Middletown transcript., 1912-03-16
M1DDLETOwE, DEL, MARCH ls, 1912
JUDICIAL TYRANNTES

their decisions on constltutlonal
uuestions-let US have a glance al
the manner in which some Of the
judges of this country are using
their extraordinary pewers-the
sacred trust with which the peO'
pie have clothed them.
Be it remembered always that
the weakest point in our novel
system Of the three so called
balanced and equal powers, the
legislative, the executiveand the
judicial, is the last-the judicial
The legislative, and executive
functions mutually countercheck
each other, and moreover those
positions being for shorter terms
and elective, are more open tc
the inspection and supervision
of the people. Then. too, from
the very nature of their duties
legislative and executive officers
are more exposed to an intelli
gent criticism and control by the
people, than the judiciary with
its more technical and less under
stood functions.
In every contention some one
must speak the last word-in oul
system Of government it is the
Courts. In every scheme O.
watching there is always one
watcher who is not watched
here it is our Courts. Impeach
ment is only a nominal curb upor
upon the conduct of a Judge "a
slow, difficult, almost impossible
corrective since in over 100 years
of courts in America out of the
many that merited it there have
been scarcely half dozen Judicial
removals!
Before politics soiled the err
mine, the Office Of Judge was re.
verred as something aloof from
and above the influences that
assail the other departments Of
government. But since the rail
roads and Big Business have lat1
their greedy and unclean hands
upon the Bench, this is changed,
and the shocking condition today
exists that many Of our judges,
both state and Federal, owe their
elevation in whole or in part tc
these'Interests, and unconscious
ly or deliberately repay their
obligations in the biased decis'
ions they render.
Here is an illustration of judi
cial tyranny worthy the mon.
strous days Of Nero or Louis XIV.
Whether to hide a shameful do
nestle skeleton or to resent an
attack upon the honor of his
househOld-nO matter = million.
aire banker Schiff Of New York,
enters into a conspiracy with a
Judge of the criminal court, a
former assistant District At
torney, a number of high police
officials, detectives, ETC., to rail
road a poor Swede named Brandt
to jail for 80 years upon a pre-
tended charge of burglary which
the Court records show was in
fac5 never committed
For five years the victim Of
this American Dreyfus case has
been in prison; and once, to pre-.
vent his sending or receiving any
letters or visits from any friend,
he was suddenly transferred from
Sing Sing to Dannemora and
kept on his Devils Island" in,
communicate, i. e. shut off from
all communication with the out
side world, for two years. Buried
alive, contrary to all law like a
victim of the infamous Iettres de
cachet And when finally Sen.
ator Nelson of Minnesota, him
self a Swede, responding to his
cry for help, sends a lawyer to
look into the case, The records had
been stolen away.
Her are a few more of the in.
cidents of this amazing judicial
outrage, so incredible one would
think them illustrations of i'm
perial usurpations practiced on
the Bosphorus or on the Neva,
not done in free America
This millionaire Schlff ran the
whole case, the dishonest Judge
who tried it the hired pettifogger
who unsworn was allowed to
usurp the Office of the prescott.
ing attorney, and another petit
logger = afterwards disbarred
for other rascalities-who pre-.
tended to defend the victim.
At Cliffs instance police de
tective makes false report on
the case to Police Commissioner
Bingham, who thereupon clinches
the fraud by ordering the real
proofs burned. Brandt's letters
and papers. are stolen from his
room by Schiff's detectives; the
prison record book of the Tombs
was removed to hide facts dam
aging to the conspirators; Rosal.
sky, rthe judge who tried and
sentenced Brandt contrary TO law
wrote Governor Dix opposing a
pardon and declaring that the
conviction was just and war.
ranted by the facts in the case
sail he might have sentenced the
man for life Governor Dix re.
fused a pardon, and not only jus
tilted Sehiff's abuse of the Courts
processes, but once more tried to
head9off an investigation by Or
dering the records of the case
sealed.up.
And when at last, despite the
obstacles thrown in the way by
this millionaire owner of court,
Judge and jury, a fearless news
paper brings the whole iniquity
to light, this same judge sets