Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-01-01
,I,cpD,cK7oNCE MORE.

DICKS letter to Mr.. Attorney General
L,spAUDE., WILLIAMS Geservin3 the
severest censure and condemnation,
to- wit: the biect slavish subservlence
he pays to n1e wishes OF the Attorney
General.
It seems that LAEDAULEr WILLIAMS
had been reprimandirg His Honor, or
at least had been calling attention to
the fact that tie expenses OF the Fec
eral Court in the Western District of
North Carolina had been large. There
upon His Honor wrote back not that
he would act as became Judge I'M
awed by the frowns and unbiased by
the favor Of the Government, but
rather like a whipped Spaniel saying:
with great respect, I yield to the
suggestions Of your department., and,
that there may be no complaints OF
expenses in future, request that you
will designate a specific s1tn1 to be ex-
pended in the courts Of this district,
and I will see that The amount is not
exceeded. I viii c,ose the courts
when the amount is exhausted, and
punish only those who are guilty OF
felony, or who are hardened offenders.
[ will compromise petty Offences on
the payment of costs.
| have not been publishing defendants
| severely until year ego. [ find by
experience that a mild policy viii not
| do good, and that punishment is be-
| ginning TO be etfectual in the suppress
sion of crime. As your department is
| dissatisfied with expenditures l will
return to the mild policy, and let men
so on payment Ct costs.
Il appears, therefore, that IN the
Western District, where His Honor
Judge DICK d;srenscs just &c. money
not only ''makes the marc go" but it
makes tie Cou,t 50 as we'll. We have
heard Of ''poor preach and poor pay,
/ but It is the FIST time that We have
ever heard 1t openly proclaimed by a
Judge, from the bench, emo money no
Court" Ii His Honor mad been bonn
AID bred tailor, he would have e2-
pressed himself 10 Landu g. Williams
by telling hiln il familiar bat terse
phrase thai he, II the administration
Of justice, would Hereafter ''cut lis
coat according to Lis GOTH
Bat What disgraceful attitude is
that il whsch His Honor presents
himself to The word! He assures
Laniauiet Williams ti.,,t experience
has proven to Inn that crime can be
suppressed by severity, and by sever,
lty alone, and il the same breath he
also assures t1e Attorney General Of
landaalet notorioty that N order tc
please him, lie viii Let ;rfict
sev,re punishmcnts, but that he
viii lst men go on paymon
Of costs; in other words, Ne viii know
inEly and deliberately ana wiiful1y de
+ at tie en5s Of justice in order to sat
isfy Mr.. Williams AID Is Depart
ncnt
And so Il las come TO Pass that IA
quality af :lo administrator Of ;astic
in North a,o;ira, q in a part Of il 8,
least, whether :. shall be st>rr, 1isor
GUS and efEac:ual or mid and irctTec
tual. depends upon tie arbitrary view
CT NJ. Federal Attorney General vii
l.ams at Wash;I Gton cijy, AID that
too. Tot upon the merits OF eases, br
upon tie amount Of money the ex
perses Of the Court Ought :" cost
Aud the Federal Judge has no NOR
sense of shame tan to subservienti,
acknowledge the fact.
. Time was when there was 10 man il
, North ( aro!ina Who wore The ernliu
} who would rot have Indignantly cas-
J il off had such degrading subservienc
been q part OF his duty, aud who. If /
had not, would not have administered
and publicly, too, to Mr.. William
S ten a 1ebUke as he ouid never hav
forgotten.
But the times Layo charged 10
Judge DICK is upon the bench.