The Corpus Christi caller. [volume] (Corpus Christi, Tex.) 1918-1987, 1919-02-05
Copyright. 1919, b, Edgar a cues'.)


certainly eyert lawyer member. knows
that fhc tendency for murD than % fvn-
iurN has boon constant ID slow toward
nmelorntion 0f the rigor uf ihe Grim
Inul mW ard toward pr0EfeHsI1 fnd
humane administration of Justice
Tine history oi judicial udm.nltifn-
tiou nnd statutory chanres both in
ENGLAND and Bog this country y'H, even
boz Texas supports this statement
$50, time w1s whcn li2 crimes in
ENGLAND were punished hy death.
now that penalty is of0xod to only
two or three
Thcre wns time there whom iho
dofoudapi W.. mot oniN not nsfmitea
to tCstify in his own behalf hut was
nof allowed The benefit of either coun
foi or Witnesses
10 is only Within iho very recent past
that defendant u crimina, ease
Boo England. whether sentenced to
death ot to imprisonment had the
wight to appeal Or ihe offonso carried
tho death penalty as soon aH thc vcit
dict of guilN was returned iho iudgc
drew ou ID black cap and sentenced thc
defendant tn hr huns BOD three weeks.
Wp nced not. however hHrh back
tD England in order tu got proof "f
! the tendency of modern Thought and
action relative Goo the administration
of the law
There ia scarcely Single member
of the legislature who ls not old enough
/ to remember when thc statute nf res
as wna ao changed a. GAP allow de-
/ fondani Go toatlff Boo hie own behalf
/ which he could not do before ihe
/ change
A little more than half century
aEo % mHn could be sentenced in Tex
%. NOS only to ui Imprisonment but
tn soltaA confinement ln a cell with
the walls painted nlack "a speeches of
halhAriem chat would NOT he possible
nov
% has been unh Few years since
oyUR d,fDndani sentenced to the poni
tontnrN boz ToNaa. Whateyer thp char
acirr uf h,s oiteuae uf the length ui
the term nsHeafcd had Go go Gee ini|
pending appeal without benefit "a
hlfi Oftgu Use defendant lAid 200 lai
Coz months nUd most often 900 the enc
of the time the appellate court pd
Judged the conviction erroneous. lf
ons caao from Harris county ihc ap.
peal l0r forgery wHs pending tw'
Arnfs. aud fho defendant who soul,
Nutp Vru tn amount ui hni nid ii
nI and whom the case wnH reachc,
"a lho appellate count heid the indictment
b ttais detective in other words heels
d ihe mHn had not eyeu been lHwfulN
charged with crime much less Paw
mNf ron,ict rhai %. barrie pro
vision was. t,n ynlu uI moro aHo ro
moved from the statutes oi ToNRH nn'
q th, Chronicle a proud to SNOW ihn
3 lhe nH punli, demand fui iiH re
% mo,N appeared n i r0iorll cul
i amHs
e. Experienced and pncthai pcnolog
d iats Hud snciuioR.Nts have Gov wear
silNeu tu teaeh men that rofurm I'd
lhr Offender De- ihc true purpose d
b penalties. uua thal 10 m better lo sag
e. man hl RNips him Is chance $50 fe
% npaf cham ID b. to nught nie hte hu
F.. that no man De- necessarily crimlni
Il because hc is charged with. or Boz fac
q s euilt ~ ono crime
o. Tho suspended sentence Jaw is
concrete reflection of that charlt
a (which smferelh iong and is hind
ii ID opemtes tD give tho first Offpndi
another chance q gives twelve aver
age mon tho risht lo miN whether
n boot fo the community io give a
defendant Il chance o. mend nis way
30 NJ mrl,s cannot ho TRUSTED to thni 90
's tent them thcy arp untit "a hr tusts
p at au
% ID - charged that 'he nw haas ho'
'f ahlscd what law haa no'l N ~
's workings oi tho law have NOT nlwA
~ resulted les they should. "a 81 not q
frrent from any other law, Su'
E.; shortcomings are incident 90 The o.
is Grafton ~ ali failibiy human age
o. ci,s. Where ia has resulted Ia han
10 40 society once IA has been q bcnei
Nc Denoo and blessing IA hundred TINT
ia and to repeal % of ga almond q to pa
NJ extent as 20 iefscn the scope ~
Dy Application viii be az gieat "a
a. backward as lts original onae'mo
of was !. sep forward.
The chror lc.. prefers 10 believe ~
70, there is in fact no foundation fos