The record-union., 1894-01-20

lawyer Short?" "Where is lawyer Fat?"
w Where here is lawyer Lean?" Where is
Black?" apparently there were calls for
all OF the lawyers in the country, and he
could hear mass of voices saying: "Ien
him what the laws are, quick" AMI ne
could hear the lawyers answering: Il
haven't got my library here"
Never mind your libraries" yelled
the Reformer. 81 have got library OF
my own, and though it is probably not
one fftleth part the size Of some OF
yours, IL is fifty times larger than as any
good law library ought TO be.
What reasonableness is there in accu-
mulating tons and tons of tones of stat
utes so vaguely worded, or intermixed
with other statutes or contradictions, that
the best educated cannot understand the
true meaning, and have to resort TO re-
search of decisions to learn how they have
been interpreted heretofore?
SHANE on the nation which makes, or
permits TO be made, laws which the COM
mon people cannot understand.
II tell you the ship of State is so heav-
lily loaded already with this kind of trash
that she Will certainly founder unless
some OF 1t is thrown overheard soon.
Abolish all of your laws. except your
Constitutions, and the few codes which
+ have not been spoiled by amendments
OF you have had excellent codes, elabor-
ate enough to last common sense people
a thousand years without amendments.
Adopt common sense code of certl-
lied constitutional laws and amend your
| Constitutions so that they will give your
courts power (unlegs they have it already
TO adJudlcate any case on its own merits
or dement's, in accordance with the in
herent sense Of right and wrong in man
n Inh 10 fha rV1l esfo OCae1 bat tra
OF justice, and by which all laws are, or
| should be made, and by which all laws
are certainly judged.
Then you will find that all litigation
can be transacted in a reasonable time,
and cases which ought to be decided in
three or four hours, will not cum ber your
courts for five, ten, fifteen, twenty, and
sometimes more years, as they do now,
often making just decision unjust be-
cause of its delay. Amend your admin
lstration of justice so that the common
people Will not be excluded from the ben
ent OF written law because OF its eXorbl-
tanL expense, as they are now.
construct your courts and court pro-
cedure so that the humblest citizen can
have case considered by the highest
legal authority, with costs, in conformity
with his ability to pay them.
Abolish your imbecile Jury system
which IS clog instead of an aid to JUS
tlce tbesldeS being an infringement on
the liberty of the people,, and substitute
one in accordance with common sense,
founded on the fact that the inherent
sense of right and wrong in man is the
only criterion Of human Justice. and by
which even law itselfis judged, and that
true justice is more certain to be obtained
from the inherent sense of right and
wrong OF twelve men who can take all of
the circumstances into consideration than
from the written law which may not have
foreseen or provided for all of the circum-
| stances.
ELECT men of probity for this service,
and permit no objections, except appar-
ent or probable prejudice or self-inter-
! est.
Discard your despicable practice of
patterning after previous decisions or
courses Of action.
Perfection is the only common sense
| precedent, and the present generation
should be more competent to approx
mate perfection because Of its more ex-
/ tensive information and more general
education than those who have lived be-
fore.
Abandon your contemplate custom
! of continual legislation.
Amend your interstate intercourse so
| that warrant issued for the arrest of a
criminal can be served anywhere in the
| United States.
IAN excellent police system might be
| organized by electing an extra constable
! IN each township for universal service
under the control Of the universal Gov
ernment. which should have head office
at the Capital OF the Nation, with branch
! offices at the Capitals of the States, and
these same branch offices should be the
| headQ quarters Of the State Constabulary
and all should work in concert.
Il. Il j
! your soil in all of their constitutional
rights, and punish crime legally and not
! by mob violence.
"Shame on the nation which permits
any Of its communities to deal out VEN
geance like pack of devils. If that is
| thought necessary to prevent crime fence
! off a portion of the country with high
wall and put all such ferocious people
into it, and give them plenty of fire and
! birthstone and red hot pitchforks, and
! toss your criminals over the wall for
! them to practice on.
Condemn all unjustifiable acts boldly
and definitely, and not with a weak, un-
certain voice, which savors of policy or
| fear, as is the common custom now, but
cherish sympathy and charity and mercy
TO the erring and the repentant.
/ "Entranchise yourselves from the
enormous error of discriminating in tax
alton, because of conditions which, be-
sides being palpably unjust, is in plain
contradiction to the spirit and wording of
your Constitutions.
There is no just way of taxation ex-
cept by a direct equal tax on all prop
erty.
"Divest yourselves of envy, and reflect
that the accumulation of property, Wheth-
er in large or smaller quantities, cannot
possibly be detriment to the country,
or to the producers, because all property.
except the soil, is the product of labor,
and its possession is self-evident proof
that the producer has been paid price
acceptable to him unless it has been
stolen or taken by force.
The more there are with large accu-
mutations the better are the prospects for
the producers to obtain good prices tor
their products. Have common sense.
II can see SO many errors in common
practice that it would prolong my lecture
for month if 1 should mention half of
them; but if any Of you would like to
hear my opinion on any subject, send it
up"
"How about the money question ?''
came from host of voices all over the
country.
IDEAL with it in a common-sense way!"
! yelled the reformer. money is simply a
convenience for the use Of the people. 1t
is the duty of every Government to coin
it, It's stamped value is merely a name,
and it should be Interchangeable. 1t is just
as foolish to argue about the intrinsic
value of money as it would be to argue
about the intrinsic value of pint-cup or
q half-bushel measure or wheelbarrow
or locomotive. The real value lies in
the article exchanged for it. and is gov
erned by the law of supply aud demand,
| which represents innumerable conditions.
''Gold and silver have always been used
for money with few exceptions) by the
more civilized nations since historic time,
and there is no good reason why any
change should be made now.
Gold is the more desirable tor the
larger value coins, and silver is the more
desirable for the lower value coins. The
only reasonable question about the use OF