The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1913-08-14

AhfGo weeks ago hon. Emory
Speer, judge of the U. S. district
court for the Southern district of
Georgia, delivered an address on
The judiciary" before "The Bar
Association of Iowa" In this adj
dress the venerable judge, whom
President Arthur appointed to the
bench, bitterly complained that Presi-
dent Wilson'S encouragement has
had special agents travelling over the
country Investigating the federal
courts. The judge said, in substance
that this was a great outrage and
with tears in his voice, if not in his
eyes, he deplored the fact that there
is not now that respect felt for judges
which there used to be. In the words
OF the mountain poet, Things amt
now as they used to been. Folks
don't think as they used to did
them The good opinion I already
had of President Wilson has been in
creased since learning from Judge
Speer that he is having the U. S.
courts investigated.
[ wish to inform Judge Speer that
it is the judiciary's fault and not the
peoples that judges, both federal
and State, are not now respected and
honored by the people as much as
formerly. While the large majority
of judges, both federal and State, are
impartial and honest there are
enough black sheep among them to
have aroused general distrust For
many years there has been rapidly
growing sentiment among the peo-
pie that judges to a large extent.
federal and State especially State,
are incompetent or corrupt, or both.
The feeling among the millions of
Americans is that a poor man in a
lawsuit with rich man or pow
erful corporation has no chance no
matter how meritorious his cause. 1t
was the prevalence Of this opinion
which is the principal reason of
Roosevelt's receiving four million
five hundred thousand votes at the
last election for the doughty Colonel
boldly denounced both federal and
State judges in all the speeches he
made.
And for seventeen years that hor-
ny handed son of toll, Col Bryan,
has been educating the democratic
voters on the same line. Both these
colonies advocate the recall of State
judges, the appointment of federal
judges for a limited period, limi-
tation of the prerogative of injunc-
tion and of the right of judge to
punish anybody for contempt except
the contempt is committed in the
presence of the judge in the court
room. Under the last provision any
man could as freely criticise and i'm
pugn the motives OF Judge on the
stump or through the press as Col.
Bryan has vigorously denounced all
rich men and advocated ''the simple
life,' frugality in living. This is the
same Bryan who said a few days
ago that he could not support his
family in Washington on salary of
one thousand dollars per month and
save not less than ten thousand per
year as he had done every year for
seventeen years. The colonel has
but two children, both married, and
his son welded to the daughter of
a millionaire. 1t should seem to
the sons of toll that the man who
confesses to having saved not less
than $4,000 with interest added,
should be able to provide meal tick
cts for himself and wife.
In addition to the votes cast for
Roosevelt on his anti-judiciary plat
form not less than million people
voted for Taft and Wilson who are
convinced that the judiciary stand
in need Of reformation. If they
have NOT had the c01Ira ge In nynraSs