The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-12-05
JUDGE RUSSEL'S
GRAND JURY CHARGE

6fty douars fne, and IN many cases
where convictions should 5o had. jur-
ora. from some kind Of sentiment
maudHn or Otherwise. aoqIt, and
such conduct as this, viz. minimum
penalties and un garran ted acq1,ta.s,
discourases tho officer ss veil as Tho
gooI ciFzen Who believes IN The aoo.-
RlSn OF slch ofenSos Another rea-
son ls that 30 oftentimes happens
that those WHO are known az frat
class citizens are summoned az jur-
ors, and tho finest eZcns4s Imasin-
able ara made 20 avoid service a6d
then whNn the courts are driven 20
the necessity Of getting other jurors
and aoqutsls 'o'ior Justly or IN
Justly. Tho eTcused juror is often the
Hys. 10 d4nounr4 the coufs for no.
enforcing he law
The District court of tbis county
nas. comparatively SPEAKING. purged
E. NJ th<, yrsv"r crimes. u = easy
far sny are fe tt.e . retrospective
yiaW ~ the ls.t three years and In
Dang 80 ret about for he murderer,
stack hit. burglar and other nefar-
tons offender mat -varu~d the thor
Ough'area ~ yGrr 'r0rns and neigh
borhtsyds ~ tHe country. 10 md that
they are missed, and are Iocated in
the state prison This ha4 been &c
cOnpHshAd nv vtzilan4, faah'G and
determined purpose 10 ppboId he
faw; and 7 am inst Jid 'oEy enough
20 believe that ~ 'he men Who com
NIT these larger crimes are made
90 'feubie A. tho pr0speot NJ our
duty 'Ovgd them bedng done and as
a consequence tbnif receiving tho
punishment merited, The Same result
will fOll0w no condemnation ~ The
minor oRenses. n the citizen will feel
himself as much outraged AZ the
gambler. bootlegRer and pistol 'Oter
as he d0es a. the murderer and thief.
n IL an old saying, that what Is
eveFybOdys business is hobody's bus-
6nesss,' and belief In this Old aph0r-
Ism may account for tho negligence
of both the citizen and officer, the
ono feeling that the gamblers, booze
sellers and pistol toters are good fel
lows and necessary evil. and there
fore, their acts should 10 coudoned,
and the other that n no one Will In
form against such violations NJ The
Law. n Is an easy matter 90 keep his
eyes shut As flile tho peDple ate
law abiding and desire their laws on
forced. and n is also true that ~
rule, toward the minor OTenses
10 which I have referred they go
along I'm n lackndaislcal. negative
klnd NJ way. while the offender In
olylng his vocation. whether by
stealth or fraud, Is positive and vide
erests and those of his pals The
,Hender ls over ready 20 give inform
ilon that viii aid his fellows, and
willing, n no dare do ", 20 slug
~ officer and denounce the citizen
who stands In His way Suppose the
citizen is Just as positive and as de-
nunclatory of tho offender and his
onensesY n would follow as tho nat
nral outgrowth ~ Ruch honest pur-
pose and fldelty that an overpoWsr-
ing Influence would appear, sweeping
the neglectful officer from his OIL
tlal position and driving the Offender
from his crime-iust M sure aa moral
courage and public virtue will out
weigh daslardy deeds no matter by
whom committed There must bp an
awakening ~ the public conscience
not SO much In words alone, as In
hue and cry that Ia raised In certain
quarters falls far ehort ~ that which
Ia neoded-iha extent of II In ahso
lutoly nborilve In results only II
servcs 60 arouse the offender and
make him moro cautious for tho 'lme.
causing him tho annoyance Of little
Inconvenience, which ls offset by tho
reflection that II is just a spasm OF
virtue that will die. and before n can
DO ressurecled no has moro Innings
tn his credit Take, for ins'anCe.
what is known az tho prohibition
law and we hear on every hand mon
who are known Co 10 good citizens,
saying they arc opposed to u hecnus"
4 cannot no enforced and uae such
conclusion ne a preiest 90 further OK
blblt their Indifference hy going tn
aha ballot bos aud voting for whisky,
when We are bound 20 know that
niirh rnnrlmalnn la q must lnme and