Saturday, August it, 19 26
New York Wages Bitter War c n Crane
Burt M. McConnell in Dearborn In
dependent
Mnet of us have been aware at some
period or other within the last five
years of a crime wave, particularly
*» * ar large renters of population.
y\e have more criminal courts and
less result's to show for them than
any other nation. Crime is no long
er merely an occupation; it is an in
dustry, highly organized and directed
with extraordinary cunning. There
fore no function of organized govern
ment is of greater importance to the
people than lie protection of life and
property and the preservation of law
and order.
The honest citizen will be glad to
h»rn that the state in which much of
the crime of the past five years has
occurred—New fork —has some new
laws which went into effeht July Ist.
They tighten the screws on some of
our most desperate criminals. Their
effect, already noted, will be to expe
dite. strengthen, and simplify the ad
i ministration of criminal justice; in
crease the terms of imprisonment in
state prisons; restrict the indiscrimi-1
natc release of second offenders on
hailjjnd permit the state-wide col-<
and dissemination of criminal!
pnfe and information. An appro-1
afion of S3O, has been made for;
latter purpose.
Phe first result was a great stam
c of criminals to get into prison be
e the longer .sentences may be im
»ew York has set an example for
rest of the states to follow. With
evidence of file existence of organ-'
I gangs of gunmen, bandits, and
rdcrers all over the East, the New
rtc legislature forgot for the moment
political squabbles and adopted the
at drastic program for the elimina
i of crime in the history of the
ntry.
)f course, there were objections to
proposed changes in criminal pro
ure on the part of some lawyers
» Specialize in criminal practice,
b. in and out of the legislature,
ipite this opposition, however, gev-
I important amendments were ap
ved by Governor Smith.' These
t be summarized as follows:
new laws 7 provide for a state
e collection of criminal records,
| such as finger prints. Uertillion meas
urements. et cetera, by police officers
and prison wardens, and the inter
change of such information with the-
authorities and police officers
of other states and countries.
’ The absence qv existence of a crim
inal record fefu&fc be (Mablisfcect' before
a person charged with a felony or any
one of seven specified misdemeanors'
can be admitted to bail. The court
, may also use its discretion in refusing
bail to a person charged with any one
of these misdemeanors.
; District attorneys, except In New
York county,'are required to proceed
against rthe surety on criminal bail
bonds within sixty days after the ad
journment of the court directing the
forfeiture of the bonds, instead of. ‘at
die heretofore.
Persons Jointly aeeused may here
s after be tried separately or jointly at
| the discretion' of the court.
I A defendant in a criminal case must
snow appeal within thirty days, in
stead of within one year, as formerly.
and appeals must be argued within
} n'n«t.v days, unless the time- is ex
pended by . the court. And except in
, instances where the appellate court is
overruled, there can be hut one ap
peal.
The sentences of judges'will here
after be carried out as imposed. This
amendment, by nbolisbing compensa
tion and reducing the time granted
4for commutation, through the sub'sti
;tution of a new form'of commutation
I limited to five days a month, will have
Bthe ecect of increasing definite sen-
Btences from sixteen to sixty per cent.
Commutation and compensation .in
'the case of life sentences will hcre
fefter be abolished. ,
■ The actual term of imprisonment in ’
a state prison will in future be not
, less than one year, and. this term muy
uot be reduced.
— 1 - , - ——=
TOJJE THE SHE is anxious to please ~ ============== j
WtSSIN® CAMP A6AUABA TO J TONES- I'3.'TAMCE iCAW FIMC> A ISHOuUS OaNISM - M J % oS-.'/BM * SIA-O'/uSi OVEIc AN CAMP- I
FROM FIMP out IF YOU'VE W\ TO you, I SMavX m Mot IVE For. Kay RIECEMT i-IE AftADAfeA- 1 KVEW vaii-iCH OWE I
CAMP < vefey (TLAO Imav NOT UMjf Disuse- CO &r<&Ax OPF
I
•K The statutory sentence for felony
shall be increased, when committed
s by an armed person, from five years,
! in the case of a first offender," to
• twenty-five years or even life in the
ease of a fourth offender. And such
I armed persons, even when first of
i fenders, may not be released on -pro
bation . or otherwise have their sen
• itence* shortened.
