Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-12-28
Judge Pattangan
Tells of "COurt" in
Speech at Rotary

Judge w. r. Pattangau was the
at the Rotary luncheon held yeSter-
day noon at the Elmwood hotel, and
his subject, "Court," proved of Pc
culiar interest to those present.
In opening his address which was,
by the way, an informal one, he
said that business men were natural-
ly interested in the problems of gov
eminent, or should be, and that the
greatest governing power known is
to be found in the courts. For some
reason, he remarked, the courts get
little publicity, and the public IN
consequence gives the least attention
to them. Judges are reticent in talk
ing shop to the people, and ne
thought it would be good thing IL
everyone in general and business
men in particular should know more
of the functioning of such bodies.
Business men should serve on
iuries, and familiarize themselves
with the duties of jurors. for the rea-
son that often industrial concerns
are involved in litigation, such cases
| urgently requiring in the jury box
men whose training in business
| would of necessity render them COM
petent to pass judgment in compll-
He commented on the fact that the
men most fitted to serve on jury
were nearly always the first to wish
to be excused. This he held was not
as it should be. for the business
| man can often assist the working OIL
| the court by serving as juror.
He mentioned the fact that the
| eight Maine justices worked under
| serious disadvantages, and that their
| combined salaries would just about
build a mile of State highway If
economically constructed. This he
said was not a complaint he was
registering but simply n statement OF
fact Aud along with this ne men
| toned that nearly two-thirds of a
! judges time was taken up by cleri-
cal work which could be done more
efficiently by f1fteen-dollara a. week
| clerk. Personally he said that so far
as he was concerned, that as
| stenogra pher he was hardly worth
| five dollars week.
! Speaking of legislation he said that
one of the recent popular fads mad
| been to increase minimum sentences
in minor criminal cases. and that i'll
| many instances this doomed up as a
very illogical proceeding. He cited
the case of a man who had set a
! beaver trap within the distance 1e-
! gally specified to beaver dam. The
man had no idea he had infringed
| on law, and was a man of good
character The judge who heard his
case found that the minimum pen
atty for this offense was a hundred
dollars, or Jail sentence in default
of payment. And yet, he added, in a
case of manslaughter the penalty
was left to the discretion of the
Judge. who could if he wished fine
the man one dollar and let him go
He cited another case, remarking
that it was much cheaper to commit
manslaughter than to set traps with
in prescribed distances or transport
quart of whiskey from one place
to another.
Touching on the boy problem as
! connected with the courts. he de-
clared he saw no solution in present
methods. He did not believe that
the average reformatorv did much
real reforming, and of course the
I jails could hardly be considered as
fit places to send boys who We're not
really criminal. but mostly mischiev-
Gus, though at times their mischief
ran into rather serious channels
Certain penalties were provided II
the case of youthful malefactors
and the only way Judge could get
around them was by way of proba
ton. which under the present system
he held to be more or less of joke
In closing, Judge PattangalI said
that the courts had certain definite
problems to solve. and that they
couldn't do it alone. He said, at
behooves business men to take in
terest in the courts, and if this is
done the judges will meet them half
way
Prior to Judge Pattangalrs speech
President Carol Perkins read let
ter to the members from Mrs. Flor
ence NJ. Wallace in which she thank
ed Rotarians for the splendid COOP
| Grafton extended to the Community
| Welfare Committee during its
Christmas charity activities, and
calling attention to the wonderful
results that had been accomplished
by that body.