The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-05

The fact that the tax-paying citizens
of Jefferson county are sustaining the
fool damage suit business In Birmingham
at tremendous cost to themselves, to
the county and to the state-is being
driven home at last-hard.
Public feeling is beginning to be fer
vently aroused over the questions at Is
sue: Is the ambulance chasing lawyer to
run this town Of Birmingham or not
Are tommyrot Lawsuits" freak vaude-
willie show stunts in the courtroom to eat
up the brains, time and money-yes, and
the morals-of the people of this com
munity any longer?
Is every industry and manufacturing
plant, little and big. which is out in the
current swimming for life, to keep on be-
ing the prey of sharks?
Are the unprofessional and unethical
men, the shyster lawyers and doctors
the detectives for law firms" the false
witnesses, the paid Jurors and certain
types of the negro preacher. to remain
IN the ascendancy?
How much longer?
The topic Is beginning to be on every
hody's tongue. Judges. lawyers, coal and
iron men, bankers, merchants, real es-
tate and insurance men, railroad men
industrial and educational leaders every
where in the Birmingham district, are
discussing the subject as never before
Sentiment against the prevailing condi-
lions Is growing stronger as the facts
become more widely known.
The inside workings" of the whole
business are being carefully Investigated.
AS every man, that is, every self-respect-
ing man, finds out for himself the truth
yof the business, he is amazed at the ex-
tent and the intricacy of the corruption.
Facts Talk
The plain facts and figures are more
eloquent than 10000 words. One thou
sand, one hundred and ninety-five cases,
involving s11,570, 400, the record for 1910!
There it is again. The record for 1910.
And what are the costs of running the
courts that hear these damage suit
cases? A conservative estimate Is $3.50
per day, including salary of judges, fees
and mileage granted for go jurors, sal
aries for clerks, bailiffs and for janitors-
for there are few janitors supposed to
and buckets-although one never runs
across them-and no one could see with
q microscope evidences of their daily
labor.
At any rate, wages are paid out to said
janitors, visible or invisible, by the tax
payers of Jefferson county. along with
all other expenses of maintaining the
courts.
The GIst of 1t All
That is we'll and good, barring the
invisible ones. Courts must be main
tained If the cost be $500 per day.
That Is not the point. The point is
that $3.50, and more. of good, sound
money Is paid out every day regard
less of the law suit involved and more
often than not, the law suit is not
worth 40 cents. Judge Stokely rammed
that in quite lately in a verdict
Are the fake cases and the ground
less fool cases worth $3.50 per day to
the citizens of this community? There
Is the question.
The cost to the individuals and COM
panies to defending themselves Is not
being taken into consideration. No.
that is their own lookout. But the
cost to the public-that Is the point.
So much out forsso little in.
Nothin in! More fodder to the dragon.
A Continuance Performance
Day after day and the hundreds OF
dollars run into the thousands of dol
lars and not one case sometimes worth
the price of a postage stamp!
Certainly not worth ca ling business
men away from their offices and their
important work to serve on jury try
ing such cases. Not worth the time
and brains of our good judges here.
Damage suit cases crowd out the civil
cases. Certain of the courts are es-