Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-07-20
PUBLIC OPINION AAO ITS POWER
New York city's Strenuous District
Attorney Pays Compliment to the
Honeat Untrammelled Presa, Ad-
mlttans That Justice is Often Only
Secured by Aid OF Papers.
(By Assoc,n,ed prenn.l

WAhM oinlNfS, Ia, July ~
District Attorney Jerome delivered
nm address on public opinion" It's
power. some Of lts evils and lnius-
tees and our duty as lawyers to It.
before the Georgu Bar Association
tonight.
In the course OF his address, Mr..
Jerome referred to President Roose-
relt's criticism OF United States
court judge, saying:
There Is one injustice which pub
lie opinion not infrequently commits,
ana one which lawyers do much TO
correct and that Is the criticism OF
judges for decisions which they could
not avoid making II they obeyed the
law. The recent spectacle OF the nu.
tons chief executive. himself. not
lawyer. crticising In public docu.
ment federal judge for his deciaIou
on Il point Of law. has not. | believe,
commended itself to our profession.
Right to crIticise Paramount.
THE laws are onr laws. Public
opinion made them and can change
them. Every citizen has n right to
criticise them aud seek their amend.
ment or repeal, but while they are
our laws, we want our judges to
obey them and not substitute for
them something they deem In nc
cord with thing so mutable and SO
difficult TO ascertain as public opin.
ion. The snnndncss of judges lc.
eai Judgment and the wisdom OF Il
particular law may well be called In
question. but an honosct decision
should not expose the Judge himself
to criticism"
At the beginning Mr.. Jerome sail
there are men guided by II high sense
of duty, who will do and continue
to do their duty rs they see 1t. re-
CARELESS Of the majority opinion
which We call public opinion, but
with effort and repression.
Cites Maine as an Example.
How potent is public opinion is
everywhere evident TO the lawyer
What more solemn declaration Of its
Will can people make than to de.
clare in its constitution that thing
shall not be done and that the Iegis.
lative body shall enact sufficient
laws to prevent the doing OF n pro-.
hibited act, and yet has Maine. for
example been able TO enforce Its
prohibitive laws?
DO not It's sworn officers almost
everywhere fail to fulfill their oaths
OF Office? Like officers do not fail
in their duties where crime, such as
larceny are concerned
Gambling Another Example.
in my own State the constitution
prohibits gambling and enjoins the
legislature to pass laws to prevent
1t. The legislature, however, has
dared to pass a law which while In
form aimed to prevent gambling on
race tracks, was VIGOROUSLY designed
10 protect 1t and this was possible
only because public opinion permit.
ted 1t. 81
Whatever It's cause and whatever
it's history, public opinion stands to-
day as the most important single In.
fiuence in the life OF the nation.
Justice Follows Publicity.
"ln many parts Of the country and
especially In our great cities, mans
ability to command hearing must
largely depend upon the newspapers
and 1t is by them that the greatest
justice and sometimes the greatest
Injustice is done.
III public opinion Is the greatest
single force in our public life surely
the newspaper is incomparably the
greatest factor in It's formation and
spread