The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-07-18
couRT REFORMS.
Manchester Attorney Makes Sugges-
tons as to Changes

that the press were beginning to ques
ton the soundness of the motto they
used to go by, Whatever is, is right"
especially as having reference to the
state government, though the major
itv seems to be rather anxious to
make the encouragement and his Of
nee the goat.
believe any one familiar with the
local conditions and who will stop to
think, can not help admitting that
there is more than $4,000 worth OF
detective work that should be done
there is hardly a town in the state
that does not have from one to
half a dozen men engaged
in selling ~" liquor contrary to
law and who should be brought to
justice, to say nothing Of violators of
other statutes, and tits detective
work does not belong to the prescott
ing officers and besides they are not
trained for it and being known could
make little Roadway as detectives. 1t
is therefore up to someone to do
something, and think If the attorney
general used discretion and did not
spend the money recklessly he should
be praised for what he has done and
the man who only spent the 600
censured instead, for to properly en-
force the laws and bring the violators
to justice would cost the state today,
provided the work was undertaken
with the intention of doing thor
ough job more than Mr.. Brown has
spent, provided one has to hire detec-
tive agencies to furnish the means OF
detecting criminals.
We have game warden system so
thorough that men with large public
experience have said 1t was safer TO
kill a man in Vermont than deer,
and 1t certainly is safer to steal
sheep, chickens and the produce OF
the land than to catch trout and keep
them that are under size or to catch
them out OF season The game laws
may, and our Legislators have seem
ingly so held. be of more Importance
than the other statutes, but are not
the other statutes worth enforcing
and as the game warden system has
proved efficient. why would it not be
wise for the state 10 have similar
system, say with three trained detec-
tives at its head and who could be
called In on major cases to help the
local warden. instead OF paying the
money 10 some agency outside the
state. Would not such a system be
cheaper and more efficient than the
present method. and are there not
enough violations of law, not only i'll
legal selling of liquor, but OF other
laws that go directly to the morals OF
the community and the non-enforce-
ment of which is bringing the state
into disrepute, to warrant that some
thing be done to save the reputation
OF the state and protect its good
name as law-abidins common
wealth.
There is no question that there has
been q needless increase of state ex-
penses, but we can't AFFORD to do
away with the punishment OF crime
and the enforcement of the penal sta
tutes or to suspend that enforcement.
Rather had we not better increase the
power OF the encouragement and
make him head of a warden system,
with q representative In each county,
who will, the minute n crime is com
take steps to bring the Grim
inals to justice. instead OF allowing
every crime but capital ones to go
uninvestigated and unpublished, I'M
less the perpetrators are caught red
handed.
II has been suggested we could re-
trench on the courts and that we
could live II we did away with the SUI
perior court. You will remember
those that favored that court said II
would expedite justice. causes would
be tried by the court and not referred
TO lawyers. etc. bu there are as
many cases referred to attor-
neys as formerly. Cases are allowed
to be continued term after term with
out any valid excuse and nothing is
done more than there was before the
superior court was established to
make justice speedy and give the
poor man an equal chance with the
rich one, who is able to hire the best
there is and starve the other out OF
court or to an unfair settlement.
II one will take supreme court re-
port OF so years ago he will find that
during the time covered by volume
In those days the supreme court. be-
sides hearing all the county court
Eases, which we're three times as nu-
merous then as nowadays, II the old
er men are to be believed, wrote
about 100 opinions. which we're as
well written at least and certainly
more widely quoted outside of the
state, than those written now, and
now the supreme court in the same
length OF time only writes about so
reports and presides over not one
term of county court. II the men of
so years ago could do 1t why cannot
the men of today do as well, especial
~ as there is not half the litigation
as there was and we have modern
to expedite matters7
What we want today is speedy JUS
lice. rules OF procedure that will stop
the continuing OF court cases year af-