Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-05-21
HEAD
DECLARES LAWS
ARE OUT OF DATE
Pres. Wilson Demands Prison
for Offending Corporation
Officials.
LAWYERS CLUB HEARS
UNIVERSITY CHIEFS PLEA
Don't Jail the Tool and Let the
Principal Go Free"
He Urges.

ITO eradicate corporation evils pun
ish such offenders by Imprisonment and
not by fine"
/ That was the substance of an ad
dress delivered by DIR. Woodrow Will
/ last night before the Lawyers Club at
| the Essex Clubhouse, in Park place.
Men prominent on the bench and bar
We're present and listened with the
closest attention to the remarks OF
Nassaus president. His topic was "The
Lawyer and the Community" His au-
dience might be considered in the light
of special jury. Their verdict at the
! conclusion of the eminent speakers ad-
dress was that it was well delivered,
| clear-cut and logical discourse.
! Edward D.. Duffield. president of the
| club, presided, and DR.. Wilson was the
only speaker There were about 100
present, including President William
| H. S. Demarest, of Rutgers College;
| Frederick f. Guild. Adrian Riker. John
r. Hardin, Schuyler jackson. formes
Judge John A. Miller, former Judge
Alfred N. Skinner, Judges Davis and
Ten Eyclk, Albert C. Wall, Judge
Thomas j. Lintott, Frank Bergen,
Frederick Frelinghuysen and John
Hubbell.
An informal supper followed and the
Princetonian head was the guest over
| night of Adrian Riker.
DR.. Wilson declared that the present
method of dealing with corpora
tions for any wrongdoing was en-
tirely inadequate. Corporations are
pleased with fines, he said. for it
allows them to retain in their employ
experts who within a short time are
able to arrange another feature which
will more than pay for the fine i'm
/ posed by the courts.
"Laws Must BE Changed"
The laws must be changed and regu-
lated to fit the present times, the
| speaker declared, ana the profession,
the lawyers, must help about the
change otherwise it will be done by
amateurs and those who know little
or nothing about the practise of law,
and it will in the end be worse than
at the present time. DIR. Wilson made
it clear that ne did not intend that the
rank and file Of the lawyers must as
sist in bringing about the change, but
the leaders, the brainiest who are
willing to sacrifice their personal gain
for the good that they might accom-
plish. Lawyers may go on collecting
big fees, the speaker said, and be
known throughout the country as one
of the leaders in their profession, but
still they go to the grave knowing that
they failed when they had the oppor-
tunity of proving a benefit to man
kind.
Law as it Is handed down in this
county at the present time, DR.. Wilson
said, is based more on precedents than
on facts.
This reference Ito the unbending
position of the cl 1mon law courts
There the whole question was govern
ment by precedent and the latitude
and effect of the equity branch of juris-
prudence was ignored. In fact, there
is too much law by precedents,
DR.. Wilson declared. He deplored the
fact that lawyers are beginning to
specialize, to become experts in certain
branches of the law, leaving others to
take up the branches that they do not
want. This, he said, is a mistake, a
bad mistake, which is likely to bring
about more quickly the fight that is
bound to come unless conditions are
materially changed between the indi-
vidual the corporation and the State.
The three-cornered fight the speaker
said, is bound to come.
Years ago, DR.. Wilson continued. the
he nf
country. they were looked up to for
the Interpretation of the law. Now
adays. he said, they go over the laws
and advise the corporation they repre-
sent Just how far they can go without
being caught When the corporation is
caught they tear the law, which they
knew was not right when it was en-
acted, to pieces to find loophole
through " hich their clients might
crawl That, he said, is the justice
which is being dealt out at the present
time.
Getting down to the corporations and
to the absence of prison penalties, the
sneaker offered the following as an eX-
ample: Suppose he said, band OF
burglars banded themselves into cor
poration for the purpose of burglary
and the people would say to them, II
we catch you we will make you pay
heavy fine He said that he could
imagine their reply, they would well
come it, for they would still be able to
retain their experts. those who planned
and committed the crime, while the
plunder secured in the majority OF
cases in which they were not caugh.
would more than pay for the fines inn
posed in the minority Of cases when
they were caught.
Enact laws that will enable one to
get at the man responsible, the speaker
said, and do not Jail the tool
DR.. Wilson was cheered to the echo.