White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-21
JUSTICE A GAME.

day night. a couple of lawyers were
speakers at the monthly meeting of
the Berean society Of the Calvary
Presbyterian church. The speakers
referred to r Superior Judges
Frank Fl. Dunno and George E. Car
others, and extracts of their remarks
we're printed next day in the San
Francisco Chronicle. Laymen will no
doubt be interested in the expressed
views of these two iminent jurists
and will be moved to remark "them's
my sentiments. too" A good many
IMMERSED In the quirks and techni-
c~alities of the legal profession have
long ago come to the conclusion that
law and justice are not synonymous.
In fact, In many cases 1t would APP
pear that the greater the crime, the
more stumbling blocks the law"
puts in the way to retard justice. 1t
matters not how henious the offense
or conclusive the evidence, If the re-
s%pondent be prominently known and
in a position to command money TO
keep his trial in operation. there is
almost no limit to the time the case
may be kept in the courts on one
pretext or another. On the other
hand, another obvious fact TO the
layman is the ease with which some
trivial case may be dealt with to the
limit of penalty. and with no regard
whatever to anything resembling JUS
tice. 1t is such incidents that tend
to discredit the profession, and il is
rather gratifying when two eminent
judges publicly speak for an improv-
ed condition Of things and openly
condemn the delays In court proceed
ings that are not countenaneed in
the courts of other countries.
Basing his remarks upon his chos-
en- subject, The Administration of
Criminal Law" Judge Dunno said
Justice in this country has de-
generated into a game. The attor-
ney for the defense and the District
Attorney are the players. the defend
ant the pawn and the Judge the UNI
pire. If a conviction be secured and
an appeal taken, it is decided not up
on the guilt or innocence of the
prisoner, but upon whether or not
some rule of the game has beer vio-
lated. In other words, we are be-
coming lost In a maze Of TECHNICAL
ty.
It'll he is condemned society gives
a criminal all the best of it, which
1t does o do in the case of big bus
mess. Once he is condemned, though,
AID has served his sentence he should
be held to have paid his debt to the
community. Here is where society
errs. for 1t insists on treating such
a one as a pariah, an o%utcast."
Judge Carothers agreed with all
that mis- colleague had said about
the delays of the American courts,
and added that he thought that this
was due in measure to lack of ex-
pert legal leaders.
Therewe re, for instance, more
than 1000 attorneys in San Francis
&C engaged In the practice of all
branches of the law. In England.
where a much more expert standard
vas insisted upon,a case was brought
TO its conclusion in ninety days. he
said, whereas in this country 1t
would drag out three years - or
twelve times as long.
Our great American failing is
shallcwness and artificialty," went on
the Judge. Our sehools-both pub
lie and Highland our universities
are turning out their product unable
to perform those calculations neces-
sary for success in well-nigh every
business and calling. unable TO write
their names legibly. While our mod
ern theater. press, dancing and dress
have elements of good. their general
trend is in the wrong direction.
Home discipline is not strong enough
and our churches are not practical
enough ia their appeal"