The midland journal., 1917-02-23
Article TX

Journal
Somewhere McCauley says, in sub
stance, "You can not Cypress a
peasant in India without making
life in London less safe"-an ex-
treme statement of an undoubted
truth in government. Applying it
to Marylnnd we may say that you
can not falsely imprison farm
laborer in Charles County without
making life in Baltimore more
dangerous. You can not refuse
justice to the humblest people in
the lowest ranks of society without
imperiling the freedom of those most
independent in life. We are all en-
gagged in a common undertaking in
this state and an injury to one, to
use the old motto of the Knights of
Labor, is the concern of all.
1t is precisely those members of
our community most needing its
thoughtful care and protection in
the administration of justice who
least receive it. The courts which
the poor ignorant and defenseless
know are largely those of justices of
the Peace. Other officials with
whom they come in contact are
deputy sheriffs and constables. We
have in the counties of Maryland a
great number of Justices of the
Peace, sometimes four to an election
district, and are we'll equipped with
deputy sheriffs and constables fur
nished with titles and with power to
go forth, as to constables and
deputies, to make arrests, and, as to
the Justices of the Peace, to commit
to Jail, with little or no restraint.
We make their pay dependent upon
the number of cases they handle and
in an incidental way upon the num-
Der of convictions secured. The
sheriff or deputy who is fortunate
enough, as he deems it, to conduct a
prisoner from a distant part of the
county to the county Jail or to the
House of Correction and receive five
or ten dollars for so doing, greatly
congratulates himself, and to this
beneficient and he often stands
ready to strain every nerve. His
prime desire many times is not to
preserve order, to enforce justice
but to secure emolument for himself.
How many instances of abuse
have come to the ears of all of us?
How often have we learned of men
innocently enough tramping the
road, legitimately returning home
who have been arrested as vagrants
and hurried to the House of Cor
rection to serve for months, their
arrest and conviction having nc
better reason for being than the few
dollars divided between the Justice
of the Peace and the sheriff or con-
stable? When some crime has been
committed, how often it has been
the case that without proper grounds
some ignorant man (usually color
ed), has been rushed to the county
seat to await an examination which
everybody must we'll have known in
advance could only result in his dis
charge. But the sheriff has been
literally paid for the transportation.
Perhaps in the early history of the
State, when trip to the capital OF
the county, was a matter of days,
there might have been sufficient
reason for the creation of neighbor-
h00d iUctinoc ond tha nOvartU Of
government might have excused at
least their compensation under the
fee system. Today when the average
county seat can be reached from al
most any part of the county by auto
mobile at least within an hour or
two, where formerly as much time
was required to travel from the
boundary of the election district to
the Office of the Justice of the Peace
and when all considerations of econ
omy demand paid officials, there
ceases to be any reason for the null
titude of petty judicial Offices we
now have.
Baltimore City has recognized this
condition and established minor
courts, the existence of which has
practically taken the enforcement of
the law out of the hands Of Justices
of the Peace. 1t rests with our
counties to have like steps taken for
them. Until they do this, the adj
ministration Of justice in q minor