The Washington herald., 1921-12-21
Finds Fault With Our Court
System.

To the Editor. The Washington Herald:
In an article appearing in these
columns recently Mr.. Pierce ex-
plains many things in regard to the
law and the courts and expresses
the belief that no changes are
necessary. but that by letting hui
man nature take its course we will
evolve a system which will be 100
per cent perfect Some wag with
more sarcasm than Shakespeare
had has recently said: Amt nature
grand" He blames the war for
the failure of the courts to retain
the respect and confidence of the
people they represent and for the
hysteria of the lower classes break
ing out in socalled crime waves.
is it not the fool-hardy hysteria of
the upper classes working its way
downward into the masses? Does
he not know that one of the great
industries of this country for years
before the war was the building of
additions to jails. prisons ana IN
sane asylums; they are synonymous
In the vast majority of cases, every
Jail and prison as at present con-
Quoted is but the vestibule of an
insane asylum.
He is evidently an attorney, FOR
like everyone connected with the
law he is very liberal with other
peoples time and money. He does
not mind a little thing like a
couple of years delay in civil cases
or the holding of a man in Jail for
couple of years awaiting trial
These always represent that class
whose cases should in common JUS
tice be expediated, for the delays
are often fatal to their financial
and social standing.
Why is il that any school child
IL years OF age says in effect wnen
he hears of the arrest of some
wealthy man or the son of some
wealthy man: whats the use of
arresting him? They think they
are foofing somebody. don't they?
The only ones they are kidding are
themselves. They will run big
bluff. the lawyers will take all his
money and the courts will turn
him loose" It's dollar diplomacy
with a vengeance. For years they
have been visiting these little
zephyrs of discomfort with their
faithlessness. Now that here and
there a little breeze bearing a
gentle murmur IF dissatisfaction
and unbelief in them is waited
their way they simply rest on their
oars and shout in their most ter
rible Col. Vanderbilt voice: The
public be, well. what's the public
got to do with this; the law is su-
preme, we are the people" Not one
of them has vision enough to see
the dark clouds gathering in the
offing nor will they accept the
Weather Bureaus report or the
hurricane that Is gathering just
beyond the horizon.
What is the law7
And sovereign law. that states
collected WILL.
Ger thrones and globes elate,
Sits empress. browning good' re-
pressing Ill"
Or yet again, laws grind the
poor. and rich men rule the law;
take your choice. Put ballot po1
in every court in the land, let the
public vote on which of these sem
timents they believe to be correct
and when the returns are all IN
there will be q lot OF LAWYERS ana
judges who will need, not smelling
salts. but a pulmotor to restore
their senses. some of them never
would recover.
At one law school In this city
1900 students are registered BE-
fore these classes day after day
judges of - the local courts ana
district attorneys appear before
them as instructors and lecturers
and every day thew mace back ana
forth across the stage before them
waving their arms and shout
ing to the students, fright or
wrong, the law is supreme" When
the blind lead the blind both shan
fall into the ditch"
Lawyers hiding behind the d.
plomas from their law schools. the
judges putting on their sackcloth
and ashes and sitting under a halo
Of false dignity which they them
selves have originated and they i'm
agins themselves to be like the
patriot Of old. who shouted: MY