The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-08-04
Saturday Euening Letter
By Justice l. E. Robinson

l have a great state and national
problem which l am, bound to solve,
and it is this:
How may we secure efficiency in
public service, especially in the judi
cial Department., Certain it is that
our present methods are grossly in
efficient and shamefully wrong On
the trial Of case in district court a
lawyer with no defense may set him
self down with a settled purpose, by
every artifice to defeat JUSTICE TO
every question he makes long objec-
tiOns and exceptions with no settled
purpose only to confuse the witnesses
and to get some error into the record
When verdict goes against him he
appeals to this court, asking review
on 70 or more trivial points. The court
hears arguments for two hours or
more and in four or five months a
Judge writes a long windcd decision
holding that the judgment should be
reversed and the case sent back for a
new trial on some quibbling question
of practice which should have met
with a reprimand. ,il,..
Now, on the very day a case is
argued to the supreme court it should
be assigned to some judge to write an
opinion and distribute the same to the
Judges. This he should do within a
week and before any other case is as
signed to him. The judges should con-
slider and finally dispose OF every case
within two weeks after it is argued,
and while it is fresh in their minds,
and not when it is forgotten. BY
needless delays the judges double
their work. They double it again in
writing long-winded decisions on num-
erous trivial points of no merit, which
deserve only a severe reprimand. The
work is also increased and delayed by
lack of punctuality. A Judge does not
feel ashamed to come to his ch;fmbeIs
at $3.50 o'clock or 10 o'clock In the
morning or at 2 or 3 o'clock in the
afternoon. ! am sure it is not thus
with the workers of the Ford Motor
company or with those who work on
the streets Of Bismarck They are on
time to Il minute and their work is
amazingly efficient They sit down by
tree, eat their lunch and get up and
work like men deserving honor and
respect.
| am the acting censor of the SUI
preme court, and as such, am truly
in sympathy with my friend, the regu-
lar orthodox devil. He has been sad.
ly maligned and slandered. His Office
is to punish evil-doers and to correct
wrongs and not to tempt any person
to do wrong. When his eyes are red
it is from weeping over mans inhu
mainly to man, and not from drink
ing bad liquors. fle is no drunkard,
no thief, no idler. lie owes no grudge
or ill:will to any person. Were he
justice of the supreme court he would
be on time to minute every day and
give just and righteous decisions. TO
him or to our governor would gladly
resign my devil-ship job. When my
young judges play truant boy, come
late to school, as they often do, or do
not come at all for days, it is no
pleasure for me to call them to time
and to hear them say it is none of
my business. 1t is truly amazing that
any judge should claim the right to
go and come as he pleases and to hold
up and delay the courts business
But such is the fact. Were the judges
hired to do the same work for a
James Hill or any good business COM