The Jones County news. (Ellisville, Miss.) 1909-1924, 1913-10-02
ABOUT DAMAGE SUITS.
A Defense OF Our Jones
County Jurors, Lawyers
and Courts.

The Laurel Argus, and in fact mos
Of the daily papers in the country,
are now severely criticising and con.
demning juries for returning large
awards in damage suits. and which OF
course carries with it criticism Of
the bar for bringing the cases.
There is always two sides to every
issue, but some how these daily pa.
pcrs only look TO the welfare and
protection Of corporations, and
studiously avoid, or touch lightly, on
anything that effects their friends the
corporations.
For instance, when Barber, the
/ Gulfport attorney, was arranged and
convicted for unprofessional conduct
IN promoting n damage suit against
a corpcration--and we are glad to
say that Barber is an exception, for
the Der OF Mississippi severely con-
denim sue methods-the daily press
devoted columns to heralding his dis
grace to the world, until that prose
cution has almost grown into perse-
cution.
But short time since the corpora
ton OK did the goring, and the daily
press was as dumb about the matter
as canned oyster, or only devoted
few obscure lines to giving their
readers such important news. In a
damage case brough at Jackson,
Miss, against the G. & S. /. Rail-
way, it was divulged that the claim
agent, Major Kemp, of that road, and
assistant Dent, had intimidated and
run of witnesses sa. plainiiT
There was clear q Ast these
-bfcrKef'sss, " and tfnssa asu frrsine-
ed before the Judg9ra lh,aH fhed s75
each for contempt of court And yet
you did not see the daily press
heralding that outrage under big
scar heads and in stud-horse type,
like they did in the Barber case, but
it was merely mentioned in an OBJ
scure paragraph, that escaped the
eye of the general reader. In fact, the
Editor of The Jones County News Is a
close reader of our State press, and
wewould never have known Of the fact
had not some friend called our atten-
ton there to. If some dailiespu blished
that bit OF important news against
corporations it escaped our eye.
Now, Messrs. Editors OF Daily Pa.
pers, you should keep in mind that the
people, as well as corporations, have
some rights, and their only redress is
through their courts and inries.
Doubtless unreasonable verdicts are
sometimes rendered, and then again
tue corp orations are favored when
they should be held accountable.
But we have a supreme court to adj
just such matters, and we find that
corporations invariably appeal every
case against them to that tribunal.
We believe that the average Jury
of Jones county is made up of honor.
able, just and fair-minded men, and
we know that our county bar is as far
from anything that smacks OF barrett
ty or unprofessional conduct as any
set of lawyers in the United States of
America. II you viii investig ate,
you win find that as heavy damage
verdcts are given in other sections
and states as in Jones county. In
fact the juries of Atlanta, Ca, are
noted for rendering large verdicts in
damage suits, and returns of $50. 900
are not uncommon.
Where corporations treat the peo.
pie right the people viii see that they
are treated right. Take such insu-
tuition as the Eastman G ardner Co.
of Laurel. You never hear its mem
bers complaining of persecution by
juries.
But what We ask of the daily press,
in the line OF justice to our iuries
and members of the bar, is TO fair.
Don't publish everything that you
can bring against the of justice
and then suppress such shameless and
outrageous proceedings on the part
of the representatives OF corpora
tions as that attempt by the G. h S.
| Railway TO intimidate and run on