Americus times-recorder., 1919-11-24
CRIME WAVE IS
LAID ON LIQUOR
BY COURT JUDGE
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Continued from Page IT,
tor for this type of offenses, while on
the other hand, the higher grade of
crime, such as murders and arson,
always affect some one directly, and
therefore, is nearly always ready to
lay before you without delay.
Misdemeanors At Bottom.
Nearly all our infractions of the
law grow out of failure to enforce
our laws against misdemeanors, and
where these laws are not enforced
you will find the criminal dockets
loaded with the higher grade of crime !;
and likewise, where the misdemeanor
laws are enforced the number of
higher grade crimes viii be found to
be fewer. A great msny of the
higher grade offenses flow directly
from gaming. We krow. of course,
that this type of crime is most COM
mon among one OF the races, but l
want to say to you that you can't
build up respect for law by enforcing
it against one race and letting the
other go"
Judge Littlejohn called attention to
the duty of the grand jury in inves-
tigating the books and methods of
the various county officers He de-
elared that he had been told by the
jury commission that the records were
so kept that the names of men whose
property was returned for taxation
in the names of their wives did not
appear anywhere in the records
either for poll tax collection or for
making up the jury lists. He said
this was also true in other counties,
he had been told.
In touching on the menace of pis-
tol toting, he said he had been told
by defenders of this custom that he
didn't know the conditions here or
he wouldn't object to it.
- don't care what the conditions
are" said Judge Littlejohn, ''it is pro-
hibited by law and the law must be
enforced. And if the law is enforced
we won't have that condition.
couldn't exist in this county or any
other county, if the law were en-
forced.
An Insult To County.
Wouldn't it be an insult to Sum-
ter county if a man from the outside.
starting through the county, put
pistol in his, pocket and, being detect
ed and brought before a court, an
nounced that he believed the 'condi-
tons in the county made it necessary
for his safety? 1t is the concealed
pistol that does the damage. ANY
man who has cause to carry a pistol
may obtain a permit from the ordin-
ary-but he cannot carry it concealed
even then. l wish you would exam
inc the ordinary's list of licensees. |,
understand they do not total over 18
or 20. Almost any day you will find
more pistols fired at negro church
or lodge row than are listed with the
ordinary for the whole county"
Judge Littlejohn raped the condi-
ton of the courthouse and invited the
grand jury to see that it was better
kept up.
II you went to a town." said he,
ana found many fine homes and at
tractive business blocks and we'll
paved streets, and then visited the
public buildings and found dilapidat-
ed, run down, unclean and poorly
kept up, you would probably decide
that there was something wrong with
that community and that you wouldn't
care to live there | ask you to ex-
anime your courthouse The public
building of the county is where prob
ably more strangers visit than any
other place in the county, excepting
your hotel. want you to examine
it and see the manner in which it is
kept. Just look at the windows be-
hind you, gentlemen, for a sample
At times the condition of this build
ing IS very embarrassing"
As the judge referred to the Win
dows behind, there was a craning of
necks Fhe sunshone on the panes,
revealing crust of dirt that appar-
emily had not been removed in months
possibly years.