The broad ax., 1923-12-22

y
or more wives for their money; the
case of the Gear barn bandits" and,
among numerous others involving
bankers, embezzlers, bribers and polit-
ical crooks, the Hensel case in Bureau
county, Illinois.
Olson's trial generalship was bril-
liant, adroit, resourceful, and powerful
in frontal attack. He displayed all
around capacity as a trial lawyer. He
was tireless in preparing his case. His
intuitive grasp Of human nature awaited
in selecting jurors; his cross-exami-
nation was a fine art; his knowledge
Of the rules Of evidence and the law
involved was accurate and instantly
available; his addresses to puries force
full and persuasive. A lawyer who had
fought him in this arena once set out
a dominant trait in telling another
lawyer what he might expect from
Olson: "You will be congratulating
yourself on the way your case is go
ing, until you chance to see pool OF
blood on the floor, when yu will
realize suddenly, That's my blood
Toward the close of this period
Olson served a presidential warrant
on a Chicago fugitive banker from
Tangier, Is miles off the Azores, and
on arriving home with his prisoner
found himself slated for the Office Of
chief justice Of the newly created
municipal court This part of the
story must be boiled to a few words
The new court was the first Of its
kind, the first closely organized court
the first court with business manage
ment, with certified accounting
monthly and annual reports, and
obvious responsibility The CHIEF
justice was made responsible for re-
suits BY his power to establish calen-
dars at will, and to assign its twenty
seven judges to any branch of work
by executive order.
Olson was elected notwithstanding
the candidacy of another Republican
making it a three-cornered race In
1912, when the Republican party broke
in town, he was given a second term
being one of the few candidates on the
Republican ticket elected in Cook
county, and receiving the highest vote
of any.
He established simplihed pleadings
in his court, and created branches for
routine classes of causes. In 1911 he
invented the branch court of domestic
relations, bringing to a single judge
all the causes arising from family trou-
bles. For the first time a city court
became great constructive sociaI
agency. The following year he estab-
lished the speeders' branch court, con.
ccntrating ofenses against traffic laws
and pointing to a practical way to en-.
force law in face Of personal anc
political influence. In 1918 he estab.
lished the morals branch court to try
in a consistent and public manner al
causes arising from vice conditions
This came just in time to enable Chi
cago to make success Of It's determi
nation not to permit segregated dis
trict. In 1914, he created the boys
branch court, taking all male offender,
between the ages Of fourteen anC
twenty-one. This branch deals will
the criminal in the making. In 1911.
the small claims branch court wa.
added to give speedy and economical
trial of causes involving not over So!
now $50.
Every one Of these innovations ha:
made good. All are essential to tn,
administration of justice in a large
city. They give scope to specials
judges selected by the responsible heac
of court with business management
In each Of these specialized courts thu
power and morale Of the entire cour
is focused against anti-social forces
whereas in the typical disaociatec
tribunal the balance Of power lie!
against the judge
The current year is marked by the
creation Of the arbitration branch
which will cooperate with the bushes.
world, and afford prompt decisions o.
points Of law in cases stated BY LAY
arbitrators. This procedure bids fair
in time, to revolutionize American
commercial litigation A large proper,
ton of our business controversies mus
in time be submitted to expert trade
arbitrators, as in other commercial ma
tons. Great commercial organiza
tons, preparing for an extension o
American commerce in the near future
are demanding this sort of prepared
ness to enable them to assure foreign
traders of relief from the traditional
curse of delay in Our civil courts. TIL,
trouble with arbitration in England
where it has been most largely EN-
ployed, lies in the weakness of tn,
trade expert in mixed questions o
law and fact. Here Judge O1son's in
vention fits in, for his arbitration
branch will quickly determine Law
points in a case made saving 1itiUant,