BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1904-06-30
Tribunal Reorganization
@San Juan News Odd
Proposals

Tie Judicial nominations have been
made.
Not many Americans names are
found in the list of appointments
which indicates that the Attorney
General has used some discretion in
making out the list But after his
announcement of the right of Porto
ricans to occupy any position IN any
department of the Administration it
was only natural to expect more
recognition than is given to that right
in the present appointments. In the
assignment of officials of the Judiciary
the claims of not single American
should be considered while PortoricanS
can be found and they are not lacking,
to fill these positions.
AS it is now, some lawyers will be
left without employment who are Ia
miliar with the Spanish laws now IN
effect, and how to apply, even though
tending to cause confusion, the laws OF
procedure, having the pretension OF
codifed laws, as the fragment OF law
in civil proceedings which the Hon.
Attorney General unblushingly terms
the Civil Code.
It is natural inference that the
American lawyers living here do not
know the Statute laws which they
have to apply when they are judges
and in virtue of which they must ms
titute proceedings when prosecuting
attorneys; no more do these officials
know the Statute Laws in the study
of which our officials spend six years;
fort it is not thing. learned sponta-
neously as one living in foreign
country four or five years acquires,
without effort, a smattering of the
idioms of the language.
Another reason for opposing the
nomination of Americans as judges
and district attorneys is their ignoran-
ce of the Spanish language.
The officials who have been nomi-
mated should be able to read and write
Spanish says the Attorney General.
Can they do this, all these American
Z judges prosecuting attorneys and mar
shalls who enjoy ,two-fold citizen
ship Surely, knowledge of the
language is the first essential in the
administration of justice.
IL these Americans know Spanish
the case is not so bad But. never
theless, there remains the wrong suf
fered by the native knowing the law
in bring deprived now of all legiti-
mate aids which reason of birth con
cedes him for obtaining in his own
country public Office in the Depart
ment Of the Judiciary.
The desire for innovations is ram
pant among the American officials, in
Guiding Mr.. Sweet, who affirmed with
emphasis recently the exclusive right
of the Portoricans to occupy The public
Offices Of their country.
Mr.. Sweet has reduced the number of
judicial posts not ia a spirit of economy
for the change increases the expenses
of the country, but solely for the salts
faction of reorganizing the tribunals on
lines opposed to those followed by his
predecessor. The Collegiate Tribu-
nails. composed of Portorican LAWYERS
perfectly familiar with the laws, was
a guarantee of highest value for our
citizens; but Mr. Sweet has pench ant
for Judges whose nord alone is lawand
not 10 be questioned, arbitrary as those
of the Middle Ages; and the country
Fsrforce must accept Mr.. Sweets
judges.
When we have another Attorney
General we shall hear the Americans
complaining that these judges are not
exactly what they s'are cracked up to
be- and we shall return to the Cole
giate Tribunals or to some new form
of judicial organization.
Because of the reduction in the
number of judges, by which many
Portorican lawyers of reconized abb
lity lose office, Mr. Sweet gives grad
gingly to the Portoricans the few posts
of his invention, sandwiching among
them with magisterisl dissimulation
as many Americans as possible.
What harmony between the words |
and deeds of Mr. Sweetl
Wc.shall discuss at a future day the
Civil Code, as Mr.. Sweet pompouslyl
calls it, which We have already charac-
terized as a relic Of the Judicial system
of the Middle Ages.
Thanks to the role of buffoon which |
it assume in the newspaper perfor-
NANCE. The San Iuan News con-