AMERICAN CRIME-

Hokitika Guardian, 6 October 1923, Page 4

AMERICAN CRIME-

A WEED DEATH ROLL. SAX KRAXCISCO. Aug. ISO. .Start lint' disclosure-. of the cxt<-nt ; 111 ({ rapid increase of criiue in thy I'niie.J States wsro .submitted befwe tho American liar Association at. the annual convention held in .Minncopnlis, .M iimc -el a, ami the special ( oiiimittee | <ii' I.i\v enforcement, npnin advocated ; noim if <1:; a I ieiurnis to make law m . America more icrc.-t ill. and r. c rinmciid- , ISritl.-ii Empire. ! Xew Z. alamh r- an.! Am; rahaii- » ill i Ii a 11 tl.il I. .’I la-t year's c,, tin tin:: id I '.he Am-iiran I .an A rial mn Mime bill me neec i.jiia were advntiicd I llilt '.lie law aiimii'i-1 ration in tin; I’nited Stales had hr oine I a rcial, and. nceni dill u to the pipe-am report id the Asmi."ia lion's special cnminiUeO no impruve11111has In en rci i r ind. The eominiuee, u Inch pre-cote.l its report in .M,iiiiie-i,ta now it rued that the whole code ot criminal practice in the IS States -liould he re-written, mi that " law mipht hec'onie valit. sure, constant. J and. on occasion, merciful. § Data on lnindiers oi fritiii”. methods, |- of trial and treatment of prisoners in j Enoland and I l " ranee were cited, in com- | parison with which this country shuw- | to a decided disudvaninuo. 1 The lilamc wa - laid pnrtiv upon the J structure ot the law and the manner j in winch the American (ntirts linietion. | Inn principaly the increase oi' crimes J and iriminals na* at! rihuted to "the { apa tip and indifference of tile Anieric--1 an people” towards law on force meat'. | Tei-rihle failures of juslee have I mired in all parts of the country. " tlm ; (•oiiiniiucc -tail'd. "Truth sti'll eliups { t(i Chief -In.’lice Tail's si a i enn’t! t that » 'tiie administration of i lie criminal law ■ in the l.'niii’d States is a disorace to j ( ivili -ation.' I (■ 111 .mfxai,s FAVori!r:i). 1 lue trial of a criminal seems like a j name of elm lire with ail the dinners | in Invuur of die erimina.l. and il he \ t-soapCs lie seemed to hale the syni- ! paths oi' a sport intr pnhlic. ‘' { Charles S. Whit man. former (iov- | eninr of Xew York. is ehairman oi the \ committee, which unhides .Mantis Kn--6 vamioh. Charles W. Kuruhnm. Wade I 11. Ellis, and the (list ilipiiislieii Anmri ie.'in Portia. .Miss Anuelte Aliliol ! Adams, oi California. itesides eum-lti- • sums draw n inun personal ohservat ion * as emiiieiit Inemhers of the Ame lie,a li j liar, they pat he red a n immense amount | of statistics mi crime e not available j Irom the census. 1 Three lncnileis of the eommittce made an exhaustive study of the crimimi! courts of Eiipland and Era nee forms of indictment, trial and sentence, sittiup through whole murder trials, and heariups of ap’j.'eal. and inspccliiip penal in-t il ill ions. An usleiiisliinp laxity was discovered in the American method cl recor.iinp crime statistics. Suin' Slates did not keep refords of the iiumher of persons in prison, as late as 1 ‘.lp? 1. Amoiip others where statisli’-- were available the penal p .nidation was ■ how. il to Ini', c ranpc.l since l!)|0 from !a d , rease ..I I .•_> p-r « eat. in Now,da.' j ami lii’.o in South Carolina, to an ml oi I.A pi■ r cent. in Kent a- ky j and 171.15 in iilmd" Island, i Cam- in ei vi! 11 p ilia lam v ere taken : iin o ion .id"ia t noi. tin io I. i-ma I ion I fiinn -lied ii.v police and conn • leeks I i" 1 A prim ip,a Ii 1 1 id s s many S; a : . I II wa- estimated that "while ill" pen--1 < fill popiilat ion ei t lie eomil ry from ' the year IP]!) iimil Pil’d him increased j I !.'.) |s m ecul I lie criminal populai i- n I has iiiereased Ide.i per eeni. | It was ascertained further tin! "lice i prowtli of crime was -lead;.' am! al- ! uiosi ropnlar up to mir entrance into j the World War; duriiip Ih" war ’■rimf' I decreased ureal iy, hut upon Ha- rej -umpt ion i.T peace, erioii i:ais r. ■"e their dei'-redat ions with increased tivi tv all i or the conn i ry. '' Tim'SANDS OK xi rli DKli.-s. In It'l’l. for instance, "liiere v"!v is';;: homieides, as compared with hi.::il ,n Hid'd. In no veer duriiip ihe last ten did tin- nu at her fall helm. -V ’ 1 1. at her v. arils, sim-e litllt no less t hall -d.i: .; : of our edmi'n- liave perished by p..i'on. tic knife, nr other j ■ The la 'is " t p r pert niiia '.i ■ re Mo iii | ' nme i- I o im: line "I h'- ■ ili.ui dm >. - I on I p inula In ai. sml lii" com .no lev. j r-st jnia'.ed llm t in this Republic hi -1. V"iir there 'iiurrcd 7Soil munler~. I'o these li" ad.h"i liHi'l ease- of lilaoslaoohl .-r and nlluo iinhiwi'iil kdhnps. lotallim.' I-!.hi" t.n pi'l iliehie homicides. .) iiri 1 - visit in.; I'.upl: -,!i and Ki"W.cU ruliris on he ha If of the Ameneail |!er rep :rt d several eommendahle features in ea< 11. -I list ice v. a - ex p-.aliled. A erimina.l wets tried. eiuui'-ted and punished W oil" l in ' details ef ills (rime were still fresh In ,He mind.- oi the pul lie. am! tlm " herrihiy example theory of onm-hiueu! wa- ihcrefin'c mfecl ive. “ This ( aunt ry. " added I lie \newi(■aii (ommiltcc, " i- notorious lor its I", 11 U ilrir.'ti can pis,-een !nn; -. Two or three years < hip-c I"I v.'ceii the crime and tlm r-W' lo.ioii -,,■ ia■ I iiiii .- . and a first verdict iudpmeui form, mer-dy the preliminary sk irmisli "Me r.ii-m----iii"ml i liat. a. pei ina nim! I oniini--io,i oi this assaeiat ion tm anp imted to fm ululate a standard code ol criminal pro- 1 endure for the Stahi . ol the I'nieii. ' "Tt is of first importance that ■•■ in Ii i committee he eoinposed o! men '.no | have had la rue practical experience in | the criminal coiirfs. and especial care should he taken to exclude mere theorists and faddists. DIVORCES .Mt'I.TIDI.YIXC.

