The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1910-07-01
CHARGES UNF AIR.
Massachusetts Judge Unjust to
Trades Unions.
BASELESS FLING AT LABOR.

In Statement From the Bench He
Accused Organized Workers Of Re-
sponsibiIity For Much crime-An
Unwarranted Aspersion.
A Massachusetts Judge in passing
sentence upon some juvenile violators
Of the law took occasion to say that
the trades unions were responsible for
much Of such crime because they pre-.
vented young men from learning use
full trades and this forced them into
lives of idleness and crime.
1t Is probable that the ends of Jus.
tice would have been fully served had
the judge contented himself with pass
ing sentence on the persons convicted,
but he felt inspired 81 to make an ac-
cusation against workingmen without
according them any Of the common
rights of defendants.
When a judge will thus go out of his
way to throw brick at labor and thus
display his animosity, what hope Is
there that labor can expect any fair
ness from him In case any trial in
volving the rights Of labor should be
held in his court?
And this was not all.
When certain labor men questioned
the correctness of his statement and
asked for proof the judge replied:
81 have made my statement. 1t Is
for you to disprove it."
Now, as we understand it, this an
swer Is so directly subversive or con-
trary to all judicial practice as to
amount to judicial acrobatics.
We believe the usual practice in the
courts is first to charge a defendant
with crime and next to prove him
guilty.
About all the defense has to do is to
successfully rebut or offset the evil
dence Of the prosecution.
And there is a presumption of inno-
cence Of the defendant which must be
overcome beyond a reasonable doubt
In his unwarranted aspersion upon
the labor movement the Judge herein
referred to reverses the rule of evil
dence in holding that the accused must
prove innocence and wipes out the pre-
sumption of innocence entirely.
True, this is not case in court, but
1t is an expression Of judge in open
court.
der and the court should rule that,
inasmuch as he was accused, he would
be held guilty until he had conclusive
ly proved his innocence. What chance
would the accused have?
If judges have such high character
and judicial minds as would be in &C.
cord with the exalted view Of the re-
spect which is due the courts which
exists in some circles, we could hardly
expect one of them to commit such an
objectionable act Of prejudice.
If the courts are impartial, as claim
ed by some, why is it that you never
see where any judge has passed
structures upon capitalists as a class
When a man is appointed to Judge
ship, is he supposed to perform certain
well defined duties. or is he to serve as
a mentor in chief to the whole human
race. In addition to administering the
law in his court?
Such actions as these are rapidly
bringing the courts into disrespect
with all classes.
No less an authority than President
Taft has very recently said that he
believed the largest question of re-
form before us was to reorganize the
methods and practice of the courts.
While the president very probably
did not have in mind such cases as
these it is clear that on other grounds
he does not hold the courts to very
high models of efficiency and justice,
and it is possible that there may be
other defects than those so apparent
and shocking to him.
When leading judicial authorities ad-
NIT that certain weaknesses exist one
is licensed to think there may be many
other weaknesses which either have
not been discovered or. having been
discovered, have not been exposed.
The United States senate has shown
how much respect 1t has for the males
ty of the courts when it fatty refused
to obey Judge Wrights order.
Let US have more judicial acrobatics
the more the merrier.
The more the judges stand on their
heads to show their spleen against a
class of society which they dislike the
sooner we shall have a judicial sys-
fem under which rich and Door, CAPT.
tai and labor. shall be treated Impair
TALLY. and that is all we ask.-Shoe
Worxars' Jaurnal