South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-04-26
MOTT Judge of Superior Court in Presunng AcquH Him
1 SELF of Contempt and Dsbaent before Federal Court OF
Porto Rico While Opnonig Decision Against the NeOs Times
Editor Thursday Overlooked Several Important Features

IT ID. MOTT disbarred from practice of the
law for unprOfessiOnal conduct and fined for
tempt of by Judge Rodney the L. federal
court OF PoT9 Rico, March 2S, 1909 not on the
judges initiative. but upon a memorial from
the Bar association of san juan His attempt,
presiding judge of the superior of st. Joseph
county, read a defense himself into "a decision.
lac did Thursday while prcsuming settle the
indirect contempt against The News-Times
editor. the light of the facts, miserable pct
tifOggcry Political his interpolation was settles
all doubt that the whole proceeding has been poll
teal, rather than honest effort to preserve the
dignity of the superior court
Why drag the Porto Rico case into it? Mott was
trial? Zuver was. Would a judge of any
siderable judicial temperament take judicial knOwl-
edge of the gossip of the street and drag answer
TO it, or attempted explanation OF il into judicial
opinion with which that gossip had nothing to do,
save as a political boomerang?
humble opinion is accordingly confirmed Mott
knew that he had been elevated to the superior
court bench by the '.machinest' of machine
politics. and over the opposition of vast majority
the bar. the .'unmachined' PubIc%
ambitious for reelection, and for the
prescr1at of the machine that had induced his
appointment. and backing his reelection.
He knew he was regarded as joke by majority
a big majority; that the majority of his
party against him. and, that though the republi-
can organ was with him. the opposition newspaper
independent democratic-knew his record, along
with that his grating political boss, that
such newspaper willing to the republicans
give both of them a neccing May order that
the democrats might not need TO do it in November.
DECIDE ON POLICY OF
NEWSPAPER SUPPRESSION
Accordingly the decision to- intimdate that
Iaper and its editor into quetude. some way, SOmc-
Low. and the article of March 27th was lit upon.
automatically exaggeratinS the statutory power of
the punish for contempt, into arbitrary
power. assuming the role of prosecutor, Judge
and cxecutioncr-quite after the same the
kaiser lit upon the Serbian assassination of ash
grand duke of Austria excuse for the
world war
Of course. neither Boss Graham. his journals
henchman. their judicial puppet, nor that 'black
hand artist, who, the disguise of Owl hOOts
his warnings the old Heidelberg saloon,
expected resistance. They expected intimidation and
silence, and, pushed to the wall: well. "hzzOnncr,"
decided to block exposition the Porto Rico case,
toy interpolatng it, anyhow.
Three days in advance of the fasco. we had
surances that the decision i'm the Zuver
To be more of defense Of Mott in Porto Rico than
anything else. and evidently the republican organ
thought the important feature, taking great
care publish that part of the opinion, and that
part only. verbatim.
I'll tell my side first and block en- Mott is
quoted as saying. which, if IL wasn't dragging
politics into the what it? And thus drag
ging politics the tail end, isn't pretty good
evidence that it politics all the way through?
some astute politicians we declare-but 1.-THE devil
always shows his hand