BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1904-09-10
CRITICISMS

The circular issued to the officials
and employees of the Department of
Justice by the Attorney General con
firms the gravity of vexatlous pubic
distrust and the fears of a serious 81
tuation which we anticipated when the
establishment of the single judgeships
instead of the old form was an
nounced.
The head of that Department says
he has been constantly receiving COM
plants and denunclat1ons, accusing
the various employees of the courts OF
taking an active part IN politics, and
he wishes it discontinued. Thereupon
measures were taken by the Attorney
General to prevent it, and an explain
atory circular was gotten out.
AT this time it is almost certain that
the many assistants have received
fuller and more definite Interpretation
of the circular, as have the judges,
secretaries and clerks of courts. Be-
cause the complaints which the Attor
ney General may have received are
likely made againt the minor employees
of the Department, if they are not very
explicit and minute, they should refer
to the gist of the matter, SO that the
head Of the judiciary may correctly
understand the force of the public
protests against the suspected partlal1-
ty of some officials.
The denunciations, it is plain, are
always made against emoloyes hold
ing the lower pos tions, clerks and
messengers: but protests of certain
kinds have greater weight and are
broader than those that admit the OBJ
stinacy and partiality that are some
times made against the lesser lights,
or reach by an indirect manner arro-
giant persons of higher official rank,
and, sometimes chastise the innocent,
or returns against the official whom
it is impossible to attack from the
front, for the simple reason that there
ale some who are practically lmpreg-
nable.
The protest that brought out the
Attorney-Gener,ls circular goes fur
ther than some hoped for. 1t does
not stop at the lower Offices; but goes
to the seats of those who have engen
dC1CO lulS JCdAOuo ouop p4SlOh'
Some Of the newspapers which are
dedicated to politics here are edited by
servant of the body polite.
3Does not the; Attorney General
think that he may refer many of the
complaints he has received to the cri-
tic1sm of this journalistic hermaphro-
dite.
We, scarcely hearing the news, sus-
pect that the intentions might arise
from the complaints that the Attorney
General received.
The people decide all; but it some
times happens that one sees more
than he afterwards ventures to acknowl-
edge, .or more than he had thought TO
see. This causes denunciations those
modest calls to order that all may
hear the warning and suggest pre-
ventive.
The circular is comprehensive and
is addressed to all the employees of
the Department of Justice. 1t is plain,
explicit, and there can be no excuse
for failure to comply with it's lnstruc-
tions, by the Judges and other officials
more closely than the subalterns.
The head of the Department of
Justice and the author of the reorgan-
ization of the judiciary has had oc-
caSien very soon to be surprised at
at his own work, because Of the fail
ure of which he has had to issue this
circular as a warning to those who
should never forget their relation to
this grand organization.
What has occurred is vexing to the
Acknowledgement But those fears
might have been spared If, in place
of the single judgeships, the college
of judges had been retained; because
it is not so easy for three men to agree
to an extreme act of partiality as it is
for one judge only who does not need
suggestions, but who is under peculiar
personal obligations for his especial
manner of viewing the questions, and
the trend of his natural and irresistible
sympathies demand more in these
exciting political times.
Now is the time to weigh maturely
the work of the author of the reOrgaEI
nization of the judiciary, when the
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