The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-11-11
Emf ent OF
.fL Laws sHas S 3 ought
Good Results
Strong! {! Charge
I 8 Grand Jury

- -
The November term OF the Circuit
Court convened this morning. judge
Mason gave clear, strong charge 70
the grand Jury In his charge Judge
Mason said:
Il .sThe law requires that at each term
81 the Circuit Court there shall be !
grand fury. except that the court may
dIspense with one OF the terms. I
sometimes wonder whether our sys.
fem OF enforcing the criminal laws is
.es,tfectiye: A pessimist seeing so much
iawlessness around him may well
doubt whether any system can be
i mad 4 effectiye-whether enforcement.
\. enforces. IS A moment engaged In ret.
Y 1Tosnect Will convince the people
81 this county: that these doubts are
not well founded. Think moment
(. .of the Sprogress we have made along
this line in the last ten years.
3S.aTen years ago speak easies.' low
dens where whlsI,ey and beer were
sold without any regard to law what.
4 ever. and with little and often no at.
4 tempt at secrecy. might be found IN
almost every community. Now am
authorized to say that not one OF these
I places, thirty days old, can be foun,l
this judicial circuit.
sS.sTem Years "a ago. votes were sold AMI
si5bo,ieht ON our streets at every cleo
Hon Z as freely, AMI almost as openly.
"a ssanys other merchantable commodity.
\ S,rbat aay has passel: YOU will never
4 again see our streets disgraced By
sncl, inrocee,lings, The law now pro.
4 Js,yvides that The man who offers. to sell
Z his vote shall be fiued and IL he sue.
y ce.eds 4 IN making the sale, he shall be
3.disfrancbised. The courts all stand
z iissrI,e,.a,dy sto enforce these laws. md the
( 5SS.fIe,ction; sbriber and bride.taker have
gone out OF business. The man who
mas heretofore relied on securing his
/ eIection Inv S Sbuying votes will have to
5,s,, content tLst himself with being n private
y II s.c,tizen " = & 4
l.sren Years ago gambling devices
were, considered the accompaniment
S.of eyery5 saloon and second class res.
staprant 4 and some Of these devices
y ,yasra ,,ssr freouentlv found in respectablc
y :Sbote,s and other nublic places. We
s,see none Of these now except in the
;TiI,,Iv sio,Iwv5 i've, EVEN the old and familiar
4 % slot machine has been converted into
iz-4k 4:4nnk or turned with its face to the
jf wall For several years these ma.
chimes were n menace to the morals
n ~ every community. They appealetl
3 II the school boy and the hoary head.
+ I'd On mh,er with eo,,ai success. For
y q while there seemed to be no way
J; "a snnnress them but the courts point.
Z 4 ~ ont Tho nav and on tho dav that
4 ltba snl,nrrrame Court of the stnte ar.
s5sl ARMED .1I,frr,m,,ad tbe decision of the CIrcuit
ty3ftNnrf dnNlO rim thaSa maphlnnS IN hp
81 g,a,myrhi,n,g,, devices more than tbou.
Il sand q then, were retired and the
S.3,Nsin1, ,neson,eT{ 4, the state nrotected against
Y thiis i smruo,st dangerous and insIdIous
form ~ gambling The slot machines
;sib,,,,,t ;ba,,v,et aones to return no more
.sTen Years ago the practical politi.
.cian af,,cked in the foreign vote as a
VI legitimate article Of commerce. one
\ s,,S,,;,t,h marty had them naturaIized and the
n other nartv ~ hao,,nrht mi the new voter AS
4 Uni, rp,a atbe voter Who knew wbv his
nav made friends were so anxious to
! have him become a citizen. that all ey.
& { nenses were in,,id ,e,t under M mora,
4 s8oblIrat,ons to nav tb,s kind q, debt
4 and Tins become marty to tbe crime
Z and ami % readi,v en,erod into norot,o.
Hons With the opposite party. for his