The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-10

Upon these depend in great measure
the life, liberty and property of the
people. The times demand a court of
justice to correct the mistakes of the
past as much as the court of equity
was demanded to correct the defects of
the law.
Upon the back of the thousands of
law reports should be branded, There
is no law greater than justice" Permit
me fully to call your attention to some
other instances where law Is not JUS
tice. Under the wretched divorce laws
a man divorced in Ohio few years ago
and marrying again in New York was
convicted of bigamy and,imprisoned for
a term of years. His children by the
last marriage were declared illegiti-
mate in Ohio and deprived of their in
heritance. This is law, but not justice
In the jail of Lackawanna county is
a woman charged with no crime. She
has been there for months and may be
there for many months more. She is
held as a witness in a homicide case
The common veal demands It, but
the commonwealth will not support her
dependant ones or pay her for her time
thus taken. This is law, but 1t is not
Justice. A prisoner in Jail too poor or
unknown cannot furnish bail. He is
tried and found not guilty. The COM
monweal demanded his Imprisonment.
The commonwealth does not pay him
for his time nor support those depend
ent upon him. This is law, but it is not
Justice.
The commemorative witnesses are
paid, his are not. This Is law but it is
not justice. A judgment for a shilling
will permit the party who deems him
self aggrieved to appeal to the Supreme
court. party convicted, SEN
fenced and imprisoned for years
cannot have an appeal to the Supreme
court as a matter of right. 1t must be
specially allowed by a judge. This Is
law, but 1T is not justice.
A juror who can neither read nor
write determines the rights of liberty
and property. Would it not be more
conducive to justice to have an edu-
cational qualification for jurors?
In the trial of a case points of law are
submitted by the attorneys for the
court to answer for the guidance of
the jurors. Would it not be more con-
ducive to justice If they were answered
in writing and sent out with the jury?
Might not the same be said in reference
to the evidence?
A deed is acknowledged by a married
woman in presence of her husband.
The purchase money is paid and she
and her husband enjoy the same. The
husband dies and she, as widow can
and sometimes does repudiate her deed.
This is law, but 1t is not Justice Time
will not permit the extension of this
catalogue of injustice.
The remedy lies with the bench and
the bar. Show this injustice to the peo-
pie; enlist the press; form bar associa-
tions and frame remedial statutes and
demand their passage by congress and
legislatures.
MIR. TOrrcy's Toast, the Ladies'.
City Solicitor Torrey, in responding
to the toast 1.-THE Ladies'" said that
he preferred the title woman to that of
lady. Woman, he said, Is the noblest
of Gods creatures and deserving of our
highest respect. AS civilization pro-
gressed she was raised from the posi-
ton of slave to that of a toy and then
to be the queen of our households.
Only the men who treat women as the
queens of their homes are worthy of a
place in our Nineteenth century civili-
zation. 1t is one of the saddest things
in rejecting on the social evils
of the day that men are addict
eu tIldl lht uue lHell
sins Is usually borne directly or indi-
rectly by women. The speaker closed
by quoting Milton's beautiful tribute
to woman.
The last toast on the list, Labor and
Law" drew forth a response from T. V.
Powderly who said the subject as
signed to him was too great and too
vast to be dealt with in a few minutes.
AT one time he did not believe that
there was any bond of sympathy be-
tween the lawyer and the laborer, but
within the last few months since he
was admitted to the bar many in
stances had been brought to his atten-
tlon which show that the lawyer and
laborer have common cause. The
speaker touched briefly on the income
tax and said he thought 1t was unjust
and a direct tax on labor, which creates
all wealth.
Revenue Collector Herring was called
upon, though not on the programme
and made few remarks devoted prin-
cipally to an expression of his desire to
see the income tax wiped out of exist
ence.