The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-01-15
COLONEL SANDERS VERBALLY
cAsTIGATEs SUPREME COURT.
LAWYERS TOLD THEIR DUTY
Annual Meeting of State Bar Associa-
ton Made Occasion for Re-
markable Speech.

the profession accord Colonel Sanders
the distinction of being a good law
yer, as we'll as a fearless one, who
is never awed by person or circum-
stance into maintaining silence when
he considers that to speak is to do
right. If further evidence of his fear
l~essness and disdain for accepted
usage and custom had been required
it would have been furnished in the
speech he delivered last Tuesday
evening at the annual meeting OF
the State Bar association. Few men
would have cared to speak as he did
he chose as the subject of his re
marks. Visions of summary summons
and punishment for contempt of that
august tribunal would have deferred
any one but Co.oael Sanders from
uttering the remarks credited to
him by the newspapers of the capital
city. OF course, his criticisms of the
supreme court caused a sensation. He
probably knew they would, but he
did not care. Neither did he care
that some of the lawyers WINGED when
he spoke of the bars cowardice in
submitting without protest to the
way the supreme court has of over
riding the rights of litigants by max
ing it, he said, we'll night impossible
for a case to be tried upon its merits.
The courts weakness for adhering to
technicalities was the meat contained
in the colonels remarks. That he
put into words what the others felt
and believed, but dared not express
was manifest by the repeated cheers
it is said his speech evoked.
criticises Both.
Colonel Sanders prefaced his re-
marks by saying that the bar OF the
state was not held in respect by the
courts of the state, and said this was
the fault of the bar. The remaining
account of the speech is taken from
the Independent:
sThe supreme court gets after us
all it can," continued Colonel Sanders.
"It has rules printed which are more
intricate than the science OF law itself,
while clocks stand up there to warn
us until one would think that the
symbol of Justice, instead of being he
scales, is an h~our-glass, and that the
ends of Justice will be served, not
when right exists between man and
man, but when the lawyers get
through talking.
81 think that the bar has failed,
signally failed. 1t needs some one TO
inspire it with courage, with the MS
tory of it's mission fulfilled tor the
past 1000 years. l do not want 10
saw anything in d-isparagement OF the
valiant soldiers of all times, OF tne
noh work of the ministers OF I'M
gospel, but l do not hesitate TO say
that the lawyers have made a large
contribution to human right than nav
all the soldiers and all the minister
in history.
Cost of the Supreme Court.
"We pay out $500 or $500 per y
I do not know exactly what the cos
is. but believe it is between $5O,OO
and $50, 900 a year-to support ou
supreme court, and the only object Q
the existence of that institution is tn
final determination of right, yet | q
not believe that there is a lawyer
the state of Montana who know
enough about the rules of that inst
tuition to take a case in there an
carry it through to a final determln
ton on it's merits-if a lawyer su
ceeds in doing this it is an acciden
Case after case is dismissed on hit
technicalities. We have as near a pc
feet system of laws as can be dew
ed. From time to time legislator
attempt to abolish the obstacles viii
stand between a litigant and I
rights, but in come the rules OF I
supreme court which subject the II
CANT to the most abject cruelty.
Il believe that courts should
fully criticised, and in this connectl
/ must say that the lawyers have
shown themselves as worthy OF tn
mission as officers of the law. Y
cannot blame the o Tor SUI
down on a lawyer or for throw
him out of the window"
Colonel Sanders then yg9Ae OF
difference between The ndln
lawyers so years age and now, 9
said that the bar should be resurrf
ed. He referred to the oath lawy
IN me state Of Washington are G