The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-05-16
SLIGHTLY ovERpRAwN.

D SLIGHTLY ovERpRAWN.
: While willing to admit that much il
not all it has to say concerning the
conduct of certain of the courts of the
state is true and that they have been
guilty of some of the most outrageous
and detestable acts of maladmistra-
ton of law and justice, yet The Ga
zette can but believe that the Inter
Mountain is inclined to over-estimate
the results of those dishonorable and
dishonest proceedings as it pleases
to apply them in one particular. To
this newspaper it seems as attaching
too much Importance to the individual
acts of a few judges to say that be-
cause of their conduct on the bench
only a very small proportion of the
tide of immigration which had its flow
to the west earlier in the season saw
fit to settle here and make their
homes in the state. Admitting that in
tending settlers make investigations
concerning the conditions existing in
the localities where they may make
their homes and that if any stigma
rests upon the courts Of that locality
that that is the locality they will
'avoid as a plague" and that this
is especially true of citizens of the
eastern portion of the United States
who come west to make their homes,
even then the argument advanced by
the Inter Mountain cannot be said to
be a sound one. Simply because sus-
picion may attach to the courts of
one town or county, it should not be
taken for granted that all the other
courts of the state are regarded as
being corrupt and venal. People pos
sessed of the admitted degree of in
t%elligence presupposed in the Inter
Mountains line of reasoning
are supposedly also possessed
that intelligence which en-
ables them to realize and understand
that no matter where the state may
be on the map, whether east, south,
II VI Wool, LudL SfCl SluCS COuIIS
found a place among the institu-
of the country there have been
those that have been and are still cor
rupt and dishonest. Where n coun-
ty is SO unfortunate as to have courts
that do not stand as high in the esti-
nation of it's people as courts are
supposed and should stand, there are
dozens of other counties whose courts
enjoy the profoundest respect and {
confidence of all. 1t is {
not absolutely necessary that intend !
ing settlers shall select one particular '
county or counties as the places of {
their future homes. The state is large {
and the choice open to the immigrant {
is not restricted by any boundaries q
designating the limitations of jurisdic- q
ton of certain judges. If he learns I
or believes that the judge of a dis /
is dishonest and corrupt he has t
he privilege Of selecting some other +
the judge of which is without S
stain or suspicion and where he need S
be consumed by the doubts and
incident to the knowledge that d
some day he be so unfortunate as to n
be compelled to entrust to a venal T.
Judge decision of matters of great mo- n
to himself and of the utmost
consequence to those who may be de- n
pendent upon him. a
Taken altogether, the reasoning of S
Inter Mountain is a little far o
to say the least. Then, too, o
he county that naturally suggests it. Il
self on reading the Inter Mountains p
article is not n that is supposed to
strongly appeal to the class of men s.
Who have been coming west this "
'Dring with a view to establishing g
The class that go there do
as a rule stop to make any extend
ID inquiries as to the standing of
so far as their honesty and I'M Il
is concerned. Taking ri
he columns of the newspapers pub q
ished within that county as proper o.
estimony the suggestion that pre- a.
'ents itself is the very opposite. p
NEWEST IN MERGERS. o.