The San Francisco call., 1908-10-15
Though Able to Pay, Push
Judge Squirmed Out of
just Debt
Borrowed From Bank and When
Sued Pleaded Statute of
Limitations
Creditor Still Holds Note Telling
Ugly Story of Judicial
Honor"
Significant Chapter Of tine
Record" of the BOOdIers'
Friend

carroll COOK mas Deen
upon the superior court
bench in this city since 1897.
BY virtue of his Office he is
called Judge" /" Carroll Cook
likes the judge business. In
that high Office he can and
has frequently served the
purpose of his friends, the
enemies of society, the foes
of the law which Carroll Cook is
sworn with irmness to uphold
and with absolute fairness to adj
minister.
Carroll Cook asks the people OF
San Francisco to retain him in the Of
hce he has disgraced. He asks the peo-
! pie of San Francisco to ratify the
nomination given him by the inter
ests'' and the higher ups" He de-
mands, as a right consequent upon
that nomination. the opportunity to
protect vice and law breakers. when
occasion shall demand. for another six
] years
Carroll Cook tells the people of San
! Francisco that he should be retained
upon. the superior bench because OF his
record as a judge. He is measurably
modest. He says he has record. He
does not discuss that record. Carroll
Cook Is discreet as we'll as modest.
j Employment OF the "deadbeats' buck
ler" the statute OF limitations. to es-
cape payment of a debt is one Of the
unsavory incidents in that record which
Carroll Cook does not discuss with the
people. He is quite willing they should
forget IT.
The statute of limitations. designed
/ to protect the poor debtor and TO serve
other equally desirable purposes. is sal
\ utary law. Invoked to accomplish the
ends for which it was designed. that
statute has never been condemned.
\ When il is invoked by a tricky rich
/ debtor to beat a creditor whose good
nature or faith in the honor OF the
debtor has exposed his claim to the
penalties OF that statute. IT, is com
monty known as the "deadbeats' buck
| ler"
4 a
The statute of limitations is seldom
pleaded Honest poor men abhor it
/ Few rich men are willing TO make the
sacrifice of business honor. much less
/ of personal honor. involved in pleading
the statute of limitations 1t is not OF
record that any California Judge. either
rich or poor. ever stopped to its en-
ploymelt until Carroll Cook the rich
/ Judge. so besmfrched the bench and es-
tahliShed another record
Among the many unpleasant chap
ters In Carroll Cooks record are those
covering the prostitution OF his ONCE
to shield unspeakable dens of vice For
months Carroll Cook held the ermine OF
his judgeship as a protecting cloak over
the most infamous hell holes ever oper-
ated In San Francisco. Until the su-
preme court bade him 6esist and round
ly scored him for his conduct the su-
periOr court OF San Francisco. In the
person of Carroll Cook. stood between
the sinkholes OF almost unthinkable
vice and the decent people OF San Fran
cisco who were trying to wipe out
those blots on their city.
INFAMOUS CHAPTERS
Another chapter In Carroll Cooks
record Is the pitiable story OF how the
superior courts integrity was saved by
the attorney general OF California,
| who. by removing cause from Carroll
COOKS court. prevented Cook from
using his off1ce to further the schemes
of his friend and political benefactor.
Abe Ruef
There are many Infamous chapters in
that record which Carroll Cook
wants to enlarge on the superior bench.
None sheds a brighter light upon the
character of the man. entitled by law
Judge" than that one in which the
Judge crawled behind the "deadbeat's
buckler'' to get out OF paying a debt
evidenced by promissory note. which
| is still In the hands of an unpaid cred
| itor.
LEARNED IN THE LAW
Carroll Cook has at least one qualfn-
cation for a Judge. He knows the law
/ He Is equally at home in the applfca-
/ ton OF the law. whether IL be in i'm
posing a sentence Of so years at hard
labor upon four miserable thieves con-
victed OF stealing SIS. or pleading the
statute of limitations to escape the
payment of a personal debt of $1,000
evidenced by his promissory note The
thieves were unlearned in the law
There were no fine technicalities they
could fall back on TO save them from
the consequences OF their thievery.
They were poor. and they did not be-
long TO Carroll Cooks select coterie os
privileged law breakers Their crude
method Of relieving an unfortunate