The evening world., 1894-02-05
PET OF The JUSTICE.
Mexican Has a Favorite Known as
the Attorney-General.
Lite Regard Shown for the Needs
OF the Public.
Urgent Necessity for Reform In the
Civil District Courts.

The sixth District civil Court has iurls-
diction over the Eighteenth and Twenty
first Wards Of New York, and is presided
over by Justice Daniel +. Martin.
Justice Martin succeeded Justice Lach-
man on Jan. /. 1884. and those evils cx-
listing in the sixth District Court cannot
be fairly attributed to the present Jus.
tiCe.
But Justice Martin, who sits upon the
bench at 400 Second avenue on Wedncs-
days Fridays, could easily put an end
TO the neglect and delay In his court by
holding sessions every day in the week.
The law governing the conduct of jus
tees says that court shall be held on
every judicial day, which means, of
course. every day except sundays and
legal holidays.
Justice Martin, whose law Office is at
81 tharlber street, has n court calendar
crowded with nearly three hundred cases.
The law says the Justice must not adj
jolrn court until all the business of the
public has been transacted.
The most frequent complaints against
tho Sixth District Court arise from the
adjournment OF cases by the Justice.
There IL absolute need of speedy relief TO
the poor litigants In the district.
In the Seventh District Civil Court, the
jurisdiction OF which embraces the whole
" the Nineteenth Ward, tn sessions are
held at Isl East Fifty-scventh street.
> NNal'' o'llli ~ WIZ .
there, has much to be THANKFUL for. The
business transacted IL small In compari-
son to that Of the Fourth and Fifth Dis
trict Courts.
The scarcity of business In the Seventh
District gives Justice Mexican and his
clerks abundant time to look after their
private affairs, and it is not surprising
to find but fifty or sixty untried cases
upon Justice McKean's calendar.
Justice Mexican Is go moral" re-
marked a well-known attorney last night.
that he actually does not do justice in
law. The rule of practice In the civil
courts provides that all motions for ad-
journment or excuses for delay, shall be
made by affidavits. Now, Justice Nc
Kean Will allow verbal statements to he
made on such motions, without the first
sign Of an affidavit.
Not long ago, ii Justice Mckean's
court, ! was pressing a claim of a work.
workingmen I'm court as witnesses.
without any reasonable eXcus the Court
adjourned, the case: II the defendant
has n bad case, as in this instance, the
best thing the court could do would be
to remain at home and allow the de-
PENDANTS attorney to adjourn the c,se
as often as possible, whether he had a
good excuse or not. Finally, a defendant
having a bad case in Justice Mckean's
Court can let n default be taken against
him, and when the execution Is issued
and the Marshal comes around to levy
he can go into court and get the default
reopened. In this way the case can be
kept In court Indefinitely. | now of ii
case Of this character which has been
pending in Justice MCI<ean's court for
the last six months
In the Seventh District Court there
are "favorites" who practise at the bar,
rs in some other courts, and one of the5e
legal friends of Justice Mexican is
known to his colleagues AS the Attor-
n~ey-General of the court
A favorite and much-used expression
OF Justice Mexican In addressing his
Acknowledgement" Is this:
We'll. counsellor. ! think the defend
ant ought to have his day in court, 80
will adjourn this case"
This ruling Is so common in Justice
MCKean's court. and the Attorney
General" represents SO many defendants
in cases on trial AS to occasion more or
less m among the attorneys who
practise at McNean's bar.