New-York tribune., 1911-02-12
Says Effort to Make Citv
Magistrates Elective
Is Long Step
Backward.

honest, polite to citizens, clean and neat IN
appearance and amenable to discipline
Some of the magistrates feared thas
! only a policeman would have the prestiga
necessary to preserve order in court That
might have been true Of the old courts.
where almost everybody in the place was
! committing a nuisance against the ears
and nerves OF everybody else, but we have
| found that II is not true to-day. The blue
uniform OF the court is even palmer than
that Of the Police Department. and
fancy the fact that IL is not seen on the
street every day adds 10 its authority
rather than the reverse.
You see 1t was not an abuse that was
TO be remedied; II was whole rotten sys-
! tenn that had TO be cleaned out. Not all
the policemen attendants were bad. nor all
Of the magistrates, nor even all OF the law.
yers But the atmosphere was surcharged
with dishonesty. No one magistrate could
clean 1t out. II had worked into the whole
fabric of the courts. =.
Its funny thing about human nature
that IL you educate man 10 dirt and bad
air or 10 foul moral atmosphere he will
like It and won't want a change. Rot breeds
rot and It was our business 10 separate the
! rottenness-to sterlize II, so 10 speak. Just
as the handling OF complaints has been
separated from the more dignifed pro-
cedure OF the hearing before the uagis-
trates so we have made some other healthy
separations.
THE shyster and his runner have been
separated from the detention pens where
prisoners are held. Not even prisoners
counsel are allowed near the pens. only the
officers of the court and policemen who
are actually delivering prisoners or taking
them away. Formerly there were crowds
around there-lawyers and their agents, re-
porters professional bondsmen curious
people, and anybody with little pull. Ths
magistrate could do little TO stop #, for the
policemen stationed there were not under
him but under the Police Commissioner.
The whole system was bad from the ground
I'D. The cop helped the shyster' ths
shyster helped the magistrate oftentirnes.
Between them they usually managed 70
get Tho prisoners money. II he had any.
The new rule has wiped out all those invi.-
tatlons to graft.
"sneakIng of rules, ! an little sore
about that one Of the newspapers spokA
Of the fnnumerabe rules under the new
order Now, under the old system tho
ruIes were in book. There were exactly
,bir,v-six Of them Nowadays the rules
are printed in big type on card ana huhs
I'm IN every court Here they are:
"Rule ! prescribes the order OF the Gay
business which the presiding maglstra's
may alter according 10 his judgment ex-
cent that the hearing OF complaints not
! taken by the clerk must invariably open
and close the session. Rule names seVe"
hooks which shall be kept in each court
"Rule reads: No person other tnah An
officer attached 10 this court snail go near
the detention pens. No person otner ina"
an officer or clerk attached TO this court
complainants or defendants or counsel ac-
comnanving or sent for by complainan's
or defendants shall be allowed in the COM
pIaint room at any time. No person snali
sneak TO another in the courtroom. mans or
rooms adjacent thereto, inluirlng as 10 MS
or her business. recommending lawyers. Of
fering professional cards or profferins any
kind Of advice or instruction Rule re-
ouires that discharge papers shall he sent
70 this office and hled here Rule pre-
ecribes the method of amending the rules.
That is all.
THE rule against inquiring about other