The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-11-02
"a
THE SPOKANE PRESS
SUPREME C00RT UNMASKED
Continued From Page One.

that those judges are SO honest
that they must not be criticized; so
honest that they must not be. In
vestigated. They have not attempt
ed to reply to these criticisms. In
stead they have treated them with
contempt and those making them
with ridicule. A typical expression
of this feeling of contempt and rid
icule displayed by the corporation
champions of the court for those
venturing to criticize the court is
this expression from speech made
by Frank Post, a prominent corpo-
ration lawyer of Spokane, at the
annual convention of the State Bar
association at Aberdeen, July 30,
1909:
Every lawyer in this state who
has as much sense as God gave
geese and who hasn't any kink tn
his own character, knows that each
and every member of the supreme
court is man of the highest in
tegrity and of spotless character"
(Applause.)
This is the story Of how the sys-
tenn has time after time saved its
court from a public investigation Of
its actions.
The report of the Powell commit
tee. recommending further investi-
CATION of the court by somebody
possessing legal inquisitorial pow
ers, was made public on the day
before the 1909 legislature con-
vened in Olympia. When the leg
islature convened, the state was
fairly boiling over with popular
demand for such further investiga-
ton. The demand found express
sion in the legislature.
On January rs Senator Poison OF
Chehalis county introduced in the
senate a resolution providing for q
thorough investigation of the court
by q committee Of five senators
and five representatives. The ap-
pearance Of the resolution created
immediate CONSERVATION. Presl-
dent Ruth of the senate, the leader
of the old guard faction in that
body, descended from the chair and
led the assault upon 1t, moving
that it be Indefinitely postponed.
This motion was bitterly argued,
the spirit of its old guard cham
pions being much the same as that
displayed in the foregoing quota
ton of Frank Post. So bitter was
the assault, that when the vote was
taken, but IA members championed
the Poison resolution. When the
resolution was disposed of, a de-
mand was made on the floor of the
senate that Poison be compelled to
apologize to that body, on penalty
of being expelled If he refused.
This demand, however, was not
pressed to an ISSUE.
Because the ncn0 partisan judicial
primary law. enacsed by the 1907
legislature, had been mutilated IN
committee SO that only as many
candidates were. permitted to be
nominated as there were judges to
be elected, two supreme judges
had been reelected in 1908 against
whom much criticism had been d.
rected. Had that law provided for
the nomination of two candidates
for each place to be filled, 1t Is
probablet that one or both Of them
would have been defeated. As It
was. one of them. Judge Milo A.
Root, resigned under fire almost
Immediately after his election.
This condition gave rise to d.
mand for such an amendment to
the law AZ would provide for the
nomination Of two candidates for
each place to be filled. A bill was
introduced In the 1903 legislature
making this change, and AZ to sus
perlor court judges the law was -