Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-12-16

the fault probably lies with our sys-
tenn Of keeping real estate records
which has become very cumbersome
and 1t nay be hard to make q change
to another system. The transfers OF
real estate ought to be less compli-
Gated. This matter has been kseenly
felt in other countries ~ we'll - here
In Iowa and many new and improved
systems have. been Devised. It ought
not to be necessary to give the history
Of t~heiownership Of = piece of real e.
tate. from A to z every time It changes
hands. 1--we keep On doiAs that we
shall finally have real estate records
that are longer than the moral law. It
might be owell- to have stated clearance
periods, that 10 times In which owner
ship was validated and that AL trans
fers then would be dated from that
particdhr tiIne:. That ID that back Of
a certain year all contests should be
barred. now a. nfan has to 6Osend his
title, against too many contingencies
cayss On. owner considerable trouble.
and itttakesy q lawyer noWadays to ex-
anime every abstract ana some times
even q lawyer can not get Il straight
ened out satisfactorly.4s'
So far the . side paper has an
Issue that has. merit In. It and an early
reform Of these cumbersome methods
would seesur deslrable.t yet any new
system should be carefully worked out
and mo- hastily adopted. 80 far az
the fees are concerned, we suppose
they are all covered by statutes and
the charges permitted in legal docu-
ments are sometimes more or less alb.
surd, where the documents are long.
UNWIsE LENIENCY.
lDes Moines Register and Leader.1
No mar who has been fairly tried
and convicted Of q serious ofense
against the peace and good order Of
community should be freed from
the legal penalties in such a way az
to leave him or the community under
the impression hat in some way he
has escaped what others under similar
circumstances have been forced to en-
dure.
This is a general proposition that
can be applied to any specific case
without difficulty. and that will be
found to have no exceptions what
ever. Where men are freed from the
penalties Of the law 1t should be for
extenuating circumstances as
clearly diferentiate their cases from
the cases of other men guilty of similar
derelictions.
1t is a mistake to get a wishy washy
leniency towards individual offenders
against the law or classes Of offenders
mixed up with penal reform. a mistake,
however, that is quite commonly made.
reform does not mean minimizing
nor ignoring offences against the law.
II means a much more intelligent con-
OF the men who have been
guilty OF ofenses against the law to
the end that the restraints Of the law
may work to their W good and the
good of the community.
The fact that the confinement has so
often worked to the injury of those
confined has Influenced the community
more than once to petition for the re-
lease of young men, women and girls,
other have been able to excite public
interest. In some cases paroles have
undoubtedly been properly granted in
advance Of confinement. But the sys-
tenn Is wrong. and Is bound to lead to
abuse.
There should be one uniform prac-
tice with regard to men, women boys
and girls who have gotten into wrong
relations WITH ot9aniked society. Ihey
should be taken IN hand by the state
such a period Of training. long or
short. as will put them in the way Of
becoming useful citizens. Once the
state is committed to this view Of It's
obligation there will be less prejudice
against convictions, and there will be
fewer appeals for an unwise 'leniency.
IN A SALOON TOWN.
dubuque Tfmes-JournaI.1
Those people who have been an
moved by sc%reeching automobile horns,
train whistles. barking dogs and howl