1 The penalty for burglary in the first!
degree shall he not less than fifteen
years for robbery in the first degree,
1 from fifteen *to twenty years. A life
sentence, in future, will not mean a
minimum of ten years or an indeter
minate sentence; it will mean a life
> sentence. ,
Persons convicted for the fourth
time of felony must hereafter serve a
life sentenoe. Persons originally sen
tenced as first offenders may be re
sentenced on the discovery of previous
conviction.
The receiving of stolen property in
any amount is now a felony, with thw
maximum penalty increased to twenty 1
years’ imprisonment.
| These new measures resulted from
a years survey of the crime situation
Iby the New York, legislature. Other
. states have undertaken crime surveys,
j but most of tlie commissions have
, merely piled up reams of evidence and
volumes of testimony. In the' ma
jority of states, under existing laws,
a criminal sent to prison' for a long
sentence rarely serves more than one
third of his time; hundreds of crim
inals are fCecil on hail every week,
and many of these undoubtedly aem
inft new criines to pay their bonds
men, and then “jump” t’jeir bail.
“Pences,” who form the backbone of
much of the crime industry, are vir
tually immune from effective punish
ment in most of our states. A large
number of old offenders escape charg-|
es against them because of the lack!
of adequate means of identifying them, j
Their plunder enables-them to. engage
shrewd lawyers. ,• ’ |
It is these handicaps that the New
York legislature, despite the protests
•■■■>* »'M L— ■
EiTTJtm JULIUS SNEEZER : i : ——— I
MY MY-I'VE BEE H I JIT ti EVEN WTO THE I £ —ll PS even into tmfl . ' 1 ThTl —<
fHHiI IE EVERY STATE g -STATE Os- INTO*-] W V § STATE OF \
Mt THIS UWlOril ( igp ICATIQN. f-i • J IIUULa ff MATRIMONY! f . Cj IJ j
y" . II ’■■ ■-■ J I«E WHIZ- r JIT CBRTAIIfLV |
. -I’- 1 — 'tY
nen look aHKe to him, except wnen they don't) . ; • |[
-i
*o»* 1 ol * ! Hl3ll§Sftl J /Tlhts WMC.T THEY\ -
W »t.wc»<s auzi-iHii a _ , v+i-TM —IOO ujantto
} I m
j I Pi Rxe. tue. e*inQsJo.TWo L SHG.S tvie. yswrcD =0 o-tn- \ \ So paAtujsr' t—
iCB '] o ——- —i|lp«>>oHeoHe«e- OF Bueroo. 1 “ tf seae me «s»-\ Wn 50 “F'VUY ._ J
y Oesuiii n«r ‘ tur of n*ECO«!
of lawyers with criminal practice,
both in and out of the legislature]
has overcbme.
There is no doubt that a large per
centage of the crimes committed in
New York City during jhe past five
years were p'.anned and carried out by
criminals who were out on bail. Here
is one of the large loopholes in our
administration of justice. With the
old offender, crime is a business. He
does not about being arrested
and held for the grand if he
can be released immediately on bail.
Given his liberty, he can at once be
gin planning i another crime. Tha
system that pyrmits this condition is
a scandal. There can be no appre
ciable lessening of crime iintll this
practice of freeing criminals on easily
procured bail is ended. New York
State has taken the first step. Under
the new law, second offenders are not
entitled to bail as a constitutional
right.
ffc New York City alone taere are
said to be over five hundred bonding
agents ready to put «p bail that will
free the criminal. The handit always
has a bondsman. Many bonding com
panies are willing to take a risk when
the crook can pay the premium. Once
he his freedom on bail, the
criminal often commits another rob
bery to get money to pay his bonds
man.
