The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-29

| as being in two divisions-the con-
| firmed and the youth. The former
were those who insisted on disobeying
| the law at all times and those who
| seemed to have little fear of the law
| itself or those who tried to enforce it.
They are the ones who are hard to deal
| with and the men who-unless they are
| idiots, children or maniacs-Should be
sent to the penitentiary for life-with-
out any of the mercies of the parole
law. The youth are those who fall but
once or twice in a lifetime in the
clutches of the law and they are the
ones for whom the county attorneys
should have deep feeling. Mr.. Beck
told of many cases where he had
taken young men and boys and instead
of sending them to the reform schools
he had taught them of the better things
of life and they had reformed and made
good citizens out of themselves. He
stated emphatically that the two
classes of criminals should be treated
altogether differently in spite of the
provisions of the law. In other words
county attorney should use a little
judgment in his work and not rely
upon the law altogether.
Two Glasses of Criminals.
Professor w. E. Higgins of the State
university who was appointed chair
man of a committee from the bar asso-
citation to investigate the criminal code
in the state of Kansas then asked for
the attention of the county attorneys
posted by mail of the working of the
Kansas criminal laws so he could make
a report at the next meeting of the as
ISOLATION. He said the county attor-
neys over the state were the real judges
of the working effects of the criminal
law as used in Kansas and he wanted
their opinion. 1t is probable that the
natural criminal law of France will
be substituted in Kansas for the pres
ent system of criminal law.
Following this talk nv the university
professor the session was thrown open
to the members of the association and
they talked on such subjects as bucket
Shops lumber and ice combines in the
smaller towns etc. It is the general
opinion that in the smaller cities in the
state there is a tendency for lumber
companies to combine and operate I'M
der different names but under one
head. In this manner they hog the
trade The county attorneys were
warned to watch out for all these
things and keep peace in the family
as far as the miniature trusts are con-
cerned. There were any number of
subjects discussed and in some Incl
dents there were a few sassy remarks
handed among the lawyers to one an
other. One crowd favored the con-
f1dential interviews with the prisoners
and the other crowd talked with fiery
words against such a practice. Some
were in favor of the parole law and
others fought it. 1t is said that too
many men violate their paroles.
If some of the would-be or has-been
or about-to-be criminals had attended
the county attorney meeting last even
ing they would have had a rich treat.
Their habits and their tricks were dis
cussed and he would have learned a
good deal of his own character if he
had been there to hear it. He also
would have been thoroughly informed
of some of the means that they county
attorneys are going to take to make
the world harder for them to live in.