Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1920-04-13
THE SUPREM e
COURT LEAK"

Supreme Court decisions are the
final law of the land, and they fire.
quently have a tremendous effect on
the stock market. Securities go up
or down according to the rulings OF
the highest bench, and OF course any
Speculation who can get advance in.
formation of court decisions may
easily make fortune at the ex-
pense of less informed persons.
There have been suspicious for
some time that information about
pending decisions was leaking" out
of the austere court chamber, and
at last the leak" is thought TO be
located. Indictments have been re-
turned against several persons sup.
posed to be implicated, one of them
a former secretary 10 a Supreme
Court justice. another former at
torney of the Department of Jus
tice, and these persons are await
ing trial for conspiracy TO defraud
the United States of its right to
secrecy" regarding court decisions
The St. Louis PostDispatch (Lnd.l
calls this IAN amazing charge" and
has its' doubts as to the ability of
the government to maintain it. 1t
fears that the culprit5 viii set off
it/savs we should have a statute
2 specifically covering such cases, if
We have none now. and asks:
Gould not the punishment so we'll
deserved be inflicted through con
tempt of court proceedings The
New York World (Dem) feels the
same wa. Here is a crime" it
sag, closely akin to espionage. %
and yet it is a crime without a
name
"-'cr many years past the World
continues, 'tipsters have con5tjtut-
ed "a important element OF the pop
ulation OF Washington. They pro
fess to give from inside sources ae-
CGrate information. valuable chiefly
TO SPECTATORS Most Of them, Of
occasions there has been reason 10
course, are frauds, but on several
believe that COLLISION existed The
records of the Stock Exchange bear
svandalous testimony to the trust
worthiaess OF some of these reyela-
tons in adyance of court decisions,
and the same thing Is true OF GER
tain disclosures affecting the execu-
tive departments"
The particular decision on which
the "iaak' is alleged to have oc-
CURED was rendered last November
oa the Southern Pacific o. lands
case, and, sars the New & ans
States ID M. certain specie s
in STOCKS in Wall Street made con-
siderable fortunes The States
holds that there can be no ques-
tion that there are constantly ar
Washington tipsters seeking to get,
ny hoo or crook. inside aud ad-
vance Information on high court de
cisions 10 be sold TO spectators.
Sometimes their information is
wronE, and the spectators who work
with the disreputables are themsel
YES piuCked. Sometimes it is right
and hird parties are robbed"
is The defendants are found gull
~, hey sho9ld receive heavy sen
ten and no do1h- viii says the
Da..- OAldLo1au al ILL.,; 1T is tc
the interest Of the puh!c as we'll as
the members Of tie Supreme Court
10 make the punish uleLt Of any
guilty persons severe enough TO dis
courage the repetition OF the Of
Tense
"oae Of the most distressing feat
Gfes O. r.f t3se.' as it appears L
.he .tr.5rrs Patriot Ond, Dem9
Is that the tipster received $500
r his work ON which the stool
re}lcrs realized move than $1,000,
lo". And the Patriot adds, tina
r tae way of it ally. The mar
30 holds he bag, VINO takes tn,
'-n, i'm ariably gets the small enc
ri the winnings. Tie men who play
safe ala get the big return
This SGa0 was not very goo,
pay the Wichita Eagle Uud) ad
mits, "but if one had score o
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