According to a New York City
magistrate, some bonding houses hire
agents who are in close torn* with the
criminal world, if they are not trim-'
lhals themselves, and who luibw when
a crime is to be committed: > > The
bonding agent, in'many installers, is :
looked upon by crooks as a friend, mid
he often is, ready to go the bail 'of
the arrested criminal up to ainy •
amount before the ink is dry on the
commitment papers.' Many bonding
houses accept stolen property as «d- ;
j lateral. In some cases they , take no
j collateral against bonds, but ae
, cept the promise of oilier crooks that i
I the criminal wiU be produced upon re
quept. ' • - .. • ; ,
| Under the 1 new Hw, district'uttior- *
ueys, except in New York county, are
required to proceed against the bonds- .
itHE C6NO6RS DAILY YWbune
inaa in the case of forfeited bail with
in two months. Heretofore no time
limit has been fixed. Under another
provision, the bondsman who accepts
stoen collateral lhay be sent to pris
on for perjury.
One of the reasons f|r tbe preva
lence of crime in the United States is
the long delay between the crime and
Die punishment, dae to the opportuni
ties to appeal from one court tp anoth
er. It will be impossible hereafter
‘ n . w York State to postpone i»-
definitely to one appeal after another
at intervals of ten months or a year.
, Furthermore, in cases where the ap
pellate court is overruled, but one ap-i
peal wiU be granted.
The habitual crrminal regards B
prison sentence with comparative in
difference. He knows that if he con
ducts himself in strict accordance with
the rules of the institution, he will
get the benefit of “good behavior” al
lowances —and be able to return to
his chosen profession in a few months.
Heretofore, the phrase “life sentence”
has meant little to the inmates of a
Niew York State prison, but in future
the sentences of judges will be car
ried out as imposed. There will be
no commutation in the case of. a
‘‘lifer.”
Dangerous criminals arc often pa
roled after serving part of their sen
tence. There are many cases on rec
ord in the larger cities of hardened
gangsters ebnimlttiug murder. In
future, prisoners sentenced to a New
York state prison must serve at least
one full years. There will be no
phrole, nor. will the actual time serfed
fey reduced -through “good behavior.”
Additional punishment will hereaf
ter be inflicted on the person convicted,
of a felony committed while armed'
with a pistol or other dangerous weap
on. Nor will the prisoners be re-
Ifeased on probation, or olherwise have
hfc sentence shortened.
Udder the old New York State law,|
a life sentence could be converted into]
an indeterminate 'sentence, with a
maximum of ten years. Under the ,
W'v law, effective September first, a I
life sentence becomes exactly that. 1
And ft aj«y be imposed even dor first- 1
- degree robbery. t- ’ '
► Formerly the New York State law!
r provided that to sentence a criminal j
* as an old offender it was necessary to!
indict him as such, and to prove him
to be an old offender at the trial. I
Under one of the new amendments,]
| it ij not necessary to indict a per-j
1 , son and convict him as a previous
’ j offendci in order that he shall receive
tbe increased punishment provided.
f And persons convicted for t'.ie fourth
'I time nf leuoy must serve a life sen
: j fence.
■- No Ibnger may an arbitrary, dis
tinction beinade between receiving
stolen property of a value of less or
more than S3O. Under the new law, j
> the receiver of stolen property, no
matter what the amount, is-a felon. •
Moreover, the max'imum penalty has]
1 been increased from five years to,
twenty years, although the court still j
retains the right to impose a fine in j
1 lieu of, or in addition to a prison
sentence.
There has been too much twaddle
about the criminal. As a result, oars
is the most lawless of civilized coun
tries. Murder, banditry, robbery and
violence of every description are more
common here than anywhere else in
the world. What are the causes of,
the astounding prevalence of crime
among a people enjoying the widest
benefits of liberty, education and self
government Unemployment might
hav» been advanced as a reason for
the crime wave in 1922, but it would
not be a sound explanation today.
. Some say that one of the contributing
causes is the loose laws in various
states permitting the sale and distri
bution of firearms.
Carrie—Hut suppose you didn't.
What would you do?
