Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-01
Judge Denies Charges Of Accus-
ers and Defends His Record on
United States Court Bench in
Frank Statement to Committee.
Replies Specifically to Allegations
Of .Akerman, Lawton and 9th
ers, Arguing That He Had Acted
Within Law for PubIic's Good.

SAVANNAH, Jan. 31.-The hearing
Of charges Of official misconduct
against Federal Judge Emory Speer
ended in Savannah this afternoon
? when the committee adjourned sub
ject to the call Of Chairman Webb.
With the exception of the examina-
ton of Judge Samuel B. Adams, who
was on the stand short while, Judge
speer was the only person called to-
day.
Judge Speers statement in his own
behalf, which for the greater part was
given under cross examination by
counsel for himself or Chairman
Webb, was an elaborate defense of
almost every act of misconduct that
has been charged against him. He
dwelt particularly long on the denun-
citation of Alexander Alderman and
the charges Alderman made against
him, and made the direct charge that
the District Attorney had been in col
fusion with the liquor interests and
had mol pressed cases for two houses
Of debauchery, and that in the probe
OF the naval tsores trust" Mr.. Aker-
man had not been faithful to his Of
flee or his oath.
Explains Central Case.
In replying to the charge of Colonel
A. R. Lawton, vice president of the
r1,<ray af Ca1rpia Roilroad that his
midnight order" wrecked a solvent
line, Judge Speer said that his order
saved from Pat" Calhoun and his
associates s50,000,000 being swept
into the maelstrom of the Richmond
and Danville failure and the affairs
from being thrown into the courts of
Virginia, in which event the Georgia
people would have gotten but little.
The judge defended his alleged I'M
warranted action in the Crawley and
McClelland and the Jamison case as
purely humanitarian, with no other
idea but to turn an ear to the humble
and the needy. He denied absolutely
that he had any other motive.
Judge Speer delivered his statement
frankly and at great length, and made
good impression on the committee.
1t was only in one or two instances
that he answered he did not recall,
and was perfectly frank in stating
that he was heavier on defendants
that went to trial than he was on
those who pleaded guilty, which, he
said, was a common practice in his
court
Speer Shows Confidence.
Judge Speer showed more conf
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.
And 1t 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.
II 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.
Report Shapes Itself.
Already the possible report of the
committee seems to be shaping it.
self. In the line of questions asked
by the three committeeman it has
been pretty clearly indicated that
Congressman A. J Volstead. of Min
nesota. is not in sympathy wI.h
congressman Webb and Fitzhenry
Congressman Volstead is a Repub
licsn and the other members are