Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-21

Decision Of the Court Of Appeals OF
the District Of Columbia amrming SEN
tence of year In jail and flne OF
Sl0O, 600 for Albert B. Fall Is held by
the country to be just another step In
a long -drawn-out case. The oil scan
dals are viewed as an example OF de-
, layed Justice which should lead to i'm
provement in legal methods, but 1t is
declared that there is growing tend
ency to hold prominent Offenders re-
sponsible for their acts.
/ "Assuredly justice has been leaden-
| footed" asserts the st. Louis Post-Dis-
patch, Gin this battle of the Govern
ment with its betrayer and plunderers,
| but instead of 'iron-handed blows the
country has beheld the furious gestures
of shadow boxing. Indeed, the i'm
potency of the Government to bring
powerful offenders to book was &C
centuated by the spectacle Of important
witnesses fleeing the country and con-
temptuously defying the authority or
the courts. Blackmer continues to be
fugitive from the subpoena but
thanks to bill. now law, introduced
by Senator Walsh of Montana, to whom
the Nation is indebted for the exposure
of the plot which the elder La Toilette
discovered and for the recovery of the
oil lands-thanks to Senator Walsh an
abSconding witness can now at least
be made to pay. Blackmer has already
forfeited 100000 and another fine OF
100000 is recorded against him. But
the disturbing verdict of this whole
historic conspiracy Is that justice has
failed badly
What we see now" according to the
Dayton Daily News, lis a stage in the
long judicial course which lies between
conviction and execution OF sentence.
Nine years after the oil frauds of 1922
one out of perhaps dozen men pr1vy
to the transaction and implicated in 1t
has been brought within sight of a
prison door. To date the blacklist
chapter in our American political his
tory has gone virtually unpublished,
either criminally or politically"
"The process of justice is not so slow
when some obscure and friendleSs per-
son Is accused Of much lesser degree
of robbery. He finds himself in Jail in
a hurry and runs no winning race with
Father Time suggests the Akron
Beacon Journal, while the Scranton
Times maintains that there should be
greater speed in finally disposing of
these cases." as delay only serves to
make people feel and believe that with
enough money and influence, justice
and the courts can be thwarted," and
the Shreveport Journal finds satisfac-
ton In the fact that "he Is just one step
outside the prison. as AZ result OF the
action of the court in afhrmtng deci-
sions and sentences imposed more than
year ago"
1.-THE chapter has been one Of the
most disgraceful in the whole history Of
the country" states the Roanoke
World News, exceeding in extent and
importance the Belknap scandals in the
Grant administration. 1t does not en-
courage public belief in the substantial
Justice of our court procedure that Fail
has been able to avoid prison for nearly
eight years, after his conduct was fully
exposed by Democratic members OF the
Senate of the United States"
While it has been impossible so Tar
to secure the falling of any person or
persons" comments the Allentown
Morning Call, the effects have been
good. It is unlikely that many men
will take such bold chances again as
those that were taken in the bold steals
of Teapot Dome and Elk Hills" The
Toledo Blade voices the conclusion that
decisions indicate that there has been
no advantage in these cases TO the
wealthy or powerful" The Port Huron
believes that more than
ever we are demanding clean business
and official integrity of our public
servants, and he who fails TO work
straight all the way must be prepared
to take the consequences" The Mime |