Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-08-25
mary election laws. Mr.. Dickinson

continued:
"In our zeal to have the law SYM
metriCal, wise and clear. we may un-
consciously assume the critical rather
than the judicial attitude toward
legislation and thus have our atten-
ton arrested more by its shortcomings
than by its excellence. No one can
examine all the statutes Of the states
and of Congress for any one year,
without being profoundly impressed
by the deep, earnest, alert purpose,
generally manifested, to promote the
public good, and without reaching a
conclusion that at no time in our
history has a higher moral sense or
more enlightened patriotism pre-
vailed"
President Dickinson then discussed
at considerable length the best meth
DDS for broadening the scope and
work of the association. He declared
that many lawyers OF high standing
who desired to join the association
were waiting for invitations, believing
that they should not suggest their
own election. He declared that the
organization should, from year 10
year, gather into it's ranks the young
er members of the bar in order to de-
velope their professional character
under the ideals which the American
Bar association has always maintain
ed. He then said:
For long time, prior to recent
years, judgments of courts, especially
those of final resort, were received
with the greatest respect. There was
IN the minds of the American people
profound regard for the judicial
department of government. In yari-
Gus ways in recent times, and from
sources too influential with public
opinion to be ignored. the very foun-
dations have been assailed upon
which the stability of the courts rests.
Judicial judgments are not accorded
ne same reception as rormerIy. In-
Tdividual judges should be assailed IL
they are corrupt, or incompetent. 1t
Is no assault upon the institution to
attack them for such causes in a
proper way. While Impeachment
OF judges properly pursued would not
undermine the confidence in the in
sutuion any more than would un-
rocking a priest destroy reverence
Tor the priesthood. Not a court. but
the courts, are frequently and fierce
ly attacked. Political parties of all
creeds have bowed their heads in rec
ognition of a discomfort, which, If not
general, at least bears the appear
ance OF potentiality. ALI of this tends
to destroy confidence in the courts
and TO make a subservient judiciary.
The people have been led away from
the principle that the independenc ce
o. the judiciary is one of the main
stays of civil liberty under self-goy-
ernment, which Is basca on mutual
self restraint, and the belief that 1t is
no less important than the principle
of representation itself.
Perhaps the judges are not alto
gether free from blame. When In
the decision of cases of great public
Importance, upon which the attention
or the whole country is centered, they
a.ssail opposing opinions as subversive
or the constitution and fraught with
| direst evils for the future of the
country, 1t is not surprising If such
reiteration will in time undermine
the public conf, dence in at least the
wisdom of the courts.
The evil exists in public opinion
and the remedy must come through
public opinion. While the trouble
may have arisen to some extent from
the conduct of some of the courts,
We can confidently assert that there
is nothing in the history of the bench
to justify the attitude assumed so fire.
quently by so many people toward the
| judiciary. American judges as a body
have record of which we are justly
proud. The threatening attitude &c
which I refer, while it may largely
have had its inception in discomfort
arising from special incidents, has as
sumed a wider field of criticism"