New-York tribune., 1922-10-07
Lawyers Lash
Bosses at Bic
Cohalan Rally

tcentipped from page ems,
be told what he said to know what he
meant Ae
DO we want surrogate who is in
dependent enough to tell the political
noss pos OF his own party to go to hell' !?
mat is exactly the kind of judge we
90 want. The moment judge is put
upon the bench he should be man
with no political party and no political
boss. Republican, Democrat or Social
ISL should ali look alike to him,
Wo need do only ono thing to
secure the Independent reelection of
Surrogate Cohalan. Let us put into
the hands of every voter one question
and one answer. The question is. .Whv
was Cohalan turned DOWN. The an
s~er is, because ne told Murphy to 20
30 HE'LL"
One Of the speakers, Leonard M.
Wallstein, Citizens Union, character
ized the meeting as one of solemn and
indignant protest by sworn officers Of
the law against a shameful assault
upon the competent and just admins
tration of the law.
The north ballroom. where the meet
ing was held. was packed long before
Shairman Shearer called the assem-
blage to order. Before he had intro
duced the first speaker, Mr.. Jerome,
the corridors were packed and stand
ing room was at premium.
The audience, composed almost en-
tirely of lawyers, was wildly enthusi-
astic throughout, frequently interrupt
ing the speakers with prolonged ap-
plause, especially when they tore into
the bosses.
"The campaign upon which we are
nj ,o
whether or not our judiciary is to be.
as in the main it has been in the past
and as we hope it will CONTINUE to be,
independent of political influence. Up
on the independence of the judiciary
depend the existence and maintenance
of our liberty. Legislatures may be
controlled by political bosses, COVER
nors and mayors and other admins
trative .officeholders may be bossed,
and liberty may last, but the minute
the judiciary of our country becomes
subject to the orders of political boss,
that minute the independence of our
country dies and our republic remains
only as mockery and delusion.
In face OF such an issue the fate
of any individual candidate is of small
moment. What becomes of John P.
Cohalan individually is Of little conse-
quence to the community; but whet
becomes of the judge who is the en-
bodiment for the time being of the
principle that our judges shall remain
free, masters of themselves and Sc
cure from sinister influences, is of
vital interest to all the people.
The question which does matter to
the community and to the ideals upon
which our government is founded is
that the courts shall be preserved from
.0ntSl6a
who serve the people faithfully shall
be continued on the bench while they
are able thus to serve the people,
John Marshall, the great Chief Jus
tlce or The United States, who is
honored and revered by all of us re-
gardless of our political views, has
said:
"The judicial department. comes
down in its effects to every mans fire
SIDE; 1T passes on his property, his
reputation, his life. his all. Is it not
should be rendered perfeety geetn1 and ,das come ne
.pletely independent, with nothing to
influence or control him but God and
his conscience? You do not allow a
man to perform the duties of Jury
man or judge if he has one dollar
of interest in the matter to be decided,
and will you allow judge to give a
decision when his Office may depend
upon it? No, sir, have always thought
from my earliest youth till now that
the greatest scourge an angry heaven
ever inflicted upon an ungrateful and
SHINING people was an ignorant, a cor
rupt or dependent judiciary
"It will be a sad commentary upon
our country if any two men in the
community can pull man down from
the bench and practically compel,
through their control of the nominal
ing machinery, the selection of some
man whom they wish to push forward.
1t will be grave situation if they
have such power in the case of any
public Office, but it is particularly
menacing in its application to the
judiciary. A man when he goes upon
the bench has to leave aside all am.
bitions except the one ambition of
the community and rendering just and
impartial decisions to the people who
come before him.
II have been in the Office of Surro-
gate for fourteen years. In that time
IN all the cases that have come before
me l have considered nothing except
the evidence that was presented to me.
tried to decide fairly and to admin
lister the law justly and to leave upon
every one coming into the court, lawyer
or iltigant, juror or witness, the i'm
preston that all are upon one plane
OF equality and all entitled to receive
justice and courteous treatment, But
there has never been a time when
nave consented to substitute for my
wlil the will of any other man or to
eurh over to any man or group of men
the powers and functions which were
lodged in me when l was duly elected
as Surrogate and sworn into office. Be-
cause OF this it seems that have dis
pleased Charles F. Murphy, and be-
cause of that displeasure have like
wise displeased Samuel S. Koenip. Be-
cause of the desire Of Mr.. Koenig to
place his brother Morris upon the
bench of General Sessions, they were
able to make combination by which.
they thought to prevent me from hay-
ing the people of New York County
pass upon the record which / have
made.
"By their ownership of the political
machinery of the two great historic
parties of our country they have had
these two parties go through the idle
ceremony Of naming a Murphy and
Koenig candidate for Surrogate. There
would doubtless have been but one
candidate had their andacity been
equal to their displeasure. But my
name is to go on the ballot in spite
of them because Of the petitions
Of many thousands Of the cleo
tors of New York, and on Election
Day the people will have an opportunity
to say whether Murphy or Koenig own