The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-24

suspicion or, to make a record for him.
self. The great majority of these per-
sons are poor people without friends
and without money to employ attor-
neys to defend them or appeal their
cases and are obliged to submit often
to work out their sentences and kept
with the worst class of criminals.
When released disgraced and dishonor-
ed thay have a hatred for policemen.
Judges, laws and society in general ana
are apt to become the worst class or
criminals.
.Under Police Judge N. B. Arnold
that practice was not followed, The
object was not to make convictions ami
collect fines from the unfortunates that
came before the court; but to admtn-
lister Justice to all, no matter how pour.
All were given fair trials and if con-
victed of light offffeffnses were gwen
light fines and often paroled
Relief for Poor Women.
MANY poor women, the wives. y
drunken husbands. would come ana
SIX that their husbands be paroled SO
that they could help support them ana
their children that were in want ana
depending on charity. Many such were
paroled and scarcely any or them eNe
came back before the court Ihey IeII
the Jail feeling that had received Iair
treatment. with good feelings TOWARDS
cit, officers. Judges and laws and US
uaily became better citizens: While II
thew had been given heavy fines and
kept pounding rocks for weeks they
would have left with feeling CT
hatred and probably became worse
criminals.
"JTnder that policy the poor condi-t
lions of the city were less apparent;
with only a few and sometimes no
prisoners the sanitary condition was
not so bad. Under the present poney
it is entirely different. With 40 or
more prisoners there is an urgent need
for a larger Jail and better san1tacy
quarters.
IF the present policy of strict on
forcement of all laws and ordinances
was full carried out with enough
policemen to fully cover the city the
daily number of prisoners would not be
40 but probably 400 to 500. In fact if all
state laws and city ordinances could be
strictly enforced and all violators
placed in jails more than three-fourths
of the adult population of the city
would be in Jail and the remain Ter
would be nee ed to act as policemen
and jailers.
Rev. F. L. Loveland on February
18th last in an address at the First NJ
thodist church, scored the present
system of legislature and court pro-
cedure. Too many laws of no value in
his opinion have brought disrespect for
regard for laws in this country-'laTs |
are disregarded and violated in every |
hand Crime is rapidly increasing IN |
our country Our laws are already too |
numerous and yet are rapidly increas-
ing in number If every person i'll /
this audience were obliged to start to
prison tomorrow who has unwittingly. |
and unintentfonally vio- /
lated some ordinance or law, there |
would but few of you be able to at
tend this service on next Sunday night
nthis church. If that is the case with
an intelligent audience gathered in the
First Methodist church to listen to j
sermon by DIR. Loveland, what per-
cent of the people of the city at large
are law breakers
Warden Codding of the state peni-
tertiary, has justly said that our jails
are schools of crime. Yes We have too
many laws H-any that are of no value
and others that interfere too much
with personal rights and individual