The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-17
ROASTS THE COURTS
DOES PRESIDENT MCCARTHY, AD-
DRESSING THE IOWA STATE
BAR ASSOCIATION
TOO MUCH FALSE EVIDENCE
Hawkeye Jurtst Says Practice Of
Perjury is on the Increase
in American Tri-
bunals.

COUNCIL BLUFFS. Iowa, July 49,
President ]. ]. Mccarthy made startling
statements regarding the prevalence of
bribery in American courts of justice in
his address to the Iowa State bar asso-
citation at it's annual meeting in this city
today.
lis 1t true" Mr.. Mccarthy asked, that
perjury is committed in judicial proceed
lngs? 1 need take no time for the dis
cussion of this inquiry before a repre-
sentative bar association. 1t will not do
to credit all false statements to lack of
memory, visionary exaggeration inability
to see and understand things correctly,
| white lies, imaginary delusions, and such
| like
Mr.. Mccarthy continued:
Where Is the lawyer who has not seen
| the guilty criminal pass out of the court
| room acquitted and set free because of
per1ured testimony? What one of US but
mas seen the rights of persons and OF
| property trampled under foot, presuma-
bly, under due form of law but really
and truly by the use of corrupt and false
and sometimes purchased testimony
! These are the things that beget dis.
| trust and disrespect for the courts and
| for verdicts, and for our boasted forms
| of law. These are the things that pro-
duce anarchy lynching and invite a lust
| contempt for as we'll as lack of conf
| dence in those tribunals called courts of
! justice
| "One judge of long experience upon the
| bench writes me that, in his opinion,
about one-half of all the evidence receiv-
ed on behalf of the defense in criminal
| cases is false
Another judge of equally high repute
! writes me that he believes that rs per
cent of the evidence offered in divorce
! cases approaches deliberate perjury.
Another writes that perjury Is COM
| mitted in a majority of important law
suits and that the crime is rapidly in
! creaSing.
''In short, with reference to the preva-
| lence of perjury, the time has come
! when, in the words Of another, justice
| must wear a veil, not that she may be
| impartial, but that she may hide her
Some place the blame upon the skep-
| tical and free thinking spirit Of the times;
! some censure the courts for the careless
| f1ippant, meaningless and Indifferent
| manner in which oathS are permitted
TO be administered; others censure the
county attorneys and grand juries for
| their indifference and apparent inca
pacity to effectually and properly indict
and prosecute those guilty of the crime (;
of the dilatory, expensive and technical
| difficulties in proving the crime to the
satisfaction of trial jury beyond rea-
sonable doubt.
Blame is also laid at the door of a
| class of attorneys who advise or en-
| courage, or at least condone perjury
| anu SIlIt announcer very respectable num-
| Der say 1t is because of the lack of
fear of prosecution and certain temporal
| punishment for the crime.
"It ls doubtless true that all these,
| and perhaps other causes, combine in
| creating the evil complained Of The
grasping and commercializing spirit
of the age, where every mans standard
seems to be measured by the amount
| of money he has accumulated, might
| well be added to the catalogue.
Some tell US that the crime is COM
nlitted mostly in the police and petty
| courts, where, as rule, the witnesses
| belong to the vicious classes. But the
| fact remains that it Is committed In
other courts and by men protesting high
| station in society, church and state.
| who can blame a poor outcast of So
ciety for false swearing, when presum-
| ably reputable citizens do the
same thing? Why do we ex-
| pend time and money In prose
cutting some poor tramp for stealing an
| overcoat to keep from freezing when
| the wrecker of a bank, the despoiler OF
home. the tal1er of human life, or the
enbezzler of thousands goes unwhipped
| of Justice?
'"Why should a nation or a state CRY
cut against determinations, trusts, COM
binations and 'watered' stocks when the
very crime that makes them possible is
! passed unnoticed? Why does the press
of country write volumes on the con
stitutton following the flag when the
sanctity Of an oath that gives both the
flag and the constitution their real sig
nificance Is almost ignored?'