Evening star., 1922-03-05
ARCH 5, 1922 PART 9.
Would Have the Judiciary
Placed Above All Reproach

have always possessed, the habit
OF wandering through all sorts of
boEs and getting lost in all sorts
of wildernesses, but finally finding
their way into sure course of
justice and fair-dealing, i am not
alarmed. ! wish. however. there
were some way in which the law
should become to be looked on as
the friend of mankind. law officers
as good az angels and courts as
perfect tribunals for the settle
ment of grievances
X r x K
Disrcspect not only for the law,
but for the courts. is most start
ling in its character. 1t arises. in
my opinion. from the first amend
ment to the Constitution. wherein
is guaranteed the right of free
speech and free press. ] have been
watching newspaper handling of
number of court trials going on
now in America. The publication
of the testimony from day to day
may not be provocative of great
harm. AS to this l am unable to
say. However. I find editorials
drawing conclusion to the testi-
mony and to the conduct of the
parties litigant. In one case there
seems to be a movement: to compel
the plaintiff to dismiss his case or
to scare the Judge into deciding
against him.
l recall what an American Judge
told me with reference to his OBJ
servations in an English court of
justice. He was present during the
Crippen trial and was in the cham
bers of the judge after the verdict
of murder had been returned by
the jury. The publisher of one of
the leading newspapers of London
came in and said: MY lord. l un-
derstand you want to see me-" The
judge replied: Last Sunday you
published a lengthy account of the
famous wife murderers of England.
Why did YOU do it?" The publisher
made answer: why. it was mat
ter of news Would you have
published it if the Crippsn case had
not been on trial. asked the judge
The answer was: No" Then. said
the judge: Fortunately. / read my
copy of your paper in time TO teie-
phone the bailiff to keep il from
the jury. If the jury had read that
article / should have been COM
\
PEN.
Whatever may be ones liking or
disliking for Great Britain, her
courts have been above reproach.
Their judgments are quietly ac-
quiesced in by the people. Police
men are looked upon as friends and
not as enemies. In the great city
OF London no policeman carries a
revolver. His badge is a guaranty
that he represents the law of the
land and woe betide the man who
does him injury. for the law is sure
to get and punish the offender.
Surely. there are men in America
who are above the prejudices of
place, of politics. Of wealth, of in
fiuence. There are surely enough
of them to hold all the judicial Of
fees and to restore the confidence
OF the people in the ability and in
tegrity of the courts.
The method of Impeachment
should be simp!ified and the rea-
sons for, impeachment should be
enlarged. He is a foolish man who
imagines that there is no prejudice
save personal prejudice. There is
an intellectual prejudice. which is
just as bad The mind of a man
may be concentrated until he Is
unable to see save through his own
spectacleS. There are men who
would convict Judge Gary simply
because he is Judge Gary. or con-
Wet Mr.. Gompers simply because
he is Mr.. Gompers. There should
be way TO take such men off the
bench. The right of impeachment
should be extended to the manifes-
tation of an intellectual prejudice
which prevents the dispensing of
equal and exact justice.
X X X x
However unjust a decision may
seem to the individual. he is not in
clined to resist it's enforcement
until he feels it is prejudiced or
corrupt. The best way to get rid
of free talk about the courts is 20
fill the benches with proper men
and to provide an easy way to get
rid of them when they manifest an
intellectual bias or prejudice to-
ward any man. any class. any trade.
any profession. Sneer;ng will then
cease. The judicial branch of the
government will become what it
was intended to be, the guardian
OF rights, individual and collective.
and the avenger of wrongs, per-
sonal and national.
Copyright, 1922. by Thomas II. Marshall.)