The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-02-25
SPEER ANSWERS CHARGES.
ACCUSED JUDGE SUBMITS REPLY
TO INVESTIGATING COM
MITTEE.
Says That he Has Never Done Any.
thing Unlawful and Denies State
ments Made by Witnesses--Answers
Charges in Detail.

thhuS NHioWIW anu Oclu0S state.
ments Made by Witnesses--Answers
Charges in Detail.
Macon, Ga, Feb. 22.--Positive de-
NAL that he has ever been guilty Of
ofaciai misconduct during the %
years he had held office is made by
Federal Judge Emory Speer of the
Southern district Of Georgia in a brief
submitted to the congressional com.
mittee which recently investiga ted
charges against the jurist. This in
auiry was directed by the house COM
mittee on judiciary after formal
charges against Judge Speer were
submitted to that body. Sessions ex-
tending over two weeks were held by
the investigating committee at Macon
and Savannah, at the close Of which
Judge Speer was given permission to
submit reply to the accusations
made against him. In the brief Judge
Speer reiterates declarations made as
witness before the committee and
answers in detail many charges made
against aim by other witnesses.
While the original document was
delivered 10 Representative Webb Of
North Carolina. chairman of the COM
mittee. yesterday, the contents of the
| brief today were made public for the
first time. II contains more than SOC
printed pages.
| Before answering the specific
| charges made against him Judge
Speer In brief denies accusations that
he was ever guilty Of being tyranni-
cal, dictatorial. partisan and arbitrary
while on the bench. In substantial
ing this denial the jurist submits pho
tographic copies of letters from sew
eral legal organizations Of Georgia,
ether bodies and prominent persons.
indorsing him for appointment to the
United States circuit court of appeals.
Referring to the Jamison habeas
corpus case, in which he was reversed
by the United States supreme court,
Judge Speer holes that the case was
not reversed on it's merits but because
the plaintiff had not exhausted his
remedies in the State courts.
Charges that the estate OF Col. w.
A. Hun Of Macon was unfairly held in
bankruptcy and its assets dissipated
oyshim are answered by the counter
claim that the property finally was
sold for $4,000 more than Col. HUFF
claimed it was worth. Judge Speer
submits statistics inl AIDED to show
that he conducted bankruptcy cases
carefully and economically. He. de-
MES that bankruptcy admission in his
district was 80 expensive that lawyers
for creditors were willing to settle on
almost any terms rather than go into
court.
The jurist replies to the accusation
that he wrecked the Central of Geor-
eia railroad in 1892 by an alleged
midnight order.'' throwing it into
bankruptcy, by the assertion that he
saved the road from being absorbed
by the Richmond & Danville railroad.
| Judge Speer denies that ne has
ever committed an illegal act with
regard TO drawing juries and claims
that his actions are sanctioned by the
federal statutes governing the con-
duct of judges.
In reply to nepotism charges invoiv-
ting A. H. Hayward, his son-in-law,
and member Of the law firm of Talley
& Hayward, tho jurist fatty asserts
that such accusations are untrue and
says that the appointments in every
| case were made by the referee in
bankruptcy. He adds that he never
ruled on case where their fee was
contingent.
In conclusion the brief says: Ger
tain individuals have given testimony
that Judge Speer's judicial services
we're unsatisfactory. 1t will be an
easy task to turn to the record and
precisely locate the occasion and the
cause for the calumny and discover
| that every important detractor was
the professional advocate and repre-
sentative Of evils which had been
and Is the purpose Of congress TO an
nul and destroy"