The Cairo bulletin., 1909-12-09

grown from bad TO worse. True
there is more or less low" sentiment
in every community and there is low
sentiment here But the trouble with
the city officials and with some OF
the county officials-with Judge But.
Ter also it seems-is that they have
been pleased to regard the vicious ele,
ment in this community as the cor,
trolling element and have pandered
to it in their official conduct accord
ingly The Bulletin has for several
years past tried in vain to convince
them that they were mistaken and
it feels that its judgment found ter
rible confirmation on the night Of
Nov 18th.
How comes it, pray-aud Judge
Butler is respectfully asked to ex-
|plain-how comes ii that there wern
practically no serious "miscarriages
of justice" here Under any of Judge
Buffers predecessors on the circuit
bench?
Is it not true that the only instance
of the kind on record. before Judge
Buffers advent on the bench, oe-
Cured under Judge Robarts, when
Judge Butler was prosecuting attor-
ney?'
Are we TO then understand that
public sentiment" has been low" in
this community only since Judge But
Ter has occupied the circuit court
bench?
Judge Butler is further -quatcd as
saying that "one trouble the court
here has had. in securing convictions
arose from the fact thai the press
tried eases and when they reached
the courts, that the business men
had read about them and had ey
pressed opinions so that they were
disqualified to act as Jurors. Too fire. !
Iuenty business men purposely dis
lualified themselves in order that |.
hey might not have tle annoyance
# serving as jurors. The result was
hat the best men could not be secur-
ID for jury service,
More than likely. when the Judge
peaks of the press" in this connec-
ion he means only The Bulletin, for
le has at no time had any reason to
omplain on this score OF any other
aper in the city; and this calls for
few words regarding The Bulletins
asst conduct in connection with muir
er cases. 1t is not the first time
his paper has been criticised on ac-
cunt Of comment on crime in Cairo |,
'early always heretofore it has been |,
by the defendants in serious /,
murder cases. and by their friends +
nd their attorneys. Never before, so
ar as 1t knows. by the judge who ,
resided in these cases. Because of +
lese criticisms, and feeling that
here might be some merit in them, /,
refrained studious:y from all com I,
lent in two or three of the five or six
asses Of murder tried In Judge But
RS court, wherein gross miscarriage
{ justice R8e brought about. The
les Of this paper will bear out this
ssertion. They contain nothing
'hatever relating to the cases, ex-
epting the bare statements of facts
$ they appeared at the time the
rImes were committed, without any |,
'ord-eoloring. This effectually dis
oses Of Judge Buffers charge so far
S the press" is concerned, in his
fort to account for the failure of
Is court to do its duty to the people.
Mess he would deny to "the press"
ven the privilege of giving the news
the day. 1t does away also, in
art at least, with his charge that
giod citizens" were disqualified under
ne law by reason of having formed
pinions from newspaper reports or
nmments. AS to the other charge
nat business men disqualified them
VAfNo pIApt5tAg III OtHEI VI ENdlG
Try service, this is probably true, but
} very limited extent only, and
0uld have been true to very much
,ss extent had business men who dill |,
fer themselves for service, and who
ould have qualified under the law,
cen ACCORDED halfway decent treat
tent from The court and from the at
'rneys for the defense As one in
lance OF many that may be cited the
ase of p. 7. Langan is to the point
Ir. Langan is one of Cairo's leading
itizens, a man of unblemshed char
cter, intelligent. conscientious, fair
iinded, He was summoned VITA
lany others in the Davidge murder
ase. He danced attendance upon /
he court for two days; when placed +.
pom the stand for examination as a !
JUROR he was subjected to the most F.
igid questioning by the defendants /