Weekly journal-miner., 1913-04-30
SMALL ARMY OF
 OFFENDERS IS SENT HERE
(From Thursdays Daily.)

[
 brought to Prescott yesterday fror Phoenix, all pleading guilty to var
 ous crimes, linked to smuggling an
 selling whiskey to Indians, and plac
 ed in the custody of Sheriff Keel
 CT.
 | A separate car was attached to tn
 train, and large crowd was attract
 ed to the depot to witness the un
 usual spectacle of so many offender
 being in custody for this characte
 of crime, which is becoming to be
 serious problem to handle
 Of the bunch one was colored
 eight were white men, and hfty
 were Mexicans. Chief Deputy B
 Anderson was in charge, and had a:
 guards Marion McCann, John Browr
 and s. Fadler No trouble was ex.
 perienced in bringing the men to this city, and none attempted to escape
 They were sentenced to two months each, with an additional penalty i'm posed of fine of Sl00 each. Deputy Anderson states that over 100 more are accused of the same crime, and will be tried later Their removal to this city was due to accommodations being available With the county prisoners, Jailor Burns now has eigh- ty-one offenders to take care of The group was snapped" by the Selig Polyscope motion camera as they were marched up the street from the depot
 Morrow Makes Suggestions.
 Honorable William w. Morrow. judge of the United States circuit court of appeals at San Francisco, who IS holding the April term of the United States district court for Ari- zona, has recommended to the attor- ney general change in the law pre- scribing punishment for the offense of trafficking in liquor among the In- dians. The present law makes the offense a felony and punishable by a fine of not less than $l00 and inn prisonment not less than two years. As a rule, judges in the United States courts rarely impose more than a jail sentence for the first of fense
 Judge Morrow has suggested that the first offense be made a misde- meanor and that United States com missioners be given jurisdiction to hear and dispose of them, with right of appeal to the United States court. The present term of the Unit ed States court affords a singular ex- ample of the wisdom of such a ! change in the law.
 Judge Morrow was confronted with more than one hundred and twenty-five defendants, all charged l with selling liquor. Judging from past experience most of them will plead guilty and receive jail sen -ences, if they are first offenders Many of them have been in jail for some months awaiting trial and would have been glad of the oppor- unity to go before the commission ers in the counties where they were lrrested, plead guilty and receive their sentence. The saving to the United States would be great, as it costs in the neighborhood of $25,000 to hold term of court, the majority of the expense being occasioned by the liquor-selling cases.
 Costly Police Court.
 The result has been that the Unit ed States district court is made nothing more than a high-class but costly police court when the com missioners might as we'll save both the trouble and expense of prosecut- ing these cases in the higher court.
 Judge Morrow has investigated throughout the circuit and has found them practically the same in every district where the Indians are to be found A similar recon was made to the attorney general some years ago and he in cluded it in his annual report but it was never acted upon.
 Judge Morrow believes that the law prohibiting the sale of liquor to the Indians should be enforced, but Is of the opinion that it can be made more effective if the commissioners are given jurisdiction to hear and determine these cases. It would re- move any temptation to the Indians to violate the law for the purpose of getting a semi-annual trip to the seat of the United States court and afford i an ample and constitutional method of punishing those who engage in the traffic.