to
appear in the criminal courts on behalf
of the State
He was expected to show his zeal and
ability in securing testimony against ac-
cusei persons and to demonstrate. his
skill and qualities in presenting facts to
the court. The idea that this official was
10 become virtually the chief of detec-
tives and was to outrun the police in
seeking and pursuing the violators of
law. was not dreamed Of until Joseph
Folk. the prosecuting attorney of the
city of St. Louis, and William T. Jer-
ONE. of New York City, made them
!
ing to punishment criminals of all sorts
Mr.. Folk, whose extraordinary serv-
ices made him Governor of Missouri;
was particularly distinguished for the
energy and zeal and success with which
he ran down political criminals, while
the New York prosecutor has gained
equal distinction by his raids on the
criminal classes who have so long ell
joyed complete immunity from punish
ment by bribing the police and other Of
ficials in that great city.
Mr.. Jerome first set out to break tip
gambling in the nations metropolis. The
millionaire proprietors of gambling es
Establishments had long dehed the law
They had the police in their pay, so that
if any movement was proposed against
| them they knew of it in advance, and
| either fortified themselves against an in
| vasiQn, Or if it was made it proved
Ruthless
Jerome, however, took charge of the
raids and gave out no information of his
designs until he was in the premises he
designed to attack. He battered down
steel doors. and incurred the condemna-
ton of some high-pace judges whose
Ideas Of personal liberty were extreme
but this sort of thing had no influence
on the determined and enterprising Jer-
ONE, so that it is announced that he has
broken tip gambling in the greatest city
of this hemisphere.
1t has been repeatedly claimed that
there are laws which can not be enforced
but that is only the verdict of those who
are not willing to do their duty. Every
thing depends on the official who has
the business in hand, and Folk and Jer-
ONE have proved it.
AS for gambling it is no worse than
many other vices which attract men and
engross their attention and time and
cause them to squander their money on
the widest sort of chances, but if there
is law against it and there is deter
mination on the part of the authorities
to break up the places where the offense
is carried on, the law can be enforced;
so can any law if its object be to re-
strain vice and crime and to protect the
people in their rights and property. To-
day Folk and Jerome are the most talked
of ME min the Union. .s.'
There are few Jero111es and Folks inl
the United States today, but without
the spirit of the trial judges their Sue
cess in convicting men, who violated the
law, would have been circumscribed.
While the district attorney is all-power-
full, his success is dependent on the fear
lessness of the judge, who will not con-
.strue the law and the discriminating cir
cumstances to the detriment of the
State, of good morals and justice. The
law-breaker. the man who persists in
the pren1editating of contemptuous
disregard of tle law, will hesitate and
consider his intention if he has the as
surance Of no favor in court, On the
fearless judge who will do his full duty, |
impartially, who will mete out even
handed justice, together with the prose-
cutting attorney must rest the enforce
ment of the law when violated in any
degree, regardless of the influence Of |
the individual or his standing in the
community.