Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-01
Attorney General, on Stand, Tells
Of Alleged Practices of Federal
Judge in Which Trial Lawyers
Were Made the Butts Of Jokes.
Iurist's Profound knowledge of
Law May Clear Him, and is De-
spair Of AssaiIants-May New
er Preside In Savannah Again

SAVANNAH, Jan. S1.-JudgeA En-
CRY Speer, when the Congressional
committees investigation of his Off
cial conduct drew toward its close
this afternoon, showed more conf
dence of winning than ne has at any
previous time. He depends on his
profound knowledge of the law, which
has been the despair of his assail
ants, and upon the fact that some of
the investigators seem inclined to
look on their task as political perse-
cution.
For every alleged illegal act of his,
and a great many that he admitted
were not the general practice in the
United States Court, Judge Speer was
ever ready with some remote and lit
tie known law which authorized it,
and one some one or two occasions
he succeeded in having this law read
into the record.
Remembers Old Laws.
And it is this wonderful knowledge
of the law that the attorneys who
testified against him stated they
feared might at least compel the body
that makes the final decision in his
case to deal lightly with him
1t is the consensus of opinion of the
bar of Savannah that regardless of
whether the Senate charges him with
official misconduct that in the face OF
the statements that his administra-
ton was unsatisfactory to the bar of
this district and the bitterness of
some of he attorneys, it will be neces-
sary to name some new Judge.
T. s. Fielder, Attorney General OF
the State of Georgia, has just been
dismissed as a witness, after his
startling declarations that Judge
Speer is unequivocahly unsatisfactory
as a judge, and that the startling
thing, in his opinion, is that the pub
lie has tolerated his behavior for SO
long a time,
Mr.. Fielder declared that Judge
Speer had the surroundings of his
court so arranged as to show him off
to best advantage; that the lawyers
practicing before him were his
kings TESTERS" and were the butts
of his witticisms.
Represented Huff.
s~- Mr.. Fielder was attorney for w. a.
Huff, of Macon, in the famous HUI
bankruptcy case, and h charged that
Judge Speer had allowed the estate to
hitting it's 100000 cash assets to lie
without interest for several years in
a bank of which his brother-in law
was vice president
Another witness, whose testimony
bore considerable weight was Cen
eral Peter Meldrim, of Savannah,
Judge Speer's boyhood chum aud
college classmate, who testified to he
ing insllted by Judge Speer in court.
This declaration aroused Judge Speer
who shouted out that he could stand
attacks no longer Chairman Webb
was forced to restore order.
A. r. Lawton, general counsel and
vice president of the Central of Geor-
gia Railway Company, testified to
what he declared were Judge Speer .
high handed methods. He charged
that the judge plunged the old Cen
trail of Georgia Railway and Banking
Company into bankruptcy, without
justification, by his arbitrary mid
night order appointing a receiver.
Report Shapes Itself.
Already the possible report or the
committee seems to be shaping it
self In the line of questions asked
bv the three committeeman ii has
been pretty clearly indicated that
Congressman A. j Nolstead, of Min
Ia. is not in sympathy with
Congressman Webb and Fitzhenry.
Several times when witnesses have
given testimony damaging to Judse
sheer he closely questioned them, in
an effort to show that Judge Speer
was merely trying to conserve the
hest interests Of the people. and to
onerate his court at the least posi-
Bile expense.
Congressman Nolstead is a Repub-
ucan and the other members are
democrats 1t is reliably reportei
hal he is in sympathy with Judge
snser and considers the Impeachment
nroceedings nothing but a political
attack,