Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-12-01
DON'T TR|FLE WITH
FUNDAMENTAL LAW
JUSTICE TIMLIN's ADVICE TO
CONFERENCE OF STATE
cRIMINoLoeIsTs.
GOVERNOR DAVIDSON APPROVES
WORKING OF WlscoNsiN's
PAROLE SYSTEM.
TWO HUNDRED JUDGES AND At
ToRNEYs eATHER-Ju0eE
STEVENS PREsIDEs.
Madison, Nov. 81.

of Judge E. Ray Stevens OF the Hin1n
judicial district, as permanent chair
man, and Vroman Mason, district at
torney of Dane county, as secretary,
the wisconsin conference on criminal
law and criminology was perfected.
Two hundred leading justices, attor-
news and clergymen of the state are
present to participate in the many
discussions on the jury, trial proceed
ure. trial of issue of mental response
bility. appeals and reversals, organiza-
ton of courts, juvenile offenders, pro
baton, parole, pardon, indeterminate
sentence and the causes and proven
ton of crime in the execution of stand
ing statutes against criminals. Pro
fessors E. A. Ross, F. A. Gilmore and
Judge Stevens were chosen as a COM
conference after the reports of the
several committees are submitted this
morning.
When the meeting opened Professor
Ross, who occupied the chair, made
the initial address. Thereafter he in
troduced President Charles r. Van
Hise, who extended the welcome of
the university to the visitors. Mr.
Van Hise admitted that with many
others, he doubted the efficiency of ex-
prompt reform The speaker also
spoke of the eminence of the bench
and bar and therefore why they should
be free from INSCRIPTIONS influences.
Upon being introduced to extend the
welcome of the state, Governor David
son explained that he was not law
yer. He spoke of the general impress
sions he had gained in perusing stat
utes and handling convicted criminals,
Most of the executives remarks were
confined to the excellencies of the
present prison parole statutes. Of
about 40 paroled convicts. he said
only six had broken their parole, and
four or five of these were residents of
other states.
Ritual RidicuIed.
lengthy and exhaustive treatise on
Ritual in Punitive Justice was read by
Professor Roscoe Pound of Chicago
university, The speaker traced the
development of punishment of crime
from ancient and medieval times and
showed how, at such stage OF progress,
ritual and ceremony dominated judi.
cial proceedings. Punitive justice was
defined as substitute for public ven
geance to protect society This effort
to be precise in the ritual and formal
ties of court procedure, has effected
q laudable method, but has. in most
cases, neglected the object of justice.
The impracticability of these methods,
loyal to precise ritual, was pointed
out by Mr. Pound in several cases. 1t
was a learned and profitable discus
sion, though of quasi-technical nat
ure. rr,Sz
Justice Timlin Speaks.
In his characteristic ioyial and
quantity humorous style Justice w.
II. Timlin of the state supreme court
addressed the meeting. His topic was
the Problem Before the Conference.
He characterized the American people
as slow to part with inbred ideas
critical of radical changes and who
WELD the ultimate control in govern
mental matters. Dwelling upon the
development of legal phases of our
government since the arrival of the
PurltanS and others in America JUS
tice Timlin said: THE jury system
was desired and glorified and retained
because of the underlying belief that
it would prove in this country as 1t
had proven in many instances in Eng.
land, means of setting the law at
defiance and of escape from an odious
and unpopular criminal prosecution,
where the law, as determined and un.
derstood by the court, was against
the accused. The growth of criminal
law and its administration was traced
in its successive stages. Then, com
ing to Wisconsin, changes in the in.
herited law were outlined.
The jury with its packing" evil was
hrst considered. And in conclusion,
on that phase of the problem the
speaker said:
Il never was disciple of these
great American jurists who believed
the criminal law could be so admin
istered as to give the accused free
rein at the trial, in wise restrict his
right of objection and exception, and
of appeal or review, and at the same
time exclude practically all discretion
from the trial judge. l believe thi
grand scheme as it is now attempted
to be carried out is utterly impracti-
cable So long as language is an inn
perfect vehicle of thought, so long as
age and infirmity attack judges and
impair intellect, so long as construc
tive work is more difficult than mere