Marian—l wouldn’t,
j Carrie—Bf't you might, even if you
didn't.
j Marian—But I couldn't, even if I
■ jiad to.
i ‘fe scale so delicate that it will
'weigh a dot over an eye was rcoont
ly tested at the Marquette Ajriiversity
• Bchoel of Medicine.
™ -I
| Have You Heard
! This One?
! Good Stories That Are Going the
Ronds
i i
Minister (to hostess’ little daugh
ter)—Wouldn't you like to come to
Sunday school and hear about heaven (
and beautiful golden streets? ]
Little Lola —Yes. sir, but it will <
take away the surprise when I get i
there. % S [
l Prospective Ford buyer, to agent—]]
| Why dodn’t they put si>eedometers on (
! Fords? i
! Agent—lt isn't necessary. Fords <
1 are always passing other cars and all i
! the driver of a Ford has to do is to 1
| give a glance at the other fellow’s
speedometer and add five or ten miiies
to it. Then lie’knows how fast be
us going. .' * • ’ 'j
“I can’t understand how Caesar
and Shakespeare and Napoleon’ ever
got to be great.”
“Haven’t you read the histories of ‘
their times ”
“Yes; Coat's what makes it so j
puazUag. Nobody seepied to teach !
anything by mail in those duys.” 1
* Observing a young lady standing j
alone, the young man stepped up to ‘
her and said, “Pardon me. You look
like Helen Black.”
"Yes." she replied, “I know I do, \
but I look far worse in jvhite.”
After the church service little ]
Jackie was introduced to the minister
and said politely: "Air. Lougwind, I
sure am thankful to you for that ser
mon.”
“And bow :s that, my boy?" asked
the gratified pastor, while mamma
beamed. j
“Cause brother Jimmie bet your
Sprmou wouldn’t last mOre'n three- 1
iplarters pt an hour, an’ 1 let ’it i
last 48 minutes. So I won bis knife
and I’m awful grateful.”
, PPOooooßoooaooeaaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooodßb *
Don't Fail To Come |
Moose Auto I
SHOW
Merchants Exposition
AUTO
DISPLAYS
VAUDEVILLE
ACTS
MUSIC
VIRGINIA
i CAROLINA
ACES
aLlnext week
Commencing Monday, Aug. 23 I
Door* Open 7:00 O’clock
i SATURDAY MATINEE
1 SEASON TICKETS i
| 50c—SEASON TICKETS—SOc J £
Just bt
SOLID CAR OF
28 GAUGE
GALVANIZED ROOFING
$4.75 PER SQUARE
: Yorke & Wadsworth Co. :
I We Sell Good Hardware Cheaper J
!; o“ j
| Be Ready When Winter Comes
I As our new furniture arrives, it is being placed ready j I
, fur your inspecUon. It is not too early to choose vS ' ’ ’
; fall and winter furniture now. ■ / C yOUr j| j
| ( ;
I Y °ung people about to establish a home, we earnestly i !
ask you to compare the Quality. Beauty and Price of l
| urniturc with what is offered elsewhere and we are sure
i hat your selection will be no other than our furniture ! !
' i wlU , be . an “'vestment that will carry itself proudly S'
i throu ss h | hc years, yielding to time nothing of its? excel- 0
| fence and charm tome in any time this week; we’d like \
i S see many new designs and have you com- § -
| pare them with others. S
BELUiARRIS FURNITURE CO r
The Store That Satisfies, and the Home of Beautiful 1
| * Furniture J»
Nothing brings such con*
lotting relief SIS the original H *
Bourne Bangui. It starts to
drive out pain as soon a*
you apply it. j
GET THE ORIGINAL FRENCH I
i anM OtsidviJ
'' . ‘
■ iky . : ■ >. v 4
PAGE SEVEN
MERCHANTS I
BOOTHS j
ACTS ;
PLENTY
OF
FUN FOR
YOUNG
AND I
OLD |:
VALET
>' IvciZ Ar y
/3K w fhhrnowte
[ itself
. ’, ' , ’ 1,3 7ys J