The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-11-19

present 1t work, and it seems We are
doing our best to dispose Of, during
this month, all the old cases which
have been argued and submitted.
In my book of Letters, Essays and
Decisions purpose to give a rating
to the prevailing method of writing
long-winded and numbering decisions.
1t is fearful nuisance, and it seems
the only way to abate 1t is to expose
it to the public and to show its folly
and expense 1t has prevailed in this
state more than in any other State
Of the Union, and it continues to pre-.
vail wish it we're possible to quote
some of the numbering decisions and
to picture them to the people so as to
show the downright folly of writing
them. We have just received IS N. d..
Reports. 1t is a book of $50 pages,
Containing IS decisions. IS N. ID. is
book of $50 pages, and it contains
So decisions. It were easy to re'Write
and improve those decisions so as to
reduce them to one book of $50 pages.
AS a rule, a RECESSION should never ex-
coed three or four pages, and the syl-
labus or, head-note, should never ex-
coed one or two hundred words.
The recent case of Ross v. Cooper,
was an appeal from verdict and
Judgment for $500. The complaint
was against a, father-the owner of "a
large farm-for the wanton killing Of
an employee by his son, foreman In
charge of the farm. The judgment
was reversed. wrote a vigorous
dissent of two hundred words. There
was nothing to be gained by a longer
dissent, but our Justice Grace wrote
a dissent of 10000 words. He gives
a literal copy Of the complaint and
answer, $500 words; literal copy OF
the testimony in small print, 300
words; citations and quotations, 1000
words. No person will care for all that
matter. No person will ever read It..
Yet, under our laws and constitution,
it is all transcribed and printed in
two books, the North Dakota Reports
and the Northwestern Reporter, (l64
N. W. G79.) The needless cost OF
printing is about 81. a page. l wish
that every Judge who writes an opin-
ion of more than five pages had to pay
half the cost Of booking it. l have
Il great regard for the opinions OF
Justice Grace. When he and l were
candidates for office, he expressed a
decided opinion that should be a
Judge of the U. S. Supreme Court
and you may be sure I fully agreed
with him. AS a judge of that Court
should take delight in writing up
its antique ways and it's lack of prog
ress in my Saturday Evening Letters.
If the nine judges were to 60 off on
vacation, to loiter away their time
and leave undone the work of one or
two years. should post them from
ocean to ocean. The judges Of the
u. S. Supreme Court have no possible
excuse for permitting the work to lag
or to 60 undone, or for making the
cost of an appeal so onerOus and cnor-
nous as it is.
A member of the Legislature writes
me concerning session of the Legls-
lature to aid farmers in procuring
seed grain and feed to save their
stock. 1t seems the crop failure in a
large part of the state presents an
emergency 1t leaves farmers without
seen grain or feed for their stock. If
they get no relief it must result in
widespread suffering and general loss
to the state. We are outgrowing the
old policy Of: "Eevery Man for Him
self and the Devil for the Hindmost."
1t is not the part Of wisdom for either
state or an individual to submit to
conditions that invite insanity, pow
erty, crime or general disaster. The
state and the individual pay dearly for
the consequences of improvidence
| Wisdom demands the best measures
Of preventative relief. A stitch in
time saves nine.
Were the Governor, would call
a special session of the Legislative
Assembly on the first Tuesday of Jan
uary, if not sooner, for the purpose
of devising and affording prompt
measures or relief: and also to pass
an Act providing for constitutional
convention. A bare majority of each
House may pass valid Act providing
for the election of members to con.
stitutional convention and the holding
of such convention next July. A ma
jority of two-thirds in each House