Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-29
4 bad Wear for Corrupt Jndges,

Somebody has said that this is a bad year for
corrupt Judges Ii seems TO be true OF Missouri,
at least, where one of the Cass county Judges
who some time ago was guilty Of a fraudulent
issue Of railroad bonds, with two of his accom-.
plices or aOettOrs in that crime, was murdered
on railroad train the other day by party Of
earnest judicial ieiormers OF course their
method Of reform is not to be commended
though one can not help admiring its prompt
ness and efficiency. Bar associations do not act
with such vigor, and It is hard to believe thar
they are hall as much in earnest Although the
punishment was irregularly inflicted, and itself
constituted crime against society as dangerous
as the act which provoked it, we cannot say that
it was disproporhoned to the offence. The cor
ruplon Of justice is one of the worst of all viii
lalnles, and ii anything would excuse the kind
of irregular and summary vengeance to which
the Cass county relormers have resorted, it
would be enormlty Of this offence with the in
adequate and uncertain penalty which the laws
impose upon those guilty of it. We have seen
nothing TO Indicate that the judges in Missouri
generally are less upright than their brethren of
the bench in other states, and we may be very
sure that in Cdss county, at any rate, they will
be for some time to come extremely circumspect
avoiding with the utmost care even the appear
ance OF bias or venality. A court of impeach-
ment of so extensive Jurisdiction and so sum.
mary methods of procedure must be a powerful
stimulant TO judicial virtue
Elsewhere than 10 Missouri we do not see that
this year is worse than others for dishonest
judges, In New York, which is previously af,
hicted with magistrates of that kind, they are
doing much as usual The charges against
them, whose truth no one has doubted for a
long lime, have been made rather more definite,
and threats Of impeachment are made, but we
have not heard that these judges are much
alarmed, or that they have much reason to be.
1t is said and believed by those who ought to-
have the means Of knowing, that two hundred
thousand dollars at least has been raised TO pre-
vent the success OF the Impeachment, by bribing
the legislature or otherwise, and the present
legislature, though its members generally were
elected as retormers, appears TO be not less sus-
cepuble to influence of that kind than its
predecessors. There are friends or owners of
these judges it seems who value their iudcial
property at this high figure Ofcourse they ex
pect 70 get thelr money back, out OF the public
ana oiheI sultors who do not own Judges, and
they will do tho doubt, with handsome profit
on their investment if they succeed in defeating
the impeachment proceedings New York il
perhaps in advance of Missouri in that OUTRAGED
citizens do not there take the law into their own
hands. but is as far behind in the lack of that
hot and irresistible indignation against judicial
villainy, which insists that a remedy shall be
found or made, and with which, if it should
once manifest itself, neither the friends Of the
criminals nor vensl legislators would dare to
frine