The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-24
DELAY IN COURTS
CAUSE OF UNREST
Says 1t Should Bring Blush of
Shame to Cheeks of All Good
Americans-President Car
ries Out Strenuous
Program in St.
Louis.

dent Taft carried out strenuous pro-
( gram hero to-day. He made six
speeches. took a forty-mile automobile
ride. opened the local football season
/ by tossing the pigskip onto the grid
iron at ST Louis Cnivers' ty, laid the
/ cornerstone OF new Y. NJ c. A
/ building. sat through nine innings OF
/ exciting baseball between the st. Louis
and Philadelphia National League
/ teams, visited the Masonic Club to be
made life member of that organiZn-
ton and addressed a vast throng in
/ the Coliseum tonight Then he sought
i his private car to travel all night in
! order to be in the lnsurgent State OF
! Kansas tomorrow.
On the eve OF entering this hostile
] territory the President put forth the
/ suggestion of a wider power of i'm
| parchment as a substitute for the more
I radical proposal of a judiciary recall
I The President declared that the laws
delay unquestionably was one of the
great causes of unrest in this country,
and said that undoubtedly tho recall
! idea had grown out of the fact that
. the courts in many instances are not
performing the functions that they
should.
| Delay Is Shameful.
Judges should be held more respon-
sible. the President declared. and tho
method of impeachment made more
| simple. Mr.. Taft said the delay in
administering justice in this country
should bring the blush of shame to
the cheeks OF all good Americans, and
| that the courts OF this country made
J very poor showing in comparison
with those of England. where the
judges keep up with their dockets. and
where criminals find swift punishment
awaiting them.
The President spoke with much
earnestness on the subject of reform
In judicial procedure. He setd It was
something with which he was most
familiar. and that both as a lawyer
and judge he felt free to discuss the
matter from the frankest possible
standpoint The speech on this subject
was entirely impromptu. and followed
| the luncheon at the Oily Club.
me PRESIDENTS set speech of the day
was on the creation. the work and tho
purpose OF the Tariff board
MI. Tafts reception throughout was
the most cordial and demons ira tive he
has received on any OF his previous
| visits to the city. He was a guest of
tho Million Population Club, and dur
ing his long automobile ride saw all
of the territory that ST Louis now
covers and all it's citizens expect to
cover In the next few years in their
climb toward the million mark
At breakfast with the Mercantile
Club the President referred briefly to
Canadian reciprocity. He declared
himself content with the outcome, for.
| as lawyer. he had learned that when
a decision hits you right between the
eyes. the best thing to do is to sit
| still"
stfil Relieves In 1t.
MIR. Taft said he believed and st,l1
believes that reciprocity would inure
to the benefit OF both countries.
Twice during the day the President
was introduced as tho best and great
est President OF the country" He
modestly protested on each occasion
tihe Masonic Club the President said
| ne had on two occasions worn The Ma
sonic apron which had belonged 10
George Washington. who was tAe
greatest man in the history o, the
! country"
! In his speech on the need Of judicial
reform, the President said:
one OF the real reasons for discon-
tent is the character of the pro
| cedure, and the administration of jus
tice IN our courts. I believe that the
States of this country and the youns.
lawyers OF this country should devote
their attention to constant discus
| sion of procedure and expeditinr tus
tice 1t is the ono thing in my tudg-
ment that is more easily reached and
more needed under our government
than any other
Trial by jury is a good thing If
! brings into the administration OF FMS
tice the people. and in popular gov
eminent the people feel safer in that
they are called IN to determine issues
of important fact; but trial by iurv
my friends. as stated In the Consti
tuition, was trial by jury OF tho
facts under the inspiration OF a Judge
VINO had the power to tell the Jury
what the law was, and had the power
to hold the courtroom under his CON
troll and not lot it be taken away nv
counsel for the prosecution or the
counsel for the defense.
People Too Suspicious.
And yet the suspicion of tho neo-
! pie of the judges has been such. the
movement of all legislation from the
Atlantic westward has been to take
away from the judges the power they
had under the English system that we
have copied, and the system that we
put into our Constitution.
IF Judge IS not frightened by
anybody and will carry on court as
his court then you will have your ad-
mlnistration of Justice as It is in Eng
land.
THE tendency of legislation ought
to be toward giving the judges more
power and then making the Judges
responsible. There is no difficulty
about making the judges responsible.
i know it is proposed to make a short
cut, and cut his head off without any
ason, just because tho people wish
| Ia .,