The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-28
7 DIDN'T GET MAD :

Der will give Bro. Mallory the race of his life.
 would have them to make some new rules for the courts. I have noticed that the chief qualification of a juror Is ignorance. Perhaps. this was adopt ed to even up things-Learning on the Bench. Ignorance in the Box; in this way the scales of Justice are held in equipoise.
 T. reckon 1t is the beauty of our jury system that the more ignorant the juryman Is the better can he judge of fact.
 And this leads me to consider some things in the great Tennessee trial. The State is attempting to prove the bad character of one of the defendants. The Court should not have permitted any such waste of time as the man Is well known as a Democratic Leader what more should the jury want to know?
 He was sensitive about being called The Diplomat of the Zwichund." but possibly he didn't know what it means If the poor dead fellow, instead of being nasty In the breach of the law, had explained that the objectionable language didn't mean "an honest man" the matter would have been adjusted satisfactorily to all concerned. Sensitiveness is out of place in a Leader. He should take green and ripe as 1t comes"
 Another thing this Character wit ness" business should be discontinued. Every mans has two characters-the one by his enemy gives him and the one his friends gives him. So that 1t Is possible to prove the best man | unworthy of belief, and the worst fel- low a regular George Washington. Witnesses are sworn to tell the truth and. I understand 1t was the observation of a learned Judge, that about five per cent of 'em do This shows some progress since David's time, as 1t was his opinion (uttered in some haste, but never revised) that "A1i men are liars."
 | I think. from observation in the Courts. that all men who go upon the | witness stand are under suspicion as liars.
 So, Justice has to run the gauntlet of learning on the bench. Ignorance in | the box and perjury in the witness chair, and 1t Is astonishing how any innocent man can escape! I Cross examinations are for the purpose of developing the lying quali- ties. of a witness and should not be | tolerated in Court of Justice. After l the witness Is sworn to tell the truth the Judge should not permit any one to coax him into lying. Let him tell all he knows without vexations inter- rogatory interruption. If his Attorney has advised him to 'strech his blanket" get him to tell that. | But. it will be useless to attempt any of these reforms till the abolition of the pestiferous Supreme Court. l From some things I've heard recently 1T think the old doctrine of >"hell" is about to be revived. don't believe
 In it. myself but I imagine the re-
 vival comes in good time. When il
 Is further upon its legs the Supreme Court Is going to catch it. | I don't know but two members o1
 the court and I hope they'll escape
 the fire and birthstone in store for tht
 court that finds so much faulty legis
 lation.
 These two gentleman met me in de
 bate in the years when 'Kelb ant
 them" were 'stampeding" the Stat
 and I felt sorry for 'em
 Coming back to the offensive "rDiplo
 mat of the Zwiebund" I want to sa.
 that Editors ought not to use such biI
 hard words.
 Il Thin skinned people take offens J when none is intended Plain. under
 standable English Is the thing.
 once asked a Democratic candidat
 for the Legislature What is Sumptu
 ary Lawf"
 In a rather excited and offensiv
 manner. hea replied Tt means tn
 Election Law of Alabama by Cad. Sir
 and I didn't get mad.