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


but I thought the colonel was going
too far. But the colonel had his ear
to the ground and from travelling
over every State and Territory he
knew what popular sentiment was.
When Roosevelt was kid I adop-
ted the opinion then prevailing, that
the courts were the palladium of
our Liberties the Guardians of
the Ark of the Covenant. Today
the public attitude is altogether diff
ferent. The people are dissatisfied
with the guardians, and there is
widespread dissatisfaction with the
Ark itself. So general is the dis
satisfaction with the alleged judicial
usurptiOn, favOritism and corrup-
ton that legislatures and constitu-
tional conventions are debating pro-
pOsals for the recall of State judges
and for the appointment of federal
judges for a limited period instead
of for life. And the judicial history
of the country for many years past
shows that there is just ground for
distrust of courts and for their in
vestigation. 1t had been the habit
of federal and State judges, to a
large exent, to appoint their sons,
sons-in-law, brothers or other near
klnsmen as clerks of their courts,
and receivers in bankruptcy cases
and then to allow them for service
three or five times as much as their
services were worth, thus rObbing
people whose misfortune it had been
to go into their courts. This abuse
became so shameless that many years
ago Congress passed a law prohibit
ing federal judges appointing kins-
men to these places.
About year ago the Republican
Sc TIE United States i'm
peached and removed from Office a
Republican u. S. judge named Archi-
bold Of Pennsylvania, for corruption
in Office. The baIdheaded old rascal
was caught with the goods on him.
You can't impeach judge for being
fool and every man in his commu-
nifty may be of the opinion that he
is partial or corrupt but you've got to
prove it to get rid of him. There
fore the public demand for the recall.
No man is fit for a judicial Office
whose course of life as judge and
citizen has not been such as to COM
mand the respect of the people,
About three years ago two-thirds
majority Of Republican House of
Representatives voted for the i'm
parchment of a federal judge in
Florida. He should have been re-
moved from Office, but the u S. Sen
ate refused to concur by the neces-
sary two-thirds vote. That same
ofn would have concurred had it
known public sentiment as it now
knows it.
Later federal judge in the State
OF Washington resigned to avoid inn
parchment on the charge of drunken
ness while on the bench and worse
offenses than drunkenness. [ men
ton these cases to show that the
Wilson administration is justified
Gin having federal courts investi-
gated" In Missouri the engineer on
railroad had often called the atten-
ton of his Superiors to the fact that
a bridge was unsafe. The authori-
ties were too stingy and mean to
build a new bridge. 1t fell and cut
6 CT Of The moor fellows legs. He
brought suit and the jury awarded
him fifteen thousand dollars The
railroad appealed it's case to the Su-
preme Court of the State. On tech
nical bubble four of the five judges
granted a new trial. At the second
jury trial like judgment was re-
turned and again the railroad ap-
pealed it's case and for the second
time four Of the judges, on a bubble
rypua %,,1 h