The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-05-17
THE BLIND GODDESS OF JUSTICE.

The familiar figure many of courtouses is that
of woman bndfolded, holding the sword of justice in
her hand.
How who is blindfolded use a sword nteli-
gently and efficiently?
Our courts often be blind what everyone else
notable instance Of this is the recent decision
OF the United States supreme court in the commodities
case Congress passed act to prevent railroads and
other carriers from also being shippers Congress rightly
thought that carrier would be tempted to discriminate
in his favor shipper The judges of the supreme
court soemny say that the act of congress all right and
soenny decide that the law nothing The court
held that the anthracite coal in Pennsy could
not lawfully ship their lines coal which those rail
roads owned but that if the railroads organized coal
mining corporation which owned the coal, that the ship
ment of that coal would not be violation of the law
if the railroad owned all the stock of the coal mining
company
1t is such failures make the administration of justice
intelligent and efficient that tend to bring the law and it's
administration into contempt
Contrast with the action of the United States supreme
court certain decisions of the supreme court of Illinois,
The grain elevators in Illinois regarded public
Observation-Disclosures, just as railroads Certain big bust
in Chicago conceived the idea Of organizing
poraton which owned elevators and another corporation
to buy and sell gran the stock in both corporations being
owned by the They did with the grain business
just what the coal barons doing with the coal business
Yin Pennsylvania The supreme court of Illinois through
the legal technically and held that the man who was in
the gain buying and selling business just much VIC
latng the elevator law when he did it through another
poration if he did it directly In other words the court
dropped the bandage from its eyes and the thing
really was and seeing used the sword of justice inteli
gently and efficiently to correct the evil
Another contrast might be useful The United States
supreme court soemnly declared the Northern Securities
Co to be violation of the law but permitted the stocks
held by to be distributed that the sitting of conpe
ttion is just efficient if the United States supreme
court had decided the Northern Securities Co. case the
other Recently the supreme court of Illinois has had
asimiar question before it. 1t decided not only that the
holding of the stock of the other corporation Illegal
but declared the whole transaction void and restored the
stock to the original holders Thus made its Judgment
effective and restored the competition which the nancers
had tried to destroy.
Is it not about time that the bandage should be removed
from the of justice; that judges should things
they and that instead of deciding abstract principles
judges and all other officers of the law should them
selves to their utmost to make their judgments effective?
What the people want is not we'll written opinions and
high sounding legal phrases, but the sword of justice
welded negently and effectively that the rich male
factor shall be compelled to obey the law When do
their duty this respect there will be less occupation for
high priced lawyers who point the way in which frauds
may be committed and yet keep their clients out of jail