New-York tribune., 1909-04-11
JEROME ON SPEEDERS
JAIL PENALTIES USELESS.
District Attorney Gives Testimony
Before the Page Commission.

District Attorney Jerome TAs called to ;he stand
yesterday morning before the PAGE Commission
named 70 investigate the lower courts He dis
c1ssed tEe speeding of automobilists, the corrlp-
zsan Of judges through political influence and the
difficulty Of getting men Of high character on the
magistrates bench
AFTER the campaign OF 1894 committee OF seventy
vas formed TO change laws regulating the mazis-
rates courts.
NJ. Jerome said that the members OF the COM
iJ,ee thought judges OF cisl Sessions and mag
istrates alike Should be OF the highest character.
rnis6emeansnts being. a rule young men at the
--r1:ng points Of their lives susceptible infu-
tnce and proper tre2tment
Always n The admins 5ratior Of law he said.
there s the personal equation I could say, a
51dze. thet my own judgment not uniform.
nay have been up late. There may have been some
thing in rhs personal hpqe rance Of the defendant
that made my attitude different Three judges. we
thought, would dominate slch conditions with one
.a6Ce among them VINO wasn't grouchy."
NJ Jerome expressed doubt whether many men
- high tHpe were willing to sacrifice themselves
70 the cause Of justice by becoming magistrates.
znd SAID that public officer honorable
and upright that he not improved by the
knowledge that some watching him In
reply to questions put 10 him by Julius Mayer,
counsel for the commission, he said he did not ap-
prove Of the proposed taking Of minutes in mag
st-stes' courts would leave the door open to
bribery OF stenoEraDhers ana blacklail, he con-
sersed From the Court Of Special Sessions he
said is almost impossible 10 set transcript OF
records that's intelhEt5ie."
Questioned about tie project OF having fixed jail
PENALTIES persons violating the autoInoole
sree5 ordinances the District Attorney said he dlo
not believe the plan would work well in prac1ice.
He cited the case Of a who had, he said been
arrested a. second offender and had put ms
.r,,,-1e fn a garage and kept it there because Of
--e general public Glamour and agitation in the press
cont --se sing some judges" he said. may be
severe y5-l. as-toaahilists brought up before them
-7-e-7 ] have :a mind a spin with one judge in an
a--o-,nr-I. one casey overlook US in plain clothes
and s5rsouiS1ed Is. We rode more Slowly after
that The Judge thought We mad been gong '"eiilS
Mas 81 .-9ll Casey thought II was forty. Nat
,g~ar -:.at 5I:Ee is gong to look at the case
a- men brought before hro for speeding or Ior nav
.-r bis 7fsh. oisr as another might do
NJ Jerome said that he did not believe the Ilh6i
-fz-re+-t.r Of automobile eases should be IN the
hands of magistrates. ~
The vas1esz favored the suggestion that a cIiei
-5ra of SPECIAL Sessions be selected He SAID 'Ad'
he be- .erad bench OF judges could heF1er pass
sentence for felonies than can single judges
Every criminal case is q serious case he salo'
~s-d think that sometimes men suffer because
n the fact that. matter how good man may
.a rs TO Intentions when he ascends the nlagIs-
-rare-s bench he hears 50 many cases. SO many
rn auick succession. that he mInnlizes the imIoI-
-are= of them"
Prank Moss. president Of tle Society for the Pre-
-=a-an ~ Crime. said that he had no fault to mo
with The handling Of cases n which lie had been
interested, either as a lawyer or as president o.
-ae society. However he said. I believe there
& more breeding OF anarchy in these lower courts
man n anarchist meetings. Any man who at heart
knows that lie is innocent and doesn't get good
-raarrfeut leaves courtroom hating the lnsu'u-
rf1as ve want all 10 respect