, 1881-02-23
NO PENALTY FOR PERJURY.

SUfEIi i'll
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NO PENALTY FOR PERJURY.
Tho attention Of tho Illinois Legislature.
Which rcassrmbcs t'-.lay, Is caletl 10 thu
following cnso which occurred III this city
Inst week: A man charged will, burglary
came lip for tr1ul before Judge 1lawes. III tlo
Criminal Court. An application WIS tlIatto
fnr change OF ycn,tn 10 another Judge iii
tIts county, nntl tho motion was supported,
rs required by statute, by thu aflilavlts Of two
persons who swore tl,nt they believed such
prejudice did exist, and TINT tho prisoner
could not hnye fair trial bufore tho Judge
to whom exception was taken. And tho
Judge, after examining the Inv ant the a,1-
thorltfcs, decided that ho must grant tho
ctlanRs Of venue. Now, Judge l1awcs nuycr
knew tho prisoner, ho mover l.car,1 his name
until tho cnse cnmc before HIN, null c0tlsc-
u,icnt'y llo Ind no shadow Of prejudice
against him, mud could have given him as
fair q trial rs nny of his associates OIL the
Bench. but under this Inv, and tho fntGr-
pretnt0n put upon It by tho Supreme Court,
the Juttgn WIS forced to nsDw these ntro-
ctons Ilbcss upon his character to go
upon tho files Of his Court, md felt himself
rowcrlcss to call before HIN the pera0rs who
had nlntto statements which they anl lie
knew to bo fnlsu nntt examining. them Us 10
their reasons for pretending TO bclleyo tint
ho was prcjudlced agntnst their alleged
friend, tic defendant. Tic WIS nat given u
chance to SEQ whether these atlantis were
actually citizens or even existed, or, II tlloy
dbl. whether they were thu 'rcpllta,lo clti-
gems" required by the law. No, no was
compelled 10 BIT md listen to ASSAULTS upDn
him which 'sc k,pw woro lies, but which llo
Itad no chance to refute.
1'robnbly most of the members Of tho Leg
islature nre unaware OF tlte existellce Of u
law .s,tlcr which such shameless outrages 0,l
Justice nih 1ccency can be perpetrated. 1t
was s,lugg'ed through tho General Assctl-
bly, two yenrs aRo by solno sl,ysterlng after
rey Whose only object WAS to mako business
f0r himself and block tlo administration Ut
Justice III Chicago. 1t Is local Inv apply
Imp to this county only, since llure alone Is
there circuit Court with moro tllnn
one Judge. Under tho Interpretation nut
upon 1t, nil that Is required il for the shy
| stcr who waits to secure moro time, FOR the
criminal whose defense l,o Inns I'll charge to
| hire two lonfars with a drink Of whisky
upiccc OF S. bill Mt tic most, to sign n!li-
slayits which t,e l,as drawn up for them, and
whtcl, thoy arc rarely asked to hear rend.
wherein they state that they believe Judge
| whom tlloy never sAW IS pretudlced against
Il defendant whose nainc perhaps they never
before heard. Tlcse atl,uayits aro then
thrust In the face Ut tho Judge, who IL not
allowed to drug FROM tho sul,ls where tlloy
1yu tho scounslrcts wio live pcrjurcd thcnl-
selves for petty'bribc and force from their
lips confession Of tho fatsty of their state
mcnts, but Is Obliged to pocket tho Insult,
to put OIL record Tho impeachment Of his III
tegrlty, md give tho prisoner 0itc, or two, or
three months nure OF freedom buforc some
other Judge, to whom exception l,ns not bcon
taken, rcplaccs lin In the Criminal Court.
Iii tho meanwhile tho witnesses for the pros.
| ecutlon are bought off Or leave town, mil
finally the trful, delayed uuttt I'LL acattttal Is
reasonably certain, results In tho discharge
Of the offender.
These nre The facts, submitted for tho con-
sidGrati0n OF the Legislature Now, aru there
enough sllystcr lawyers In Tint body, who
go thero only to make business for tllenl-
selves alNl bnillc tho law, to defeat the repeal
uf II measure under which such lniquitfcs nro
wrought? Or Is thcro enough respect for ttc-
celcy to sweep from tho statuto books Il pro-
vision ulillcr which aflllavlts, bought for n
drink or ttollar, may bo safcly used 10 it,
suit Judge and tlcfraud justice of her dues
II the General Assembly will not net, then
tho Judges will hnye to defend themselves.
They will hnyu to exercise their power ia
bring before theul these makers Of lying atli.
tlayits, question them, which will show tl,As
they pcrjurcd themselves, and then refuse to
grant tho change of yenue demanded by these
tools of tlisreputab!e lawyer. Lot tllo cnsc
be appealed 10 tho Supreme Court, md ,et
tho Judges oyerrulc, 1t they can 10 it with
all the facts besura them, tho finding Of tho
lower Couft. Simply Keen on rejecting the
fraudulent ailitlavlts, AMI In tie course 1i
lime tho lawyers who manufacture them vii
tind that tho business IL not n paying one, MI.
that tho upright Judges of tl'ls county are
not to be lnsultctl with impuntty