Show I I EDITORIALS By ByTHE ByS ByI ByTHE S I THE PEOPLE Editor of ot Salt Lake Telegram Salt Lake L' City Dear Dt ar Sir Sir Referring Referring to your Editorial Edt Edi of ot May I 24 respecting the Ford Pol matter bearing the headlines People People Peo pIa Want Vant to Know Why h This Was Vas Done also to the statements ol of Chief of ot Police B B. F Grant In your our Issue of or Ma May respecting tho the same sarno matter wherein Mr Grant casts the blame blamo for tor tho the release of or criminals upon the law In the tho following language language lan lan- guage guage According to the laws of ot the state of ot Utah and Utah and I presume that our laws are arc no different from those of ot other states In fundamental principles Chief Grant said We Ve are virtual virtually powerless In an almost Innumerable number o of cases calles We Ye ma may know that a tl man Is a pickpocket a tl grafter Sa-arter or a n confidence operator we may map have his photograph photograph photo photo- with his graph hi iii the rogues' rogues gallery galler complete description so that no error In n Identity would bo be possible Our men may pick him up when they the know he ho is following a n victim or In attempting to commit a crime crimo such suchs pocket or swindling his as aCI s picking Icking a n. quarry Police Powerless But unless a crime actually has bt been en committed unless ss the swindling has actually been consummated consummate or the thc theft then from the person of ot the victim actually actual completed with the thc proceeds In the hands of ot the criminal we are powerless to effect a conviction In that case Tho The crime must have been completed before we can convict tinder un under under tin un- der tho the laws Jaws that bind U us And Again similar similar simi simi- We Ve have ha had several cases lar to this during m my connection with tho the police pollee department A case that was almost Identical with the Ford case was that which occurred re recently recently re- re at the Monument cornet corner Main anti and South Temple Templo streets when a a. aman aman man was caught with his hand In Inthe Inthe inthe the pocket of ot another man The arrest was rondo made too quickly as the dip was not given gl a chance to get his hand out of ot the pocket with the mone money If It that hand had been ben with withdraw draw with the mone money the thc case would have been an nn easy one in which to secure a conviction I I i I fr No uNo crime was committed d dF fr F by merely thrusting a hand in d 4 1 another's pocket unless union prop- prop I 4 arty erty was actually removed t fr from the pocket That man f fr we wo were compelled to let gothe go H to toon 4 on a bench warrant as in ini theFord the J. J 4 i Ford case H That in the above c statement MiGrant Mi oIl Grant does not correctly state the tin law and that no such reproach can cai be b cast east upon the law of this state tate I Iso ii is isso so obvious that I have ha waited with some somo Interest to observe the reply to U this attempted criticism of ot the law lav b by some public spirited citizen n none None one having appeared however er up to this time I feel teel In a measure compelled d dh to h refute Mr Grants Grant's statements with witt respect to lo the inefficiency of ot th the law which I Is BO so often otten Justly criticised that It becomes almost a duty dut at least a pleasure to vindicate II It t against unwarranted aspersions from one of ot so high a position as s Mr lr Grant A Ae most casual reference to sections and of ot tho the compiled laws ol or Utah would have shown Mr Ir Grant that he was wag by b no means powerless in iu tho the cases he referred to Section 1495 reads Any act done dono with intent to commit a crime and tending but failing to effect its commission is an attempt to commit a crime I Section provides serious penalties penalties penalties pen pen- for tor such offenses Assuming as one must that Mr Grant actually believes es the activities illes of himself and officers to be he as re restricted ro- ro as ho he says SaB because of ot his belief that the law prescribes no penalty penalty penalty pen pen- alty for tor such offenses as the Ford matter malter the quicker cr he Is advised 11 of or his hl error In this respect the tho better I for the Interests ts of ot the public an and I 1 assume also that TIE THE TELEGRAM l I can make mako use of the above c I tion Sincerely yours youre W W. II If WILKINS May 26 26 1916 9 Mr Editor I wish Ish to congratulate editorial in the Issue of f you on your our go May 25 under the th title of ot Fight the thc War ar on American Soil Soli It has the real true truo American ring to it it and Is an article that should I bo be copied h by ly all the In tho the country countr A large number numb 1 of ot us real true Americans are prone pron to criticise nn and few to take the lime time to speak words orela of or praise to cover the tho It Is m my good pleasure entire country countr from the Atlantic to the Pacific In a n commercial way way and and therefore keep in touch with the tho entire entire en- en tire tiro country country and and It does my m heart Rood good to read your our editorial referred to please find a little circular circular circular lar entitled Tho The Flag Speaks from Crom froma Croma a speech made by Hon lion Franklin KLane K Lane secretary of the thc Interior In inJune June 1914 and tho the acknowledgment ment of ot the tho Chicago o Herald You might use It some ome time Respectfully yours II C C. HOLMAN |