The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-03-27
LOVE OF LITIGATION.

LOVE UE LII IlUAI1UN.
Strangers upon their advent to Utah
are all impressed with the litigious char
acter of the people. There are more
suits entered here, to the number of
people, than in any other country of
which we have knowledge. There are
suits of all kinds and upon all sorts of
provocation and sometimes, we fear,
for Yely little or no provo1ation what
ever. Note our court dockets, ny one
of which would constitute an interest
ing study. 1t really seems to US that
the largest part of our people like it,
are fond of passage at arms in the
legal arena. We know that the Uton-
ians are essentially an amusement
loving set, but the amusement had by
suing our neighbor in court is "a very
costly one and then in the end it
amounts to but little aud leaves
a bad taste in the mouth of man OF
correct feelings. Now it is our obser-
vation that fully one third of the suits
brought could be better settled out of
court than before the best judge on the
bench and the best jury that ever
went into the jury box. We do not say
this to the disparagement of the judges
or of the juries, nor of the gentlemen
of the bar, but solely in the interests
alone of the litigants themselves.
There can be no peace in community
where litigation is as prevalent as it is
here. No man was eyer voluntary or
an involuntary party to suit at Jaw
but who carried ever after some irritat-
ing and unwholesome memory of it,
something bitter and unpleasant. Just
as sure as that there are many cases
where q reference to the courts is ab-
solutely necessary, is it that a great
many things are referred there which
could be better settled by personal
interviews or friendly arbitra-
tion. Upon the most TRIVIAL
provocation we rush into the courts,
sue and pile up expense and stir up
strife and bitterness TO last for a life
time, when if the smallest effort were
made there would be nothing of it.
Far be it from us to disparage the
worth and character of our legal
tribunals. Indeed they are both of
high character and Importance, but,
notwithstanding this, the less the Or
dinary everyday citizen has to do
with them, the better he will be,
and the more money he will have.
We have too many amateur lawyers,
not in practice, but in every day life.
We have men who have never read a le-
gal work through in their lives, but who
are profoundly VeTsed in all the intri-
cacies and mysteries of the law.
Such men are your natural habit
ues of the courts, and the advis-
ers of itigsnts, who would rather
fight with lawyers, judges and juries
for missiles than to eat. If farmer,
his fence corners are full of briars,
bushes and weeds; if a merchant, his
shelves are dusty and his goods shelf
worn; if mechanic, his shop is IDLE
and work scarce, or if a miner his
mine ls not a shipper. The fact is the
man who has chip on his shoulder of
this kind is up in nothing and is POOR
and wretched in every way, and be-
sides he is liked by but few and is cor
daily hated by many. OF all the
people on earth, the most
truly wretched are those who have a
suit in court at every term, or who |
bringing one. Where |
the matter is one OF difference of opin-
ion, if both are honest, as they are
in nine cases out of ten, bit of
arbitration by three neighbors
which wont cost a cent and but little time
and no heart-burnings, will arrive at a
better verdict than we would get if we
went clear up to the supreme court of
5he United States.
There are TOO many men who are
ON the watch TO catch
ome one doing wrong in order to
odge a complaint. These men seem
to enjoy exquisitely the horrors of the
poor wretch who is hauled up for some
or slight intraction of
law. This sort of man is Just too
mean to live. Let the community set its
ace against this sort of thing, make
, questionable and discredtt3 BILE to set
)ur neighbors by the ears in the courts
nd one half Of the litigation which
roubles the courts will be done awav
18th, and the world will be all the
etter for it, ,
The New Star is IN favor only of '
artial suffrage for women. 1t is in c
avor Of the dear creatures voting upon :