Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-02-19
NEW LAWS NOT NEEDED
STATE OF IOWA HAS SUFFICIENT
STATUTES TO INSURE HIGH
MORAL TONE.
MANY GOOD STATE LAWS,
ALL WELL ENFORCED
County Attorneys Of State Make Re-
ply to Attorney General Byers' Cues.
tions Regarding observance-some
Suggestions For Changes in Present
Statutes.


Suggestions For Changes in Present
Statutes.
Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines, Feb. 19.-Law enforce
ment and law observance are the rule
rather than the exception in the state
Of Iowa.
The laws are we'll enforced.
The laws are generally good.
The laws in regard to saloons, liquor
sales, ETC. ARE being generally lived
up to.
The law enforcing officers differ
widely as to whether or not any new
Legislation is needed or whether there
should be repeal Of some laws, accord
ing to some of their reports received
by Attorney General Byers in response
to his recent circular sent out to find
out about these matters from the Of
fees of county attorneys.
The county attorney Of Grundy coun-
ty, for instance, is not planning for
more legislation. He says:
ct seems to me that we have too
many laws. Laws are all right, but the
trouble is in regard to enforcement of
them Some of these laws are too
stringent they can not be enforced to
the letter. Then there is another thing
to be taken into considerations is
pretty hard to make people good by
legislation. You can lead horse to a
tank of water but you can not make
him drink Society is so constituted
that we must have laws, but the trou-
BILE is every fellow has hobby and
he wants q law to put his hobby in
operation"
Suggestions From cass.
The county attorney Of Cass county
finds basis for suggestion, and
writes:
81 know of nothing the prosecuting
attorney needs so badly as law ere
ating a special tax or fund with proper
safeguards surrounding it, for the use
of the office in employing assistance IN
securing evidence against the chronic
law vioIators in the sale of liquors and
petty thievings and gambling"
The county attorney of Boone be-
lieves chat the legislation that would
do the most good to strengthen and
make effective the criminal laws OF the
state would be some change in the
criminal procedure. I would suggest
an amendment to the grand jury sys-
TEN to the effect that while the grand
Jury should return indictments II
should not be compulsory on the coun-
ty attorney to give his evidence to the
defendant nor the names of the Wit
nesses."
The county attorney Of Wapello gives
it as his opinion that ''the most eff
fective prevention of crime is vigorous
prosecution and speedy and certain
punishment; and not too much sentl-
mentality and leniency in the way OF
executive clemency."
Even Sioux City Doing Something.
From Sioux City comes the informa-
ton that law enforcement is well IN
hand. The attorney says:
with reference to the operation OF
the saloons in this county without hav-
ing fully complied with the provisions
of the mulct law, I can well say that
never since I have lived in the county
have the saloons so literally complied
with the law as at the present time.
That there are violations, doubt not,
but they are not violations like those
which we have fad.'
There are neither gambling houses
nor houses of i'll fame in the city.
The attorney of Carroll county has
suggestion as to better law enforce
ment:
There should be some provisions al
lowing the sheriff, on the advice or
the county attorney without asking the
board Of supervisors or any other
power on earth, to spend money for the
purpose Of hiring secret agents to Sc
cure evidence against violators."
The attorney of Pottawattamie coun-
ty says that all provisions of the mulct
law are being observed, and neither
gambling nor prostitution is permitted.
He would authorize courts to require
witnesses in criminal proceedings to
enter into bond for their appearance,
and there should be reform in the man
ner of selecting juries.
The county attorney of Linn county
says: "My efforts toward law enforce
ment have been limited to- continued
and persistent prosecution of all cases
of violations of law where evidence was
Scott Doesn't Want More Law.
The county attorney of Scott county
has mo suggestions to make in regard
to new legislation as I have found the
criminal laws of the state to be suffi-
cient in every instance"
The county attorney of Shelby coun-
" would have the calling of grand
jury optional with the judge, would
reform the justice court jury, would
extend injunctions to gambling houses.
and would permit an accused person to
plead guilty without waiting for
grand jury.
The tenor Of the replies received, of
which the above are only a few sam
pies, is that the laws of the state are
now better enforced than ever and this
is especially true of laws relating to the
liquor trade. and that there is much
less cause for complaint about saloons
and illicit sales of liquor than ever
before in the history of the state. The
In EVERY WAY