The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-21
THE LOTTERY POLICY WAR IN THE
SUPREME COURT
From the N. Y. Herald.


From the NJ Y. Herald.
There is prospect of q lively time in the
Supreme Court of this city over the lottery
policy ENHANCEMENT which has been brought
there for judicial unravelling The original
parties to the policy suit are the two great
captains in the lottery business of this city
Ben Wood of four -eleyen- n-forty- -four renown,
and the Hon. John Morrissey, not unknown
to fame. Whatever interest might attach to
an encounter between these doughty repre-
sentatives of the fortune telling, lucky
dreams, odd numbers and four ur-eleven-forty-
four fraternity generally, is greatly enhanced
by the inevitable collision it involves between
two of the Judges of the Supreme Court. To
the bar, and, indeed, to the general public,
this latter consequence of the Wood -Morrissey
imbroglio is of far deeper interest than the
mere result, one way or the other, of the
original quarrel.
There is much mooted question in legal
circles which of the two legal luminaries of
the Supreme Court bench is likely to gain the
ascendancy over the other. That there is a
struggle going on for the mastery is indispu-
table, and that it will be carried on to a final
result there is no doubt. There have been
occasions when encounters which must have
proved decisive were imminent, but no oppor-
tunity for advantageous attack on either side
presented itself, and the event was postponed;
but this WoOd-MOrrlsSey contest Is likely to
prove the opportunity for these distinguished
and learned rivals to assert aud maintain
their individual claims to supremacy. The
fight is already opened and the first phase of
the contest is presented. Wood and Morrissey
have furnished the cGS2tS 6elj and will no
doubt supply the ''sinews of war; so long as
the action can be sustained thereby and the
result remains in doubt.
1t was piece of very sharp practice, but,
of course, ''of piece" with the usual tactics
of the two lottery combatants that accelerated
the judicial collision, all the facts connected
with which have already appeared in the
Her0ld in their proper place.
But the most notable feature of this lottery
policy litigation is that all the parties to it
come into court as violators of the law whose
aid they invoke. This the two judges ap-
pealed to in the case know full well. The
fundamental, the constitutional law of the
State declares the dealing in any way in the
lottery business a misdemeanor and punish
able by fine and imprisonment, and yet John
Morrissey and Ben. Wood, notorious lottery
policy men, come not only into court to de-
eide their lottery squabble, but each enlists
the favor and support of judge of the bench
upon his particular side of the case, and
hence the judicial snarl This is most bare
faced prostitution of the intent of the law
and disgraceful evidence to the people who
elect the judges of our courts of the degene-
racy into which the holders of this high Office
have fallen. Surely it is time for reform,
and should vigilance committee ever be in
stituted, its first effort should be directed to
cleansing process of our courts of law, from
the highest in the State down to. the lowest