The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1917-06-29
STATE Furnishes
HER INNOCENTS

Editor Leader-Enterprse: n
1t is true am only little country +
lawyer and that my opinion is worth d
little more than the average nan but r,
the Constitution OF the United States Ii
and the Constitution Of Georgia both a
provide to each man freedom Of
speech and Of the press. Bob Toomb' S;
once said, Liberty in its last analysis n
is but the sweat of the poor and the e
blood OF the brave" and I say that t
all the progress in all lines of arts and /
sciences, crafts and trades was t
brought forth by the initiative of peo- t
pie who stopped to think All the ii
great wealth and power of this or any
other country was produced first min
the minds Of thinkers. The wealth
of seas and spoils of war are the III
rect result OF thinkers. Thinkers y
the past ages have engraved thci
ror,es NOT on1v on stone and c,n,,,l ty.
but in the hearts and minds of thos d.
of us who come now with the desity'
.. h,;x ,,horo +hev 1ef+ az wing
Man is creature of impulse T "
will either rise in mental equipois NC
descend in Gradual currents Of f((istrs
getfulness No work has ever be- u
accomplished in an absolute perfeio
and ,o+h;,a : ouor ao.+1od -, befe
1, Ill. No. -: COZ
;nst;t,1+ad .nd n,any raho1,;a. l,917,
c,,1+od f-o,, +ho s,,aoe+;o e =, resi-
at first seemed small thing but whe no
brought to the attention OF thinke
it became not mole-hill but an III
scaled mountain which the calvacao-
at once attempted to climb. Now a
this is preface to this, my arraign
ment of the fair state of Georgiaun
which we are proud to claim as thter,
Empire State of the South" 70
Now l make bold to say that therein
is something fundamentally wrong
in the policy of this state when it Al
put punishment upon the heads of so h,
many hundreds Of women and child 10
rem every year. Oh, you did not
know that, did you? Well, how does
it come about? Wherein does this
state, for which so many thousands
of human lives have been laid down.
come in on this nefarious game?
Where has one innocent person been
punished? How does it happen that
we have SO learned men to make our
laws and enforce them yet we punish
so many innocents? aye, there's the
rub Whether it adds to or takes
from my personal welfare I care not
but l sti1l contend that Section No
368 of the Penal Code of Georgia,
1910. should be repealed absolutely
The section in question reads as fol-
lows: 500
eff any person being married shall
marry another person, the lawful hus-
band or wife being alive, and knowing
such husband or wife is living, such
person offending shall be punished by
confinement at labor in the peniten-
tiary for not less than two years nor
more than ten years, and the second
marriage shall be void"
l ask you, kind reader. in case John
Jones, having wife and five little
children, none of whom are large
enough to labor, should leave them
in destitute circumstances, and marry
another single woman, what is the
condition of the parties? What is the
lawful and social status Of the second /
wife and her issue, if any? But worse
still is the pitiable condition of those
helpless buds of humanity so ruth
lessly left to the mercy of the world
Well, you say, arrest John on the
charge of abandonment. The law pro-
vides for that it is true; and may pos
sibly give him twelve months on the
Changing. Then where does the
children come in? Are they provid-
ed tor! Never. Again you suggest
that John be arrested and tried for
bigamy. The law provides for that
and he may draw four years on the
county roads. Then where do the
children come in for protection? No
where. If we find John guilty of both
these crimes and give him the penalty
of each where do the children draw?
Nowhere. Now bigamy being the
worst of the two we will give him
four years on the roads and at the
same time grant his first wife alimony
of ten dollars per month When will
she get the money, when John is re-
leased after four years? Nix he will
refuse to pay it and go to Jail for con-
tempt of court there to remain till the
almony is forthcoming. How can he