The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1914-08-28

4
! day. !, Boards of directors of million
dollar corporations meet and adjud
cate more business in one hour thar
the S. c. NJ, adjudicated in four years
AS an illustration how the cour
has been treated we recite that the
18th B. M. c., passed proposition
directing the incoming S. c. M. to APP.
point committee of three on the
revision of the general laws. The
Grand Master appointed the court the
committee on revision to serve with
out pay. The law provided that the
three revisors should sit thirty days
and receive $40 per day, total Of
5000. The court accepted the duty Of
revisors without compensation, but be,
for the court could meet and make
out this report the Grand Master
himself got together the new laws
passed at the I4th and 18th B. M. c.
and combined them with the old gen
eral law and had them published
without the approval of the full S
c. NJ, for which he charged 5000. And
when the Committee on Revision at
tempted to make its report at the 10th
B. M. c., as provided in the 18th B
M. c. the Grand Master fatty re-
fused the chairman an audience, and
we had no opportunity to submit our
report; the Grand Master having tax
en- the work of the committee and
collected pay for it, he was not in a
humor to hear us.
The fight on the court is not in
good faith, and it is not because the
Grand Master is opposed to the court
He wants the court, but he hates one
of the justices more than he loves the
court, and he is willing to destroy this
institution to get rid of an enemy
and that enemy is not the chief jus
tice. The fight against the court is
purely personal, and if this objection
able member of the court were to die
or resign, you would see the Grand
Master and his henchmen hedging to
save the court. They need the places
for their friends. They need the
places for their faithful, but in order
to punish once friend and tool, the
gods have decided to destroy the in
stitution. Give the court chance.
Give it the opportunity to serve you,
and it will serve you as satisfactorily
and as efficient as the Supreme Court
of the United States serves our com
mon country. If President Wilson,
his cabinet and other litigants who
lost a case at bar were directing a
war on the court because they wanted
to get rid of a certain justice. the
court would grow into disrepute ard
you would not be able to see its serv-
ice or it's usefulness. Let us return
to reason. Let us lay aside malice
and hatred and give the court square
deal, give it the business it is entitled
to, and it will prove its worth.
4. The court is not costly propo-
sition. 1t does not take one-tenth the
cost o." the S. c. M. The S. c. M.
could transact all its business at any
session in one day, if the men would
work. The sub. committee is really
useless body. 1t adds nothing to
the order each year. 1t manages in
some way that which voluntarily
comes to the order 1t does not en-
courage single jurisdiction. 1t
makes no suggestions or advances O
single constructive idea from Christ
mas to. Christmas. In other words, it
handicaps the jurisdictions in their eff
forts to- serve their members and to
bring about the greatest results. If
the sub committee in one instance has
rendered any jurisdiction any help, we
would like to know it. In every con-
troversy that arises in jurisdiction
you will find the sub committee sid
ing with one faction or the other. 1t
is not an impartial court where every
member feels that justice will come
to him, but members of the order
feel that the S. c. M. is a partisan
body deciding in favor of those who
are bound to vote. for them on cleo
ton day, and furnishing the man who
has strength enough and has manhood
enough to stand up for the principles
Of free government. The court is not
in politics. 1t does not have to be
voted for by the populace and is in
position to give fair and impartial de-
cisions on questions that come I'D to
be heard.
Another handicap the court has had
is this. The Grand Master has not
discouraged those who were foolish
enough to write the executive branch
to review the decisions of the court.
1t is the duty of the executive branch
to tell litigants at bar that the de-
cisions of the court are final and the
executive branch will enforce them;
but~instead of that the Grand Master
has brought letters from dissatisfied
I'D Iafaokol a