The Washington herald., 1910-10-01

Grilllng the criminal lawyer IN heated
attack. and assaning the criminal law
as a relic Of barbarism" Gov Albert
w Gilchrist. of Florida, delivered a SEN
sational address before the American
Prison Association at the New Willard
last night.
Too often is the operation OF law in
the United States the kidnapper OF JUS
tice." he declared. THAT is the reason
why, on lack of due process of law,
Judge Lynch steps in and proceeds. re-
gaTdless OF statute. The facts are be-
fore Us; the remedy is AT hand
But this fact I have always found 10
be true-it is hard 10 get any reform OF
the law which affects the lawyers
pocketbooks. That is the crux OF the
situation. l have frequently had reason
10 believe there were too many lawyers
in the Florida legislature. I have made
recommendation looking 10 the improve
ment Of the criminal procedure, which
have been turned down.
1T is q commonplace among lawyers
that any man can get an appeal from
court decision If he has money enough.
The refuge of the rich is the mazes and
Lechnicalitias OF the law. OF course. some
States have already passed remedial leg
islation. which President Taft has rec
commended. but believe the conditions 1
have pictured are typical Of this eoun-
Try"
Prof. John II. Wigmore. dean OF the
Northwestern University Law School.
Evanston. H.. was drastic. He declared
that hundreds of prosecuting attorneys
and judges Of criminal courts in this
country knew absolutely nothing Of the
science Of penology. They know court
procedure, and are content with that.
or the psychology Of the criminal, Of the
problems which reformatoTies battle with.
they know little and care less.
In presenting the report Of the commit
tee on criminal law reform, Albert II
Hall. Of Minneapolis recommended the
establishment of a Federal bureau Of
registration and identification and OF a
Federal bureau To promote the revision
Of criminal law procedure.
Duty of the Government.
This government Of the people ought
to make il its chief concern 10 dis
cover, develop and realize itself, by
gathering and recording full Geographic
and civic data Of each Of its component
units. the life of every man, he said.
I'VE have developed the registration and
Identification OF its thoroughbred domes-
tic animals Why omit the record OF
human life. the supreme product OF Gre
alton? Such a registration should be
national in scope and authority. embrac-
ing a continuous enumeration and consec-
utive numbering of the whole citizenship,
including a duplicate card certificate sys-
tenn, Identifying its bearer by photograph
and finger print. Such duplicates should
be kept in a Federal bureau. There
should be compulsory daily entry and
report by all courts OF record and other
official keepers OF social and vital data
10 show every contact of the man with
the state.
For the wise. orderly and scientific
reform Of criminal law in the United
States, there is now pressing need of an
expert criminal legislation bureau.
equipped with all available statistics. re-
ports. forms. precedents. and treatises,
prepared 10 furnish quickly the same on
applicat ion. and TO draw and propose
bills of codihcation and furnish expert
service"
Judge Charles A. De Courcy. OF Boston.
entered a vigorous defense Of the honor
of the American lawyer. and declared the
-'' law Of Massachusetts, was not
The muek-raker and
e~om be-