The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-10
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as f
  from the poor is perpetrated in this county.
 We find that there Is a systematic padding of the justices of the peace dock ets,. and an assumption on their part of jurisdiction that is not conferred on these officials by law. There k compromising of felonies The dockets OK the justices of the peace in this county would convict | many of them for peonage should the federal government choose to enforce it's
 laws against them, and we recommend that the federal government do go into l systematic probing as to peonage be- ing nerpetrated in this county
 Even this is not the worst Look now upon the recital of murders and homicides reported: From October l, 1910. to October 26, 1911, there were 155 murders in this county; and withaI so many murders. upon not a case was capital punishment inflicted; indeed, there were but few convictions, and not in a single case was punishment | inflicted sufficiently swift or severe as
 to intimidate the criminally disposed. l To realize the utter desperateness of the situation, we have but to compare
 the attitude of other nations and com munities with our own. From an edi- torial in the Richmond Times Dispatch
 quoting from recent census bulletin,
 we take the following:
 1 Number of murders per 1 1000, 900
 population in the United States, 1O3; per
 100000 population in Great Britain.
 9; per 100000 population in Germany.
 I per 1,000,0 900 population in France, 6;
 per 100000 population in Spain, II; per
 100000 population in Canada, IT,. l Number of murders in city of Lon
 don, with population of 1000, ,00O in 1910.
 were only 19; out of this number 10
 were hanged, five committed suicide
 before trial and four were proven not
 guilty
 "A recent editorial in the Birming- ham News says:
 The number of murders in Jefferson county for the current year 1O months) | 1167.
 Prom this it will be seen that the murder rate per 1,000,0O0 in this county
 for this year is in round numbers 700, or seven times as great as the average for the United States, and 100 times as great as that for Germany. The actual facts reveal that the value of human life in this county is lower than any
 where else in the civilized world =
 All Arms of the Law Such presentation is virtual in- dctment of all arms Of the law con- | cerned. It is further an indictment of l all of our people, if sucn savage con | dition of things is longer tolerated What should be done and what can be done about it? The majesty of the law should be re-established Anarchy should be put down Justice should be
 administered to all alike. to the rich
 or strong or influential as to the weak. Punishment. swift, sure and adequate, should follow crime and es- pecially the crime of murder The poor and ignorant should be no longer sub
 jected to discrimination and oppression | under the pretense of law enforcement Tt is surely time when the minis l ters of God. the watchmen upon the
 walls, should cry aloud and spare not.
 Let them inform the people of the real
 state of affairs; let them arouse the slumbering consciences of the people: | pulpits..
 There is, too. call definite and strong to the bar of tNe city and commonwealth l'nquestionably the bar association is q potential influence, which, if aroused. could in large measure correct much of the miscarriage of justice of which com plaint is made. The bar association has the brains. Has it the courage and the patriotism to rise tV the emergency and correct, as far as in it lies, the mani fest evils ct our court procedure?
 Largely With People But the corrective is most largely with the people, the whole people The ip- dictment which rests against the com munity is an indictment of it's people. It is call to every serious, honest, pa triotic God-fearing citizen of this in- tiuentia center This is the peoples cause. They have delegated the admin istration and enforcement of the law to those now holding offices. It is for tne people to call upon their servants, one and all of them. deiSanding d prompt and thorough correction of the existing evils. Only when the people speak, speak in the majesty of their power, and speak with no uncertain voice, will the graft CTS, the murdereis, the social parasites and moral vampires that are feeding upon our civic. life be driven from their place and the shame and sorrow which rests like pail upon our community he lifted. Then we may hope to become d God-serving and law-regarding comrnu- nity--such community as can invite worthy men and worthy capital to come and make their homes. and homes for their families. among us. It is the loud and insistent call of duty that we sound Let every patriotic citizen give heed I've, the clergy. of every faith and order. pledge to the commonwealth our