The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1914-06-04
SOMETHING RADICALLY
WRONG N STATES
ATTORNEYS OFFICE
DURING THE PAST EIGHTEEN
MONTHS THIS OFFICE HAS
COST THE TAXPAYERS OVER
$39, 100000 AND FEW RESULTS
HAVE BEEN SHOWN - EN-.
FORCEMENT OF CRIMINAL
LAWS A FARCE. &

The Office of States Attorney is the
most important Office in the county,
because upon the incumbent of that
Office depends the manner in which
criminals are punished and whether
or not the penal laws are enforced.
Criminals grow very bold where
they understand the States Attorney
is incompetent and rarely secures con.
in cases actually tried, with
the result that the enforcement of
criminals laws becomes 4 farce.
For instance, where a cold blooded
brutal murder is committed and the
murderer escapes with a comparative
ly short sentence, wholly inadequate
punishment for the offense committed,
and where criminals are turned loose,
either through defective papers or q
failure to properly conduct a prose-
cution, a feeling of unrest and inse-
curity comes into the community.
From the time the warrant is issued
until the case is finally disposed of it
costs the taxpayers money at every
stage. Where 81 warrants are issued
without arrests or returns being
made and 1t costs $4,000; where 65
cases are dismissed by Justices Of the
Peace at preliminary hearings at cost
of $1540.00 and where the States At
torney himself has dismissed 103
cases, at cost Of $4056.00, it is
enough to direct the taxpayers At.
tention to such an Office, and to In
quire ''Why were the warrants o. KID
by the States Attorney" and ''Why
this great extravagant expenditure of
the taxpayers money with no re-
sults?" The result Of conducting the
States Attorneys Office in this man
ner together with the fact that very
few Convictions are secured in contest
ed cases, encourages crime.
We are not unbiased in this matter.
We have given the matter mature con-
sideration. We know that during the
past eighteen months the States At
torney's Office in this county has cost
a little over $39000.00. That in con-
tested cases during that time but Is
convictions have been secured, and
more than one half of such convictions
were petty offenses, such as assault
and battery, cases that are ordinarily
disposed of in Justice Court by the
Justice of the Peace, without the aid
of the States Attorney, and with very
little, If any, cost to the county. For
every conviction secured in cases ac-
tually tried during the past eighteen
months, the average cost of the total
amount expended is $1560.o0 per ease.
1t occurs to us that there is some
thing radically wrong in this Office.
We are spending money and should
get first class service and for that
money expended We are getting proc
tically no results.
We have Investigated the standing
and ability as a lawyer Of Francis
J. Murphy, who is republican can
didate for the nomination for the Of
fee of States Attorney.
We find that Mr.. Murphy has been
a resident and tax payer Of Ward
county, North Dakota, for the past Is
years and for ten years Of that time
he has practiced in the State and
Federal courts. For three years he
acted as assistant States Attorney
in this county. He has also been ap.
pointed BY courts % special prosecut-
or in three counties and It occurs to
Us that he h eminently fitted for the
position.
That We might not mislead our read
ers, we have asked Mr.. Murphy this
question: IF you are elected States
Attorney win the Ward County tax
payers have to pay for ! special pros
ecutor to assist your" and We have
him on record to the effect that II he
lie elected States Attorney he win try
all criminal cases arising In this coun-
ty without the aid Of = special prose-
cntor and without any additional ex-
penses to the taxpayers Of this county.
We believe he means exactly what
he says and We believe that If he is
elected States Attorney that the Of
flee will be conducted in much more
businesslike manner with less cost
to the taxpayers and with greater ef-
ficiency than in the past.
We believe when person applies