The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-29
FAVOR new COURT
County Attorneys Urge County
Tribunals.
Also Want State Police Force
in Kansas.
DEBATE ON BAD CHECK LAW
Finally Decide Not to Oppose
Law in Statutes.
Boys at State Penitentiary
Should Be Educated.

The county attorneys of the state,
in session this morning in the office
of the state attorney general, went on
record favoring the esta adjustment of
county courts which will combine
within themselves certain of the pow
ers of the present Justice of the peace
courts and the district courts in coun-
ties which do not in themselves con-
-stitute a judicial district, and which
do not have city court in the county
seat.
The attorneys also declared them
selves in favor of the establishment
OF state constabulary or police force
which would supersede the depart
ment of the state fire marshal as con-
stituted at the present time.
Z Prolonged argument occurred when
resolution was introduced which de-
clared county attorneys in favor of
the repeal of the section of the pres
ent law regarding the passing of bad
checks. The abatement clause per
pitts the man who gives a bad"
eheck to escape prosecution if, within
certain time, he makes good the
check and pays the costs of collection.
One faction of the attorneys insisted
that the giving of such a check is ipso
facto crime and should be punished
as. such. The other faction declared
that eXpediency and equity required
that the man who gave a bad" check
a
redeem himself without being sent TO
the penitentiary. Charges We're made
by the attorneys who favored the re-
peal of the section that with it in the
present form the office of the county
attorney is no more than a collection
agency for bad checks. Most of the
men agreed that they handled more
bad check cases than any other form
of trouble which comes before them
The motion recommending the repeal
of the section was passed by a ma
1ority of one vote, and was then re-
considered and killed. Tinkham
Neale. county attorney of Shawnee
county. urgently defended the law as
it stands.
Mention of the pending legislative
measure providing for the return of
capital punishment for murder
brought the expression from several
attorneys that, That's something we
had better let alone"
Criticism Is Unjust.
THE consideration of the resolutions
came after the attorneys had had a
two hour visit as he characterized
it.. with Warden ]. X. Codding. of the
state penitentiary, during which the
conditions of crime in the state, and
especially the parole laws and their
application, were discussed very
thoroly.
Warden Codding declared. and
that great deal of the public criti-
cism of the paroling of prisoners at the
present time, is unjust, and unfounded.
1.-The very people who are the first
to sign petition asking for the parole
of a prisoner are also the first to raise
thunder when he is turned loose"
Warden Codding declared. -I have
their names on the petitions and the
letters they have written me after the
parole has been granted, as proof.
An attorney agreed with Coddlng Wnen
he said that other criticism is really
directed against the criminals who are
not caught and imprisoned, rather
than against the ones who are paroleo-
THE public is barking up the wrong
ttee and doesn't know 1t, the at
torney rem9rked.
warden Codding spoke commits
eratingly and feelingly in regard to
the parolling of young prisoners at the
state penitentiary.
should Be Educated.
1T is a crime against ourselves that
we take these boys and exploit them IN
the coal mine, instead of educating
them. helping them to fit themselves
for something worth while when they
come out" he declared, after descrio-
ing the impossibility of expecting
Young. glowing boy. working hard for
long hours in coal mine, to do any
studying at night when he comes from
the mine.
r'Haven't you any other work these
l,5ys can be put than the coal mine
the warden was asked. Yes; but
have also coal mining schedule
which is worked ou- for me here in
Topeka, and to live up to which
have to put every one of them in the
mime" he answered, squarely charging
the state administration with demand
ing the capitalization of the boy con-
viets."
y No Crime Wave Here.
There is no crime wave on in Kan
sas, Warden Codding declared in the
course of his talk. But there has been
a tremendous increase in the percen-
tage of Juvenile spectacular crime.
The average age of the prisoners in
the state penitentiary is now 341
years. More than eighty prisoners
there are below the age of twenty