New-York tribune., 1922-04-06
Miller Calls ON Banion
10 Use Increased Staff
10 Speed Conviction
of Captured Criminals
Will Know Where
To Place Blame
Insists on an Efficient
and Properly Direct
ed Police Department
rron. a star corrssnondost

RLDA4N April o. Governor
Miller took official cognizance to-day
of the crime wave in New York City
and called upon Police Commissioner
Enrlght and District Attorney Ban
ton to make the city "a safe place
in which to live"
The Governor made his demand
for action in letter to District At
torney Banton. He declared that
New York City could be made safe
with an efficient police force properly
directed, competent and courageous
enforcement Of the criminal laws by
the District Attorney and an ade-
quate number of courts.
"There is no reason why New York
should not be q safe place in which to
live said the Governors letter You
can do much to make il safe The
Police Department can do much to
make it safe. Together you can make
it safe. We shah now know whom to
hold responsible il it is not made
safe"
The Governors letter was written
after he had approved the last Of the
bills requested by District Attorney
Barton. +, signing one Of the bills,
which provides for an increase in the
staff Of The District Attornev, and bjg
salary increases, Governor Miller de-
clared that he did rot believe that the
new assistants provided for in the bill
would be necessary il District AT
torney Bantons staff WIS wholly com
petent. Mr. Banton's assistants are
almost entirely holdovers from District
Attorney Swann's regime.
The Governor also said that he mad
approved the bill so that there could
be no excuse for failure to dispose
speedily OF the large number of indict-
ments now pending. He warned thai
the new assistants should be chosen
for their ability to try and prepare
cases, and he expected that when the
present congestion was ended there
would be a reduction IN the District
Attorneys staff.
Letter Without Precedent
The second Bill restored TO the Dis
trict Attorney control Of the criminal
calendar
The letter informing the District At
torney Of the signing of the bills was
without precedent. 1t reads:
"All of the measures which you have
requested to enable You speedily to
bring lawbreakers in your county &c
justice have now been provided. Pro-
criminal parts Of the Supreme Court
and for two additional parts of the
General Sessions. the increase Of your
staff by six additional assistants has
been authorized, and you have been
given the power to control the moving
Of the trial of indictments.
THE responsibility is now upon you
TO make speedy disposition of the pend
ing indictments. to the end that ad-
mission to bail shall no longer be equiv
alent to an acquittal. as is too often
the case.
with an efficient police force prop
erly directed, an adequate number o.
courts and an energetic, efficient and
courageous enforcement OF the crimi
nal law by prosecuting officers, there
is no reason why New York should no.
1 be a safe place in which to live. You
can do much to make it safe. The Po-
lice Department can do much to make
! ii safe Together you can make it safe
We shall now know whom TO hold re-
sponsiblc if it is not made safe
In mem orandum flcd with the bill
giving District Attorney Banton con-
troll Of the criminal calendar the Gov
ernor said:
"This bill restores to the District
Attorney Of New York County the cou.
troll over the trial Of indictments pos
sessed by ell other district attorneys In
the state. That control was transferred
to the General Sessions in 1910 to cor
rect grave abuses.
However, there can be no doubt
that the power to move the trial oi
indictments, which this bill restores
20 the District Attorney. viii greatly
facilitate his work in the prepa ration
OF cases. The present delay in bring
ing bail cases to trial, due TO the mum.
Der of pending indictments, is men
ace to personal security in the Cits
OF New York. Men under bail are cor.
tinuing their criminal practices az
| most with immunity as a second Of
fense may not greatly aggregate thei,
punishment for the first if. they are
ever convicted of it, and the della,
lessons the chance Of conviction. The
memory of witnesses fades. Witnesse:
disappear.
"The desire Of complainants to prose
cute wanes and some times upon s9f
ficient inducement disappears. More.
over, the deterrent effect upon law
breakers, the first reason for punish
ment, loses its force if too long della,
ensues between the offense and ths
punishment.
Offers Every Aid
"The matter Of paramount imrar
tance at the moment is the speedy dis
position of pending indictments. en-
endeavoring to give the District Al
torney every needed facility to brini
! lawbreakers to prompt Justice. Th
responsibility will then be upon hin
to produce results, for which he will!
of course, expect TO be held account
able.
| 81, therefore, approve this bill. Who,
the present condition has been rem
died 1t will be simple matter {
amend the law if conditions then ap
pear to warrant it,"
! In approving the measure creatin
six additional assistants and increase