Strangely enough. • -<iin< i 11• • 111 with (he i> 11 11 1 :i 1 ion (i) (he eri'.n in:! In- | ort :il tin* Aniorii an Bar \momat nu:. some slMiliino " 1 c ll •!ii.c!,[s i,; (he \merieaii divorce •• habit " were given i i tile jin hi ie from Winona !.:ikn in Indiana. showing that divorces are granted in the UniLe.l States ;> I tile rate of one every jour minute.- throughout the yeiir and are mure numerous in the United States annually in prnport toil to total population t!l ;111 in any oilier eoun'i'y annual total i i do.•fees for the IS Stat- I es i- in tile neighbourhood oj ICl.uKl | and is ini reusing three liaie- as fast as the population . Sta ll are the eom-lu-sions of Judge \V. i|. Thoma.-. of Santa Ana. California, former a-so.iale iistiee of the Cttltfoina I'n-triet Coui't of .Appeals, draivn irem a world survey of marriage and divorce figure- in prepara.iion for an Ameriean campaign f.-r a national rode governing martial ielat ions. The siir\ey el .Indue ’! hoimi- included r,l eoiiiitries. and the summary of ins study, matin ptildie itt Winona l.alte. leaches hank into the domestic relations of a lit ton t I fume. (■' re ee. and Babylon. in his t one!tisious is the suggi-tinii tiiat .America's ua t ioual life t - ser- j iously thivatenetl by thee jire-etit status of family relations in the States. ‘O.l tie'll of our 'roubles. ■" he 1 elieves. ‘•i> chargeable to the eltatioe state ot uni manage laws. " and his reeoniinendaiion is a uniform law. applicable ti all American territory, has, si on wistlom and experience. “ lit contrast with our records, one divorce for every nine marriages. ' .Indue Thomas said, “these of Frame | and (lennany. our closest competitors, dwindle into insignificance. We have only one rival, Japan. Until recently ' that nation had been grind ini: out divorces faster titan our own. Now, 1 however, the United Stales Cen-tt- I Bureau discloses a rapidly mourning table of divorce which far outstrips the J ratio of increase in population. Our ' rate of increase in divorces between 1870 anti 1917 was. for the entire eoun- n try exactly 400 per cent. Tn we ' had 28 divorces for every 11)0.000 of •' population : in 1910 the tigure was 112 lor each IW).(KH). " "