The Nevada County picayune., 1922-01-12
HABITUAL OFFENDERS MUST
 EXPECT SEVERE PUNISHMENT

At the NOVemDer teiIH oi a""i'i sessions of certain counties. there were about a dozen defendants found guilty on the charges of violation of the fed eral and state liquor laws. Great in terest was manifested when the Judge was ready to pronounce sentence and as preface the Judge spoke at some length.
 "In consideration of and disposition of the cases involving the illegal sales. transportation or possession of liquors in violation of the eighteenth amend ment to the federal constitution and the concurrent laws of the state courts are inquiring of themselves what they can do in the imposition of sentences to teach conyicts as well as the public respect for the law applicable to in toxicating liquors.
 "The loose talk of men and women on the street, in the shops or at polite gatherings concerning their pretended desire for liquors does not stop till it reaches the lowest stratas of society, where it breeds anew contempt for the law and furnishes inspiration to all the outlaw element of society to become vagabond traffickers in this illegal business Notwithstanding such flippant conversation. subversive of i,afa it becomes the duty of the court more than ever before to apply the correc- tive remedies of the law with greater rigor to the end that every citizen will be convinced that the 18th amendment is a living and essential part of the organic law of the land.
 More rigorous enforcement of the law requires a continued activity of prosecutions for it's violation. and in vites a liberal discrimination between offenders in the imposition of senten- ceS
 Thus, when one who is convicted of misdemeanor is an amateur in crime he is entitled to more favorable consideration than the chronic and habitual offender. First, because there is more hope of his reclamation; sec ond. because he is less of menace to society.
 "The habitual criminal either hy successive or repeated violations of the law. is the sworn enemy of society.
 "It does not follow because two men are convicted upon indictments charg- ing like offense that they are of like degrees of criminality. We are justified in looking through and behind the printed record. Our inquiry is how do their lives affect society? One may be a chance offender and prosecute some honorable employment for livelihood :; the other may be a chronic criminal having no other business than that in dicated by the offense of which he stands convicted. He challenges the law not once, but habitually. It is the | all his criminal sympathizers that the law means what it says. All such are criminal nlrisances and must be abated
 '"rhus when one convicted of such msdemeanor as an isolated breach of the law it appears that he is otherwise engaged in honorable employment and is truly repentant for his offense, so- ciety may he protected hy light sentence or by his parole But where the offender has no occupation eXcepr the violation of the law out of which violation he gains a livelihood, or he prosecutes the sale of liquor as busi- ness. he must be regarded and treated as the enemy of society.
 "This sentence court has before it ten or eleven violators of the liquor law. They first represent the youth full or casual offender, next the re peater. and the professional. In the exercise of our discretion as to sen tencps we feel justified in adopting wide range of discrimination depen- dent upon the facts and circumstances above referred to.
 "Finally we may observe that if the lance of officers is but a small part of the program. Public conscience must dopopd thoir enforcement and th ln