The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-12-06

INEQUALITY 4AEO3E I1aE Law.
An excellent Sign Of the times, and
Of the development Of moro right
eous civilization In the this country is
the Increasing number Of people who
are taking the stand in the open
that the rich and the poor should be
equal before the law in fact a. we'll a.
in theory. It was only the other day
that Governor Eoas Of Massachusetts
made the statement. rather startling
on its face. that in this state alone
there were NO less than ten thousand
persons in jail simply because Of their
poverty. They were doing time
through lack OF means to pay the
fines assessed against them for al
sorts OF petty crimes and misdemean-
oFs. And Massachusetts, has no mort
gage on such q condition of affairs.
The same thing il to be found to q
greater or less extent in every state
Of the Union. What travesty 1t II on
the administration Of Justice!
Only ono law or ordinance is en-
acted on any one subject for all classes
Of people. Yet when 1t comes to the
application of a law or ordinance it
permits Of wide discrimination be-
the one who has none. The rich man
who commits a fineable offense is set
free upon the payment Of the fine.
And under similar circumstances some
method should be put into practice
whereby the man without money can
also have his freedom. Why couldn't
he be paroled and permitted to pay
his fine in lnstallments as he Is able
20 snh
tons his punishment would be more
burdensome than that imposed on the
man who is well-to-do. But not only
would he have his freedom. while he
| was paying his fine by piecemeal. He
would also be in a position to con-
| tribute to the support of his family.
or others dependent upon him. II he
had no family. What boon this
would be to countless families, who
now are made to suffer severely If
their bread-winners get caught In the
clutches Of the law for petty offenses
or for failure to obey some one Of the
many strange ordinances that are to
Of rules, and which might. well have
been left unwritten.
Better still. a nearer approach to
0CtudA SQual1ty III tuC duu1lAISlL 4tlOn
OF Justice would likely be attained
were all fines abolished, and nothing
but Jail sentences imposed on all
persons who are guilty of what
are now fineable offenses. These
the present average run of Jail SEN
fences for petty crimes and INSIDE
meanors. The mere fact that no one
S~I,x ~.
payment of a fine would certainly be-
come q petty crime deterrent, and
especially as far as the rich are con-
cerned. many Of whom are all too
prone to show an utter disregard for
the lesser laws and ordinances be-
| cause of the knowledge that their
money will pay them out Of the diff
culties they may get in. Thus the
man with plenty Of money. to pay any
old kind Of fine would be on an
Identical footing with the man who
happened not TO be 20 biessed. But II
the filming system II mot abolished the
poor man should be given in some
way the same advantage Of freedom
from jail sentences that il now pos
sessed by the moneyed man.
And another thing. Too many
i JuO8SS VINO arc Cn6I&eQ Win the AQ-
ministration Of the petty laws and
ordinances are unnecessarily severe in
the sentences they impose. This is
the Twentieth century. not the Nine
teenth. nor the Eighteenth. nor the
First. It IL q century Of progress in
all things, and in none more SO than
in the awakening to the realization
that humans are entitled to humane
| treatment. There have been judges
Pontius Pilate-who have sent inno-
cent men to the cross. Judges who
have sentenced women to be unmerci-
fully flogged, and men to be hanged
! for the theft Of a shilling. But such
were the customs when these judges
reigned supreme. These customs.
however. prevailed in the past. They
are not Of the Twentieth century. And
yet there are some judges in the in
ferior courts who would evidently
gloat over the opportunity to inflict
such punishments on the unfortunatea
who get before them, il they can be
rightly appraised by some of the SEN
fences they now impose.
| .-...n.
A DEFENSE OF THE PRESS.
An effective answer to the criticism
that newspapers devote too much of
their space to sensational topics was
framed by the late Joseph Pulitzer, the
genius who developed the New York
World II In contained In the rerni0iR-