Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-08-19
JUDICIAL REFORM.
(WaShingtOn POST.


spread over all the country and has
elected the active and earnest support
of the bench, the bar, the Iaity. and the
newspapers. There is no one question
of public service now under discussion
that has for it's advocates so many en-
inent men and associations. It is a
question that appeals to every class
the criminal class alone excepted. The
inadequacy of the law to properly
punish crime has long been one of the
weak places in our system of govern
ment and has brought our courts and
| our laws into disrepute among the
people of other lands Of the present
condition of affairs the Chicago Rec
ord-Herald says:
In independence, honesty, COM
mon sense, efficiency, single-mind-
ed devotion to justice and the es-
Sent1al purposes of the law lies
the salvation of our courts. No
really progressive lawyer or judge
| can think without Indignation and
disgust of existing conditions in
the practice of the law and the adj
ministratiOn of justice.
Similar expressions have been utter
ed by many of the leading newspapers
OF the country, and been echoed by
many men occupying positions on the
bench and by leading lawyers in every
| section. For associations in a mum
Der of the States have had this matter
| before them, and in some states com
mittees have been appointed to formu-
| late measures of reform that will sim
| plify court procedure, expedite the
| business, and do away with the red
tape methods now so prevalent.
The readiness with which some
courts of appeal seek technicalities or
which case may be remanded for 6
new trial is meeting with severe crit
icism. The man accused of a crime
especially that of homicide, who has
money enough to appeal from the con-
viction by a trial jury is almost GER
tain to secure a new trial because
some technical error crept into the
trial. The error may be trivial, it may
not have caused any substantial in
| justice to the accused or exerted any
influence with the jury, but if an error
the court of appeal is too ready to re-
verse the case and send it back for an.
other trial, entailing large expense or
the community, and nearly always re.
sulting in letting the criminal finally
go unwhipped of justice.
Another question those in earnest il
bringing about this great reform are
discussing is the divorcing absolutel!
of the bench from politics. On this
point the Record-Herald we'll says:
Legal reform also involves and
demands the complete separation
of the bench from politics. Such
scandals and abuses as the cit
liens committe of 100 has exposed
in the Brooklyn and New York
city magistrates courts-scandals
which remind us of the worst fea-
ture of our late malOdOrOus Justice
shOps-are due to spoils politics
in and back of these peoples
tribunals" Graft, favoritism, OPP
preston of the poor and ignorant
perversion of the law are among
the chronic evils of political"
courts everywhere, and the "Iow-
er" the courts are, the more sor-
did and fragrant are the offenses
of the controlled" or unfit mag
istrate.
Some of the earnest advocates O
reform in court methods go so far as
to favor a uniform code of procedure
and practice adopted by Congress ant
made applicable in all States and il
all courts. One of the evils, and one
Congress cannot reach, however, i,
that pointed out by the Record-Heral(
that of making our courts subservien
to party politics. Go into any cit,
where a police justice of judge of
criminal court is to be elected and i
is a very rare thing to find the MAJ
chosen to be one who is rigidly il
favor of a prompt and efficient punish
ment for crime