Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-11-02

ing passage. which was written about
nineteen years ago. Since then the
population of the United States has IN
creased materially, and crime mas
grown even faster than the population,
SO that the estimate of million men,
dependent for their livelihood on the
apprehension, conviction and detention
of criminals. would be today consider
ably below the mark. Suppose, how
ever, that we put at a million, for the
sake of easy figuring. l think II Wouiu
be conservative to calculate tnat
these men make on an average Sl5W
a year, which gives one a billion and
half.
Wherever that abomlnation, the fee
system, is in operation-and 1t is very
general throughout the country-lt is
almost impossible to reach any approx
innate estimate of the sums made by
constables not only from arrest fees,
but also from mileage charges ana
other incidentals that form the greater
part of the bill Here in Los Ange-
les county constables were reaping so
rich a harvest from the arrest OF men
on all sorts of charges-a vast pro-
portion of which were unquestionably
trumped up-that it was found neces-
sary to limit them to $1,000 year. But
how, for example. are you to calculate
the receipts of the sheriff's office in Los
Angeles, which is run on the fee sys-
tenn is admittedly one of the latest po-
litical plums, and is estimated worth
all the way from $4,000 to SlOO,OOO a
year? What an infamous system; spe-
cially designed, one would think, for
the miscarriage of justice and for po-
litical corruption!
Human Energy Dissipated
Men universally shrink from jury
service, though one must make an ex-
ception of that wretched class that
constitutes the professional jurymen
eager to serve for the per diem, with
such side pickings as may develop
How are you to estimate the loss to
business men that the passing of days
and months on jur yduty entails? And
above all, who shall sum up the loss
of wealth, from which all of us would
benefit, involved by the withdrawal OF
men from productive employment and
their devotion to destructive lives OF
crime, with the detention at the direct
expense of the public which almost in
evitably follows? To calculate this is
to figure out a great portion of the
| incalculable waste of a civilization
which, in a thousand and one ways
diverts human energy into unproduc-
/ tive or essentially destructive occupa'
| tions
Consider again for a moment this
army Of a million men which makes
! its living by the apprehension, con-
viction and detention of lawbreakers
to which the taxpayers contribute al
| least a billion and a half annually
From the economists standpoint every
member of that army is non-produc-
tive, and it must be remembered thai
as a class these men are sharp-witteo
and energetic; capable, therefore, OF
much wealth producing effort How
are you to estimate the loss from thai
source alone? All over the world peo'
pie submit far more gracefully to in
direct than to direct taxation. In the
latter case they know to a penny the
bill which the government presents
but in the former they can only con
lecture in the vaguest manner. or
which account indirect taxation has
been termed the art of plucklng the
goose without causing it to squawk
In fact the goose often chuckles witt
delight as new protective tariff
taxes are imposed. So it is with the
bills presented to us in connection
with crime.
Crusade Against Tamnnany
At this writing the entire country 1:
watching with GREATNESS interest
ITammany's fight for life in New Yorl
city, and the struggle has been made
the occasion for the appearance OF
various articles in the leading maya