The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1910-03-11
II MiScnrriN6e
OfJUStice.

" Il USCLCE.
The Enterprise always takes pleasure
in commencing public officials upon duty
well done, but in the case Of Ex-Super'
visor Joiner which was compromised
Wednesday morning We find nothing fol
which to commend either the Judge ;oz
District Attorney. "A hadpsesedeat for
law entorment against white men in Le-
Flore county has been set and preced-
ent is a dangerous thing in Mississippi.
The court will doubtless continue 10
Esend negroes .to-tAe ep~enitentiary for
stealing . COW or something and probs-
ably q white man charged with grand
larceny of cotton at Swif's gin. will Il.
20 be sent, but all felony cases against
Mr.. Joiner, ! public oficialwho planned
and deliberately robbed the county in
his official capacity during q period of
fifteen months or more Of 81, zoo. 90,
were nolle pressed. The thefts were
deliberately planned and executed and
there we're no extenuating circumstances
save as the Commercial Appeal express
ed at the time that owing to the prom
%inence of his family prosecutions were
unlikely"
This was a doctrine to which the En-
terprise refused to subrcribe but it
comes nearer being the view of the
court than we thought If the cores
pondent had added for q felony he
would have have hit the nail on the
head. "
There were eight indictments. five of
them charging a felony, and three "a
misdemeanor. These felony indict-
ments were found by a LeFlore county
grand jury, but the court steps in and
says that a LeFlore county petit jury
could not pass on the same.
Great pressure was brought to bear
on the judge and district attorney by
prominent citizens.
This was wrong, men should not use
their influence because of friendship or
sympathy in any case to nullify the
law. When they do, they put the law
to shame and are not doing their duty
as good citizens of the state. But this
does not excuse the court. The judge
and district attorney are sworn officers
Of the law. The influential men should
have their ear no more than the humb-
lest citizen. The case in question was
not one for either q fine or a Jail SEN
sentence. The crime committed was
either a premeditated felony or nothing
ut all. The defendent should have been
sent to the p~enitentiary or turned loose.
1t is such compromises that bring our
courts idto disrepute aud make people
lose respect for the same.
If you want to do a thing. don't COM
promise by half doing it. To halfway
dog thing, either right or wrong, only
inspires contempt.
Gov Noel should grant the petition
for pardon of the Jail sentence and fin
ish the job up properly by RENTING
the fine and let the state pay the costs.
Greenwood enterprise.
In toto this paper endorses every
word of the above except the last par
agraph. Gov. Noel should ignore the
petition when it reaches him, and in
reply should express himself in plain
language about justice having been
outraged by this compromise.
Before committing the theft Joiner
should have thought Of the disgrace
and shame his act would bring on his
innocent wife and family. To the very
fullest they deserve the sympathy of
every one; but for Joiner, his betrayal
of confidence and the. theft of public
funds, his desert was an enforcement
of the law.-Yazoo City Herald.