Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-09-04


drunkenness. / believe. II the rec
ord is rue to the way it has been
running in this district. that you
will find that three-fourths Of them,
Of the killings and Of the violent
assaults that come into this court
and burn uD the money Of the
county and the state. are caused BY
drunkenness.
"That leads me 10 make another
observation: We have in Texas
what is known MS the Dean law. IL
is the duty Of the grand jury, the
duty Of all Of the officers and the
duty of this court. to enforce that
law with the same rigor. the same
impartiality. that all other laws OF
Texas are enforced. You gentlemen
are taxpayers Of this county. Now.
/ want YOU to bear this thing in
mind: that whenever you read in
the paper that someone was killed
in a drunken brawl at one Of these
tailes. that that means an expen-
diture out Of the tax none paid
in by the taxpayers of this county
Of from 81 1000 to $4,000. Those men
have to be brought into court and
tried after the expense Of this grand
jury has been paid and the very
best we a do in here is to spend
not less than % cents a minute out
Of the Jury fund alone. when we
get iEto the trial Of these criminal
cases. The amount OF money paid
out Of the state fund in the trial
Of these cases approximates the
same amount. IN other words,
when we 20 into the jury docket in
this court we spend about fifty
cents every minute we work here.
Now. that Is another reason. gen.
tlemen. ] am saving this 10 you as
business men. that is another rea-
son whv the laws Of this state
should not only be enforced. but
they should be enforced in such a
way that the men around through
the United States and Texas who
are looking for an open looD-hole
where laws are not enforced may
be advised before they com here
that they will run on the rocks II
they come 10 this section of Texas
for the Durnose Of violating the
laws IL that course is pursued
end lived I'D to the criminal element
p a flock TO the open lection OF
the state whore the violation OF
the laws is winked at will stay
awav from here.
Holdups Infrequent
"Juries have functioned with
good judgment In this district in
most cases ard grand iuries have
functioned ms they should do in the
whole district. We have more chan
100000 people living in this Judi
cial district and in the last six
wears there has been but one case
or ~hi-lacking committed in this
judicial district Of five counties.
Now. there is a good reason for that
and 1 submit TO YOU that that is
2 record and q good record that will
stand against any district Of its
size and population in the United
States in that respect.
The hi-jacker is the nrch-crim-
mai. the anarchist against all law
and all authority. and he has been
kent out Of this district from the
simple fact that IL has been known
Of all men far and wide that the
laws of Texas are being enforced in
this judicial district: that the grand
luries and the iuries. when called
upon in the proper way, are enforc-
ing these laws. Now. that Il an
advertisement. gentlemen. that in
vites a high class of citizens to
move into a district and into 4
county. The class Of citizens that
move into Cameron county is an
index Of the way your laws are en-
forced.
II il is known for thirty DAYS
that the courts barely functioned
and that the violatio, of the laws
was permitted generally in this
county. In thirty or sixty DAYS there
would be & class of men flock into
this county that would almost take
q revolution and a OF
rangers to unhorse. That has been
tried in Texas. We all know that.
And ] am saying these things TO
this grand jury 20 impress upon
them the necessity OF an absolute
and thorough investigation and the
return of indictments in all cases
on violation Of the law where the
evidence IS satisfactory to the grand
Jury that the law has been vio-
lated. The grand jury. of course.
should always use caution in the
Indictment Of any person, because
an indictment against 4 citizen Is
a very serious thing and should
never be returned unless the grand
jury Is satisfied that a crime has
been committed and that good evil
denee is in existence to establish
that crime ultimately before the
jury tries the man.
There is one class OF cases that
| wish the grand jury to make spe-
eiai investigation Of, in fact. two
classes. both coming under the head
OF misdemeanors: one class Of those
cases Is the violation Of any OF the
gambling laws Of Texas. II Is the
duty Of this grand jury to investi-
gate and return indictments where
the evidence shows the violation Of
the gambling laws. That has been
one Of this fundamental laws Of
Texas since the first fifty men.
Americans. first organized as q
community In this state, and no
set Of criminal laws has ever been
promulgated in Texas that did not
REQUIRE ali courts and all officers
not 70 regulate. but to absolutely
suppress i. Now that has been the
policy Of this state from its in
cipiency until now and every court
tnat organizes a graEd jury is re-
CURED BY law to impress upon the
grand jury that particular fact.
Defines Negligent Homicide
Another class of misdemeancrs
that should be investigated is the
violation @ the Law Of negligent