The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1922-06-16
PLAN TO END
CRIME WAVE
Bar Association Hears That Le-
gal Red Tape and Maud|in SYM
pathy Favor Criminals.
SWEEPING REFORMS URGED
Better Wipe Out All Rules of Evidence
Than Keep Existing Ones, Says II.
w. Taft-RadicaI Proposals
Heard

New York.-Floggings of hold-up
men, permission to the prosecutor to
point to the failure of defendant to
take the stand as an evidence Of his
guilt, the discarding Of many Of the
present rules of evidence, the introduc-
ton of judge to preside over Grand
Jury deliberations, the protection Of
Judges from politicians demanding sus-
pended, or Eight sentences for crooks
and scores of other proposals for the
reform of criminal law and its admin
istration were made at the Bar Asso-
citation, where a session was held by
fhe Committee on Law Enforcement Of
the American Bar Association.
Flogging was not advocated, but
Judge Marcus Kavanaugh of Chicago,
one of the committeeman, called atten-
tion to it's operation in England, Cana
da and Delaware, where he said 1t had
been of remarkable effect in suppress
sing hold-up men.
Henry w. Taft told the committee
that the interests of justice would be
served if rules of evidence in criminal
cases were wiped cut entirely rather
than remain in existence as at present
in this state. The allowing of every
kind and variety of hearsay and other
testimony, he said, would be preferable
to the present rules, which lean SO far
to protect the accused.
While former Supreme Court Justice
John w. Golf, Supreme Court Justice
Norman Dixie of Brooklyn and others,
arraigned the present state of the law
and it's administration in permitting
criminals to escape, Judge Thomas e..
Il. Grain of the Court Of General Ses-
sions arraigned it from another angle
because of it's facilities for convicting
the guilty. He said that improper
and unwarranted indictments by Grand
Juries reached "amazing numbers"
and that too many convictions were
obtained by suspicious Confessions"
which the police or other witnesses
testified that the criminal had made.
To correct these sources of wrongs
against the innocent Judge Grain pro-
posed a law making this type Of "con-
fession" inadmissible, unless the law
yer for the defendant was present at
the examination where it was made,
and proposed another law putting ii
Judge in charge of Grand Jury hear
ings to throw out impertinent evidence
and to make sure that all the good
evidence was admitted.
Ex-Judge Goff suggested the disbar-
ment of lawyers who gave interviews
discussing the cases of their clients be-
fore trials. Mr.. Taft complained that
the newspapers here do not report
trials the way the London Times and
the London Standard do and found
fault because he said no one could pre-
dict which side would win case by
merely following the newspaper ac-
counts Of it.
District Attorney Banton, on the
other hand, said that the newspapers
in printing crime news fully, had fur
nished the motive power which pro-
duced the public sentiment; the needed
legislation and the speeding up Of the
processes Of justices, which in turn
put sudden end to the excessive out
burst of crime in this city.
Other radical suggestions from con-
servative lawyers and Judges aroused
over the bad state Of criminal justice
in this country, were receive ed by tie
committee, which has held five previous
sessions in various parts of the coun-
try. hearing from scores of the most
distinguished jurists and lawyers In the
United States.
The committee will mike its report
to the American Bar Association. which
will urge State and Federal legislation
TO strengthen the arm of the country
in fighting the criminal From the
great interest that has been stirred up
among lawyers all over the country
and the public generally, it was pre-
dicted that the recommendations of
the committee would result in changes
of unprecedented sweep in the criminal
procedure throughout the United
States.