The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-11-02
Practically Entire Local Bar
Meet and Sign Resolu-
ton as Adopted.
COPY rs ORDERED
SENT TO GOVERNOR
Letter, It's Claimed. an At
tempt to Dictate or Influ-
ence Judicial Action.

At q meeting attended by pract4esi-
ly every lawyer in Pensacola, held yes
terday afternoon in the court house a
resolution was unanimously adopted
condemning in unmeasured terms
letter signed by Governor Sidney
j. Cats to Sheriff J. C. Van Pelt, in
which the Governor expressed his dis
approval of the recent decision OF
Judge c. Moreno Jones in the Hilliard
case, and threatened to remove him
from office.
A copy of the letter was included
in the resolution. which. was pre-
pared and presented by John s
Beard. The letter, under date of Oc-
tober 25th says in part: Judge Jon~
is bidding fair to be removed from
office, for / would remove him as
quick as | would a guinea negro in
case this injunction is dissolved by the
court of Judge Campbell. Whiskey
is doomed IN this state and if Marine
Jones hasn't got sense enough to see
it as judge he can view the same as
private citizen if he doesn't looh
out
This letter, the resolution brands
as an attempt to dictate, control, a~d
influence judicial action and deeisic
the Judge of the Court of Record IL
and for Eseansbia Coanty from offie"
therefore, the resolution saVs "re
it unanimously resolved by TIE * e n
bers of the Bar of the City of Persia
cola, Florida:
That we condemn in unmeasure1
terms the above cited letter as an e9.-
ecutive threat to substitute executive
will, caprice, and policy for the Cor,
ffstitution and Laws of the State, by
an arbitrary and unconstitutional e.,
ercise of. the powers of suspension
from office.
Second. That we the members of
the Bar of the City of Pensacola,
State of Flori3a have perfect confi-
dence in the judicial integrity, abili
ty, uprightness, and fearlessness OF
the Honorable c. Moreno Jones
Judge of the Court of Record, in and
for Escambia County, State of Flor
ida
The meeting was called promptly at
o'clock, with the court room fillet
with more lawyers than probably ever
assembled there before at one time
After brief preliminary outline OF
the meeting, Judge John C.. Avery
was elected chairman, and F. r: An.
derson, secretary for the meeting.
As soon as the organization was
perfected, John S. Beard, who called
the meeting, introduced the resolu-
tion which he had drawn, and moved
its adoption. H. S. Laird seconded
the motion. BY way Of discussion,
Robert H. Anderson read the follow
ing excerpt from Case and Comment:
Integrity American judiciary.
During the civil commotions In
England, which lasted from the be-
ginning Of the reign Of Charles I. to
the Revolution Of 1858, the best men
and the purest patriots that ever lived
fell by the hand of the public execu-
tioner. Judges were made the instru- 4
ments for inflicting the most merci-
less sentences on men, the latchet Of
whose shoes the ministers that prose-
cuted them were not worthy TO stoop
down and unloose. Let me say her
that nothing has occurred in the his
tory of this country to justify thu
doubt of judicial integrity which oui
forefathers seem to have felt Or
the contrary. the highest compliment B
that has ever been paid to the Ameri-
can branch is embodied in this simple
fact: that If the executive officers q,
this government have ever desired &C
take away the life or the liberty Of
citizen contrary to law, they have not /
come into the courts to get it done;
they have gone outside the courts.
and stepped over the Constitution
and created their own tribunals, COM
posed Of men whose gross ignoranco
and supple subservience could alway1
be relied on for those base uses 8 +
which no Judge would ever land him f
self. But the trainers Of the Con
stitution could act only upon the az.
perience Of that country whose hia-
tory they knew most about, and thern q
they saw the brutal ferocity Of Jefs
freys and Scroggs, the tin1idity e
Guilford, and the base venality r.
such men as Saunder and Wright. ~
seemed necessary, therefore, noe onls
to make the Judiciary as perfect s.
possible, but to give the citizen ySS
another shield against the wrath snS
malice of his government To th,1
Continued On Page Three)