The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-03

right Of appeal by which wealthy crfm- inaIs secure successive and intermina- bIe delays so that even in the few fn- stances Tn which they are punished the conviction has lost all moral force . In his. address before the Yale Law School last year Secretary Taft con dcmned the existing system whereby tne deIendant is so hedged about and taken red handed in the act is almost guaranteed immunity. The effect of tnls IS only too plain. When the phrase
 nanslng played out become current among the turbulent clements in this elty some years ago there was a great increase In the number of homicides. Matters are no better today.
 Inat widespread public interest is now telt in this subject is evident from the number Of letters discussing it re- cetved from readers of the Herald. Tn one of these, published on Sunday, the writer, ". touching upon recent trage- dy that mortified the community, broke out With the exclamation-'Law is law. they say, but If we could dispense with law and administer some justice now now ana again 1t would be infinitely more satisfactory to the people at large. reader whose letter appears this morning, referring to this, says
 IT law means nothing but red tape, place.
 This is what is needed-''to get some- thing better in it's place." or, in other words, amend the law. In an article on cent nnmbeT a~ of tha fet0Em Hfantjs Montb1 rs lawyer Of this city, MT. G. W. Alger pointed out the inefficiency of existing laws and the disposition of courts to favor criminals on mere legal bubbles. Revelations of police blackmaii shock ed the people of this city. Is there any one culprit in Jail as result of the ex- poSureS?
 The whole country rang with Mir. FOX nr0SeTnffnn nd oF+ +b bA St. Louis "boodlers" But those con victions were reversed on minor errors or technical bubbles and the chief of lenders released from the custody of the law. Nothing could be truer than Mir Alger's declaration that
 z, Every technical decision which sacri- fices or disregards the substantial rights for a law abiding community and permits the escape or reorieve of some convieted rascal makes a precedent which affords like comfort to every oth- CT rascal who can bring his case within it's protection.
 The Herald reader, whose letter ap- pears this morning, thinks that in cases where the punishment of a crime Is death, there are many jurors who have not thee moral courage to pro- nounce the. accused guilty However, no juror should be accepted in such cases without previous assurance that he has the courage to find a verdict in accordance with the evidence, all though the penalty be the electric chair.
 The appeals and interpositions that nullify a verdict are conspicuously il- lustrated in fthe case of Patrick. who was condemned to death more than four years ago and is still in prison If crime is to be prevented the crimi- naIs punishment must be certain and must be swift The man in the street knows that as the law is now admins tered punishment is neither swift nor certain, and Is scarcely to be expected at all where the criminal has wealth to test the laws delays and dehicten- cies.
 Public sentiment. however, Is now aroused on the subject, and it's power must be felt by hair splitting judges as well as ,by legislators.