The Washington herald., 1920-05-19
Men and Business
BY RICHARD SPILLANE,

! In Chicago, on Tuesday last. the
suits Of Alonzo G. Cutler VS.. Charles
W. Partridge and others were set
tied by a compromise with the
Northern Trust Company. executor
OF the estate of Mr.. Partridge. Cut
Ter Is a Board of Trade broker.
Partridge at one time was a spec-
tacular figure in the grain market.
The suits were started twenty
eight years ago. The amount in
VOWED was $55.000. Twice the courts
decided in favor of Cutler. Twice
there were verdicts for Partridge
I ana his associates. The case went
from court to court on appeal. or
were sent back to the original court
10 be started over again. Now by
compromise the defendants agree to
settle for $4,000. By interest
charges alone the original sum for
whlch Cutler sued has grown to
$4,000. Whac the lawyers fees
ana court charges amount to is not
stated. All the original parties to
the SUIT, except Cutler. are dead.
Much has been said atcut the
ia"s delays. Long, long ago
Charles Dickens, in the apocryphaI
case of Jarndyce VS.. Jarndyce, drew
a powerful indictment against the
legal system by which Justice *
denied by the endless routine and
senseless dilatoriness of lawyers and
courts. There has been an effort in
Great Britain and America to work
REFORM. so far as commercial and
general business disputes ar con-
cerned. by the establishment of
boards of arbitration, by chambers
OF commerce and boards of trade.
The Cutler Partridge case furnishes
an excellent example of the futility
OF law courts In the settlement of
trade Csses.
There is too much statute law
ana too little justice. Theodore H.
Price, who made aome inquiry re-
Gently, found there were $1,000 ma
tional statutes and an approximate
average of 10000 for each of the
forty-eight States. that would make
l,o2S,0o0 laws in America
one law would do pretty well for
the whole world If all men obeyed
it. That IS:
DO INTO others as you would
have others do into you"
More trouble in the British. Isles.
The highly important subject of jam
again agftates the nation. The food
1000 controller wants TO decontrol
jam. The public protests. Every
oody In Great Britain eats jam or
Is supposed to eat 1t. Ever since
the war closed the business element
mas been criticising the food con-
troller on one score or another.
FOOD dealers wanted food affairs re-,
turned 10 food dealers hands. Some
awful things were said about the
FOOD minister. Last summer. in re-
sponse to this criticism. he released
jurisdiction over bacon. Immedi-
ately 1t shot up in price. In Au-
gust prices got so high that it was
found necessary for the govern
ment to resume control
Now the food controller is eager
to surrender jam to the jam deal
ers, but the public vigorously OBJ
jects. There Is a shortage of jam
and prices are high, but the jam
business has been in a sort Of trust
in England and the people fear. if
the government lets the manufac-
turers and dealers run loose. the
public will see a price jamboree.
On the other hand. the jam man
ufacturers say the food controller,
knowing prices must go much nigh
er. wishes TO let them have the
odium rather than bear it himself
No ono, can appreciate whst an
'impartant subject jam Is Unless he
has lived in England.