Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-10-20

ordinary rules. ana IL IL Stiittl'iieS SeS :
aested to me that the ordinary rules OF
evidence had SHOWN signs of growing
antique.
"Everythins, rumor Included Is
heard in this court, ana the standard
of Judgment is not with regard 70 the
character of the testimony put inc
character of the witness. The motives
are disclosed, the purposes are conJec-
tured, and that opinion Is iinaiiy ae-
cepted which seems to he not the best
founded in law perhaps, but the bes.
founded in integrity or character ana
of morals. That is the process wmca
is slowly working it's will on the worid,
and what we should be watchfui or IS
not so much Jealous interest as SOUND
principles of action. The disinteresteo
course Is always the biggest course
to pursue Not only that but in the
long run IL is the most protitapie
course to pursue.
Lose Sight of Principle.
What | wanted to suggest 10 this
association is whether we EunicientlN
supply those same ideas to the podF
of municipal law which we seek TO ad-
minister. Citations seem to play so
much larger role now than principie'
There was a time when the thouShttul
eye of the judge rested on the changes
of social circumstances ana almost
palpably saw the law arise out OF
human life. Have We got to a tlme
when the only way to change law Is ny
statute? The changing of law by
statute seems to me like mending n
garment with a patch; whereas law
should grow by the life that Is in IT.
dr.. ri
should hate to think that tho law did
not derive it's impulse rom looking
forward rather than from looking
backward. or rather that II did not de-
rive it's inspiration from looking about
and seeing what the circumstances OF
men actually are and what the i'm
pulses of justice necessarily are.
Understand me. gentlemen, I am
not venturing in this presence to i'm
peach the law. For the present, by the
force of circumstances. l am in part
the ebodiment of the law. and 1t would
be very awkward to disavow myself.
But ] do wish to make this .ntifnation
that In this time Of world change. IN
this time when We are going to find
out just how, in what particulars and
to what extent the real facts of human
mankind prevail, il is worth while
looking inside our municipal law and
seeing where the moral judgments OF
mankind are made square with the
judgments of the law Itself. For / be-
ieve We are custodians not OF a com
mand but of spirit. We are Gus
todians of the spirit of righteousness
of the spirit of equal handed justice,
OF the spirit of hope, which believes In
the perfectahility of the law.
Public life like private lire would
be Il very dull and dry matter were
! il not for this belief in rhe essential
beauty of the human spirit and the be
lief that the human spirit could he
translated into action and into ordi-
nance.
Humble Man Should Be Heard.
You can not go any faster than you
can advance the average moral iudg-
nents of tho mass but you can so ~
least as fast as that. You can see to
II that you do not lag behind the aver
age moral judgments of the mass.
II have in my life dealt with all
sorts and conditions of men and have
found that the flame of moral judg-
ment is as bright IN the man of humble
/, LIE and limited experience as ii .hs
scholar and the man of affairs and
would like to have his voice always
! heard. not speaking In his own case
! but as II his was the voice In general
/ in our courts Of Justice as we'll as the
| voice OF the lawyers remembering wha,
| ;he law has been. My hope that IL
being stirred 70 the depths by tn,
extraordinary circumstances of the time
| in which We live Ia that we may recove,
! from those depths something OF re.
/ newal OF the law OF which men art
supposed to have started IN the ole
days OF the oracle when men were sup
! posed to have communicated with the
I divinity"
--------
1t has been figured that II days con
tinued frost or snow in England result:
i'll the idleness OF 100000 workmen.