The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1922-08-31
JIJDGE LEARNS AT FEET
OF YOUNG LAW T(TOkS

Ann Arbor. Mich. Aug. l9.-After
"a years of general legal pracl'ce'
oIns seven years Oh tie bench. Distrlc'
,Judge John Edwin Reynolds, OF ar,
cadia, La, has entered the law schoo'
Of the University Of Michlgan' RE
wants an LII. 3. degree
When Judge Reynolds, now t.. years ,
old, was a young MI. he rcad MS Id"
in the office of a prominent Louisiana
LAWYER There wee very few law
schools in those days and the young
men who would be lawyers yenerally
read their law in ali office, and later
took an examination at the state cay
itol and were, if successful in the ex'
aminations, granted "A license to ksac-
tice law That IS what Judge he!'
acids did, and when Il years DID, De
was prNcticing attorney
Is Leading Lawyer
In the 81 years be pract'ceu sell.
eral law, he came to be one OF tn.
recognized leading lawyers IN MS p"t'
+ the state and I years ago was elec'
cd district judge, which varies niue
from the circuit court Judges OF the
northern states. His district comprises
three parishes, or counties rs we Ano"
them.
uf late years, Judge Reynolds re
GREETED he did not ""'' &C.,: ''>
cree, He wanted a.. '.". b. :.n' -
wanted it from M!rh.s"A. go,
He wanted that degree from A!th
,au because OF the scn""l' "Vh'''
reputation III the ;'",h' ne ""'''
20 get away from /! ''''' "'''.e :"
could come in touch w:II' the d'nefe''
methods of handling certain cases
SPECIALLY juvenile and probation cas-.
| %. =.
Seek, Juve.lii! Methods
| I'VE have Juvenile laws in i"''''Si
; ana Int they are very Insufficient
no said, in discussing why he calne
TO Michigan and why, after all ms
years of practice, and his legal s'aho-
! inc in the south. he felt it worth the
! while to enter law school. my at
ypntiou had been called to the 1ac'
That Michigan handled her juvenile
,nse, with rare Judgment and especial
~ had | heard of the juvenile court
and probation methods Of Detroi
second to no city in the United States
excelling even New York City. Th';
was finally what decided me TO again
take no the study of law, if a lawyer
can ever he said to lay it down, an'
what decided me- upon Michigan.
I'VE need in my country, some pro
cedure that will prevent juvenle d'
Iinouency as we'll as punlsh it aftr
it had occurred. We need preventive
measures more than we neeu methoo
Ct punishment for crimes committed
We haven't the laws that will proven
juvenile delinquency; we haven't tn
approved method In part OF the co'u'
try we are Just beginning to feel tn
med of such laws, and Of certain pre-
.cedure to protect the children; to pr'
vent them from becoming criminals.
Parole System Admired
Il hope, also, to he abie 70 lin'
no here, what we need down there
where certain type Of convict, sci
fenced to prison for some crime com
mitted, can be placed on prison farm
where they will be under strict SUI
VIGILANCE all of the time, but also ire
/ to care for their families tinancla
] ~ while they are paying the penaIt
Tor the crime committed. l want
I know more about the working OF yOr
2 Michigan parole system. When l II
e turn 10 my district, l want to inaA
), application of what l have receive
mere, to the existing conditions there
2 Il have the unqualified assurance
the police juries Of the three parish
! Is, which compose the district of whlt
| am Judge, to do their utmost to hel
;. put into effect some plan which We WI
s work together to evolve.
n With the discovery Of Oil in OF
= section Of the country in 1918, we ha
a regular flood Of people, foreign
u our state. These people and the q
have brought problems to us, u
T familiar, and for which We were u
l. prepared. In the wake of these
t, discoveries came highway robberie
r. and an undesirable gambling eleme
which was new. There were mai
II problems which we had to face tn
Is we had never met before
y Oil Problems Faced.
u aside from the criminal pr0blel
" we faced, there were the problems
). taxation which effects all Louisiar
- The state board Of affairs prOvid
;. that the owner of the land should
~ taxed for the full value, enhanced
" value of the oil found Oh the Ia
~ without regard to who owned the
VI under the land, and without rega
" as to who owned the royalty, which
"a ,ne-eighth OF the value OF the oil Civ
;" in addition to the lease price OF t
land. have held that the aSsessme
" ". shall be made to the owners OF
y. oil, tho land, and royalties, proportil
~ ately. All the oil cases involving a
W considerable amount are carried to I
w supreme court in my state, and tod
20 20 received word that the higher COZ
=" had affirmed my last decision. ha
y. never had an oil case reversed In
~ ~ years since such eases have bt
y" coming before me, in other words, sil
:" oil was discovered in our section Of
n state" u
ars In the last year litigation mvt
mr.. ing over half billion dollars gr'
a. ing out Of the oil fields, has come
nv fore Judge Reynolds.
IN Judge Reynolds sits before prof.
ors who are young enough to be
lis sons, and beside students in law, sc
Il, young enough to be his grandsons.
,ot. il a strange situation, sitting at