The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-06
WHEN BOSS CONTROLS JUDGE.
POLICE COURT SAMPLES TOR q
STPRENE COIRT iRNING. .
The AItorne, 81 the ~PirkDOeke,s' Trust n
Practitioner Before Certain Nasistrates
Others Flead Necessity for Fhrsx-
InS out Cases Against Men With Pull.

rppuiable lawyers q tbs town toward
Ire rolice Magistrates D. Illustrated apply
nv what she counsel 81 oae Of the best
known societies. wlicn mas constant busl-
nee in these courts. said to = SUN fePoE1er
yesterday
You must not UP ny name under any
circumstance The lnvyers of rhfS"town.
certainly scores Of those who occasionally
and even fe~SenIay prsSti>e N the police
courtS-- are cowarqs l admit that am
one of-them. Il ~e9Awyer~hsd courage
enough TO speak out we could drive not
one man but two or threr 90 Abe police
court bench.
There are two powerful reasons WY
We. do not speak out. One u that Se have
20 prsctise before these Magistrates. By
keeping silent about some Of the things
We know we have better success before
the Magistrates than We would have other
~Elss-NhAl xekRoN ABOUT certain Of them
b a positive asset in onr law practice when
We appear before them The second
reason. and Il ~ the more important one.
y that II We told what We knew we would
he regarded a. informers and also a. untrue
20 our profession. We should lose caste.
For our own interests. selfish interests.
IL IL wen a, times 81 Keep our lips scaled
when our eyes and cans have been open.
THE SUN has been doing a good thing IN
bringing out some of the evil conditions
tina exist ia the police courts. II could
20 far deeper II the embers OF The bar,
reputable members Of the bar, l mean.
would tell what e=rT kno~- An that case
the Appellate Division would be busy doing
sone o. the most wholesome houEe clean
ing in civic az airs this town hss ever
known.
Then this attorney Add OF hs " exI
p-erlences. he said that at least three
MAGISTRATES o sitting IN tRe Manhattan
and Bronx districts had come 10 hun with
what were really ~dlshonorable propositions.
He c~onfessat THAI lie rad yielded TO them.
The Magistrate EeTe unwilling 40 bod
er7ai prisoners against whom cases OF
probable guilt had teen made out The
reason was that the prlsonsrs were 80
powerfully backed ~ political influences
thai il the Magistrate did not listen TO the
IIeadings in their rehalf they tthe NaRiE-
tratesl would lie driven from pGtAc lie,
They would never Eet a reappoint rnenV.
II they should go back n private prsc-
tire they would suffer through a political
ostracism. Their private practice had
come largely from political sthaGA1aoIs.
They saw ruin ahead Of them il they kepT
strictly totheFr dArhs ar oAios. The propo
situn they uade usually. was not one Of
open bribery. II wss a varied form Of
-whal IL tbs Cons!tG "a tsEween fr!ends?'
Ii was & personal plea. sud /, was phrased
usually u this way
Il aru puzzled 20 know what 10 do about
yOur latest case. You seem 10 have MADE
=. - \. -,E1. and Z - chs 70 hnld Tho
man. But il Is as much a. my Job Ne worth
il / bold him. The pull behind him Is enor-
NOUS and ! am feeling il constantly. Il IS
comparatively easy FOR me 10 persuade
myself that you have not made out a strong
case. hut Nhay bpthers me Is n l let the
prisoner 90 I6srs may ts c howIaooIe TIE
matter. 4.have. come 20 ask as a personal
favor, iUs tsr flies ttne that you VIII not
make a fxS over this matter u l let this
man GO There X 4 SHADOW Of doubt about
his Intentr toS cor1sniN . orlHle. Be easy
this time and take your medicine Ike a
good fellow II won't hurI you IN other
cases DO = 81 GsfayoHs stIRp1y cant
stand up against the pressure that Is beng
put on me. IL means NOSE 70 me fhan
can tell YOU. .
10 speaking about these cases this lawyer
said: Il am not the only man who could
give you name ana .oIher facts eboIt these
Magistrates. There. are twent yes. fifty
/ believe. whp could d~uV1ioste Nhat | say.
I yielded because the Individual matter al
stake was not really important. With the
arrests in question | had accomplished the
main thing, except '-eCsnns punishment.
! had Stopped certain ac-Ices. II was
Easy to yield becas-s | saw othsr cases,
more important. COMM up. IL was wrong.
and now 4 can say nothing, TOT II WoGio
leave a scar on NV record
ne three Magistrates meni IoAeo " TINS
man are sill On rBe bench In ordinary
cases they do substantial justice. Let a
district leader appAar N court and request
a priyzfE hearing and their oaths OF ohoe
Az oct the window. they wessen n the
pre-ence Of the boss Lash or the threat
10 Use Il 70, such 81 extent Lhat the police
COZ regulaf. refer - them a. party
,loRS.- Al they have has come 10 tbeIn
Through polIIc-. To the demand that the
~polioooo4Tt~& tA.s to~n u made part OF
a political macllne they WELD a. 4 matter
Of eour-e, Some Of .he Magistrates have
grown sOccaiFcns rbat privately they boast
a their sghEeTVlenC@ and they point 10 tins
and that case whore they nave discharged
a prisoner 10 prove their Loyalty 10 the
man who goE them their ion>.
HEVs. - che Case ta1t A4astraLes The
p0wef or the di~trict leader ia the MGgls-
,Irstea courts a. times A heeler ni James
- Hag4hA who had sufhcient influence re-
csnfly With the Mayor TO bave Magistrate
-Sweetser. Appointed "a The bench, was
'atyazpa !of satIdbaggihg q West Side
.Al6dISefafD-bec&.Se he lad been drown
~. ~. Ita pnoe for starring a row.. The
.5Afbps Lseper had q n Specimen OF q
'BiAdF eve Nhen he APPEARED in the West
AsgIetrats Sweets@r bed NOT
been appointed al thar time. A policeman
testified 10 seeing the prisoner creep up
behind the saloon keeper and slug him.
HAgsn Wa ia court and made a hard tight
for ms man. he openly tined TO bulldOze
the policeman and ne minated privately
that he would have the policeman broke.
The policeman would not yield and in
SISTED on tbs story. he was. Irish and Ais
fighting spirit was up
Hagan could do nothing With the case
n that stage and he obtained an adjourn
ment on the pretexI Of securing the presence
Of an important witness. When the nase
cane up again the Hagan lawyer called
HA1an Mmsalf 20 bi- slani. Hayaa re-
called that h~a-G&RLGslte ssEe lie 4ssd seen
the saloon keeper with a black eve two
DAYS before the assault vas committed.
The case was dismissed al ono- w1ihoat
giving the saloon keeper an opportunity
to produce witnesses 10 show that he dld
not have she blaoE eye al The time HagaA
swore hs did.
The fear OF the district leader j. bot con-
fned u the AaElstrates, bet one Of them
some intoa p6iice court and he atmosphere
changes az ORc-~ TbeJDlce stlfen up, tie