The broad ax., 1924-03-29

Hon. Robert z. Grove, States At
torney Of Cook County, recently COM
piled his past public record since as
Stunning his present responsible posi-
ton in this city and county into
pamphlet form which runs somewhat
as follows:
To the People Of Cook County
The States Attorney has a single
client-the people. His duties are pre-
scribed BY law and are comprehended
in eleven paragraphs of the statute
which sets forth the many things he
is required to do as the chief law Of
icer Of the county He Is charged
with the commencement and prosecu-
ton Of all actions, suits, indictments;
of all prosecutions, both civil and
criminal, in any court of record in his
county, in which the people Of the
state or county may be concerned; is
the legal advisor Of every county Of
ficer and Justice Of the Peace; is re-
CURED to assist the Attorney General
whenever necessary in matters affect
ing the county before the Supreme
Court and to perform other further
duties as may, from time to time, be
enjoined on him by law
In short the States Attorney Of
Cook County has the most extensive
general law practice, both civil and
criminal, of any attorney-at-law in the
world.
Chicago and Cook County Not Syn
onyrnous
To the average person the thought
prevails that Chicago and Cook
County are synonymous terms. 1t is
most erroneous conception. In
Cook County there are no less than
eighty other cities and villages. Chi
cago is forty miles from Elgin. Elgin
is partly in Cook County. Outside
Chicago are numerous townships, con-
tanning 794 square miles, or SOB, 100
acres, with a population of nearly
double that OF any other county. Cook
is not only the wealthiest and most
populous county but is also the lead
ing agricultural as we'll as manufacture
ing and industrial county.
Volume of County's Legal Business
In volume and consequence the
county's legal business Exclusive Of
criminal matters) is commensurate
with its wealth, population and impor-
lance. Its law questions are as varied
as its activities; as intricate as its sys-
tenn of local government. County lit
igation often involves immense sums
Of money. 1t is usually affected with
vital public interest as well. The
States Attorney Of Cook County is
not only public prosecutor, he IS also
municipal corporation lawyer. Town
ship and school officers are entitled to
his counsel and when it is realized
that outside Of Chicago the super
visors, highway commissioners, town
clerks, town assessors, town collectors,
justices of the peace, police magis-
trates, constables and school officers
aggregate more than thirteen hundred
all a concern Of the States Attorney
Ian idea may be gained Of the volume
Of legal business for which he is re-
sponsible.
| az, ;v,,,;4;ycr ,,o,r attention 70 these
facts because it is the popular view
that the States Attorney is merely a
prosecuting officer, concerned only
with the punishment Of criminals and
the oversight Of community morals.
Because OF the more spectacular
features attending criminal prosecu-
tons the activities of the States At
torney in other matters involving the
welfare Of the people are infrequently
mentioned, quickly forgotten, or dis
missed with scant comment if they
happen occasionally to attract public
attention.
In criminal cases the States Attor-
ney is best known owing to attendant
newspaper publicity and the state Of
the public mind. His administration
is opposed or condemned on his show
ing in this phase of his work The
public gives little credit if an unpop-
ular prosecution, however righteous, is
undertaken and is quick to condemn
when there j. not a response to hys-
terra usually promoted by individuals
or groups actuated by selfish personal
or political interests. 1t is unfortu-
nately true that the guilty frequently
escape conviction because of the lack
Of legal evidence to convict. Cunning.
conspiracy and perjury sometimes
nullify the efforts Of the States At
torney and at times it seems that the
criminal law is written to protect the
evil-doer at the expense of the law
abiding. This is handicap and a
hazard ever confronting the States
Attorney and will continue until the
people demand the rewriting Of a
criminal code that is archaic, inequit-
able and filed with loop holes through
which the experienced professional
criminal finds little difficulty in escap-