Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1910-07-08
J JJg0

ing proceeding and while 1t is dignihed IL strlKes
some people also as being awfuily tunhy. :.
Every Monday. as soon court assemblies. II
is the custom to read decisions on cases WHICH
have been considered and on whlch tne cur.
Is to mass Judgment II the decision of great
case is expected the courtroom always Is crowded
and the members of the bar, newspaper men an anu
others who have been present before ON hke
occasions, look anxiously to see which Judge ls
to read the important decision. IL any one OF
three or four Justices is to read 1t there is dis
tinct of disappointment, because NOBODY
except the reading judge is likely TO near the
decision. In other words some of the judges OF
the supreme court have such weak voices that
not even the men closest to them can catch what
they say and everybody must wait until the deci-
sion can be read before knowing what 1t means.
This inability or perhaps lack of desire the
part of some of the justices to read out loud, Is
great trial to the newspaper correspondents who
are anxious to telegraph the news of the decision
at the earliest moment possible. There other
troubles which beset the correspondents as we'll
as those which come from the poor enunciation
and the weak voices Of some of the justices.
Legal language is the hardest kind of language
for the layman to understand, and the result is
that when the decision is read the first part Of
occasionally makes 1t seem certain that one side
has won the case, while the tail end of the dec
sion may reverse everything and give the case
to the other side.
There was one striking instance of this in
great case which was decided three years ago.
The city of Chicago trying to effect changes
in its streetcar system. The street,car compa
MES held that their franchise was good for 100
years and that the city could not oust them from
any of their privileges under their franchise The
case went to the Supreme court and was of tre
mendous interest to all the cities In the United
States. Moreover, the speculative interests of
the country were awaiting the decision with the
keenest anxiety and interest for If it went one
way 1t meant that certain stocks still would be
of great value, and II it went the other way 1t
means that they would be worth little.
The decision was read in the Supreme court
by judge who had a good voice. Everybody
had made up his mind that II the Supreme court
decided that the railroad companies had hun.
dred years franchise they had the and
that the city had lost This was regarded as the
crucial feature of the W hole controversy.
The newspaper correspondents from the great
cities were In attendance at the court when the
decision read and they were ready to
dispatch messengers instantly to the telegraph
Office with brief dispatch saying either The
companies win." "The city wins" This was
all that to be sent out at the first instance,
for the situation was understood In every news
paper Office in the country, and a single tip as to
which side would be sufficient to release
long stories of the railroad controversy. and other
stories already written of what the victory meant