torney for each county, and it is his particular duty to let no criminal in his county escape punishment. Some people think these officers should be appointed by the attorneygeneral so that he may keep the work of the State going regularly; but they are generally elected by the people of the county. They may in some States be removed from office by the governor, but this power is seldom used. They are generally left to do their duty as they see fit.

215. Sheriffs and Other Officers. In every county there is also a sheriff whose duty it is to help the district attorney to enforce the law. He is a police officer who catches the criminal, keeps him in jail, brings him into court for trial, and after conviction takes him to prison. There are also deputy or assistant sheriffs and constables who help him to keep order and catch criminals. In a few States, such as Pennsylvania and New York, there is a regular State police force called the constabulary, which does not belong to any county, but goes about over the State wherever it is needed. These State policemen have been found exceedingly useful because they are trained men with efficient discipline. Most constables and sheriffs are mere citizens who hold office for only a few years and so cannot know much about the business of policemen.

216. Grand Juries. It is a disgrace even to be accused by a public official of having committed a crime. If one is tried as a criminal, even if he is innocent, the people of the community do not forget it very soon and his reputation is badly injured. Therefore every effort is made to protect honest citizens from this disgrace. For this purpose grand juries are provided. In most States no one may be brought to trial for a serious crime unless he has been indicted by a grand jury, which is a body of six to twenty-four highly re

spected citizens. If the attorney for the State thinks that some one has been guilty of a crime he takes the evidence before a grand jury and asks for permission to begin the trial. If the jury, after hearing the evidence, think the accused man may be guilty they tell the attorney to go ahead with the trial. They are then said to have indicted the accused. The grand jury should not be confused with the petit jury which helps the judge in a trial.

217. A Criminal Trial. It is better to let some guilty people escape than to punish one who is innocent. Every protection therefore is given to one who is accused of a crime, and it seldom happens that an innocent man is punished. In the first place there must be a jury of twelve citizens, and these twelve must all agree that the defendant is guilty. It is not necessary for him to prove that he is innocent. In fact, if he is set free this is no proof that he is innocent; the State has merely been unable to prove that he is guilty. If he is too poor to hire a lawyer the court appoints one for him and the State pays the fee. If there are any mistakes made in the trial he may appeal to a higher court; but if he is found not guilty the attorney for the State cannot appeal however many mistakes may have been made. If he has been once acquitted he cannot be tried again for the same crime even though new evidence is found which might prove him guilty. In fact many people now think that we give the accused too great an advantage. Even if we were a little more strict the accused person would not be in grave danger, for the governor in most States has the right to pardon a man who seems to have been convicted unjustly. Another protection the accused has is the right of habeas corpus. This gives the friends of an accused person the

right to demand that he be brought to trial promptly and not kept in prison a long time before he is tried. If the crime is not too great, he may be released on bail.

218. The Citizen's Duty. The State has all of these officers to prevent and punish crime, but they cannot do their duty unless they are constantly supported by the citizens. It is the duty of every one to report a crime promptly to the police or district attorney, and to act as a witness if necessary. The officers are working for the citizen, and it is silly to employ them and then not help them do the work for which they are employed. The man or woman who helps a friend to escape after he has committed a crime is a traitor to the community, and may be punished by the courts for thus betraying his law-abiding neighbors.

SUGGESTIONS AND QUESTIONS

1. Did you ever hear of an industrious, sober, kind man being arrested for a crime? Have such men any reason to fear the law? 2. Describe several kinds of persons who commit crimes, in so far as you yourself have heard of crimes being committed.

3. Since a large majority of the people of your State wish to live peaceful and just lives, is it not reasonable for them to combine and hire policemen and other officers to compel every one to leave his neighbors unmolested and to keep the peace? 4. How is the attorney-general of your State selected? Would you like to see him appointed by the governor? Why?

5. How is the district attorney of your county selected? Would you like to see him appointed by the governor? Why?

6. Has your State a body of State police called the constabulary? If not, mention some reasons why such a police force would be useful.

7. What other officers help in your neighborhood to detect crime and punish criminals? How are they selected and re

moved from office?

8. Ask some older friend to tell you of some one who serves on the grand jury, and find out what kind of a man he is. When does the grand jury meet in your neighborhood?

9. What would you think of a citizen who knew that a crime had been committed and yet did not report it to the police?

10. When a neighborhood becomes more and more densely settled and people have to live closer and closer together, is it likely that the number of acts punished as crimes will increase? · Why?

11. If a dairyman sells milk which he knows came from a diseased cow, should he be punished as a criminal?

12. If a person drives an auto rapidly through a crowded street and runs over some one, should he be punished as a criminal?

13. Is it the juror's duty in a criminal trial to decide according to the law, or according to his sympathies?

14. Is a juror who clears a criminal because he feels sorry for him a good citizen? Why? .

CHAPTER XXIII

LEGISLATION

219. Law Grows out of Custom. We have seen that the law takes a long time to grow. Because most of us wish to do everything to-day and to-morrow in the same way we did it yesterday, we form habits that change very slowly. We have habits of thought as well as of action. But we do gradually change our ideas and we do wish new things done. For many hundreds of years it was customary to have all the hard work of the world done by slaves who were treated like beasts of burden. But gradually people began to think that human beings should not be treated like beasts and that slavery should be abolished. This could not be done without changing the law about the rights of persons. More and more people formed the habit of thinking about all people as having the right to be free; and this habit of thinking prepared the way for laws protecting personal rights.

220. Judges Are Conservative. It is the duty of the judges to enforce the law just as it is. Therefore they resist changes, and they should resist them. You will remember that American history tells about the Dred Scott case, where the Supreme Court of the United States resisted the notion that all men have a right to be free. They rejected the petition for the Negro, Dred Scott, according to the law as they saw it. We should not be too severe in