Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-11-20
sWiFrER JUSTICE
Peoples Rule Thwarted by delays
Declares bonaparte.

pITTSBURG, Nov. l9.-Attorhey
General Charles J. Bonapart" was
the chief speaker at last night SEES
, sion of the National Municipal Lea
que of which MIR. Bonaparte Is presi'
dent. and the American civic AS
ISOLATION. His topic WAS The Crln'''
nal Law As a Means to Enforce the
, viii OF the People"
MIR. Bonaparte answered Mr.. Dry
ans campaign slogan. Shall the Peg
pie Rule" by saying. Yes. IN SO lar
as the people shall be in earnest III
the wish anu purpose to rule. ne
declared that the grarest and least
excusatle deficiency of tn" criminai
law Is found in it's endless decays.
and added that II the people shali
demand prompt and unquestion'hs
obedience 20 the pe0pleS laws. AM
shall give to this demand an ample
sanction In swift. sure. and grievouS
retrfbution for all rebellion to those
laws. the peoples rule will be- real.
Delays Cheat Justice,
why need there be foretaste OF
cterpity?" he asked, between arrest
and indictment. another between IN
dictment and trial. and yet announcer
between trial and actual punish
ment?" This. he answered by ieclar-
ing that ii is partly because the
bench and professional opinion
amen. the bar tolerate all kinds OF
dilatory, frivolous. and often ridiculous
proceedings on the part or I'M
scrupulous counsel intended TO chsa'
Justice OF her plain due: partly be-
cause our lawmakers afford almost In
finite facilities for review OF judiclai
action to the criminal. although DE-
ing very stingy in allowing them 10
thu. government: but mainly because
Our laws show little sense OF 'ne
value to society OF a speedy adm'h's-
tration OF justice"
Defects Of Criminal Law.
The legitimate problems OF the
criminal law he said. are two: First.
to find on, when and by whom the
people's will has been disobeyed. ana
second to so deal with the one guilty
of such disobedience that others. ano
ordinarily himself ar we'll. may DC
taught to obey in future.
"As an instrument TO these ends.
he then declared. Il think American
criminal law today has very serious
defects. in fact. that. in large meas
ure, is fails Of its purpose.
"A principal cause Of this failure
to nv mind" he continued. us rs
anxiety to guard against danger
which was once very serious. nut
which has now become Almost
chimerical. the danger lest men really
innocent be convicted OF crime. Inc
risk thar any man trying in good
faith to obey the Law shall be pun
ishcd as a criminal is almost lncon-
ceivably small. question whether "
is cne-hunIredth part as great as the
risk he runs Of being killed Or
manned BY an automobile
Retriai Of the Unfairly Acquitted.
The Attorney General took oc'
casion to point on. what he conceived
TO bc a fiaw III criminal jurispFu-
prudence.
NO one" he said. would have =
man. once fairly and properly tried
for a crime and either convicted OF
acquitted, brought TO trial again TOT
the same offense but IL the trial mas
been unfair or otherwise improper. II
IL tho dictate Of common sense that
this miscarriage should be duly cor
rr,cd and the man retired.
! III he had been acquitted. no mat
ter how enormously and with what
evident misjusticc. !hcre IL no remedy.
because of an old and arbitrary rule.
AGAINST what is called double )eo-
pardy.' a rule originating under cir
cums,anc-s utterly unlike those OF TO
day and whic has been generally en-
bcdi.d in our constitutions and
statutes 10 the great profit Of law
breakers"
Mr.. Bonapar'- then made the As
serf.cr that of all the p'culiaE'tics o!
our modern criminal Law, which are
heinfuI 70 undesirable citizeos' and
harmful 10 the public. in. his opinion
its graves; and least cNcusabie d.
siciency is found In its endless de-
Laws We have small judicial dis
I,ricts. intermittent sessions Of our
criminal courts. Judges sometimes
oycrworkcd. sometimes indolen''
prosecutors sem. times overburdened
by their duties. sometimes politicians
-a,h.- than lawyers All this makes
fer delay. and all that makes for d.
Law makes against Thc "fhci'ncy Of
IN. criminal law
1 Punish while Crime Is Recent
When The people II an An"r'can
state or tho American nation decree
dasth tn whomsocyer shall do thus