Evening star., 1952-03-27
Judoe Sees Justice as More Than Routine Law
By GEORGE Kennedy

OuASC NIAdAA W. "UOAWoA ~
of Montgomery County Circuit
Court walks much alone thesel
days.
Tall (6 foot 81 and slender, he
is a familiar figure in Court
House Square, Rockville, acknowl-
edging all greetings and doffing
his large light gray felt hat to
the ladies but stopping to talk to
no one. He hasn't time. The tre-
mendous increase in property and
population the county has expert
enced has put a heavy load on the
three Judge court. A bill to add
a judge was lost in the last legiS-
lative session at Annapolis.
He is all Judge was intended
to be in the development of the
law-the superior man in the
superior position. His best friend
wouldn't ask him for a judicial
favor.
The judge is lay member of
the Methodist conference and
substitutes for preachers in the
pulpit occasionally. His friends
say they would not be surprised
if he took up preaching when he
carries out his announced in
tention of retiring three years
hence. He is 81.
Talked on Christian Duty.
When fire left family of 12l
children motherless Snd homeless
just before Christmas. judge
Woodward was substituting for
the preacher in the nearby Fooles- |
vile Methodist Church. His talk
was that it was the congregations
Christian duty to take care of
that family. The collection was
one of the largest in the history
of the church. Word got around
that Judge Woodward had put $50
in the box. He was quick to correct
that.
''It was S." he said.
The Judge gives the tithe, 10l
per cent of his income to church,
and charity. He used to give it
before taxes but Uncle Sans in
creased take has forced him to
compute it after taxes.
The judge is a great wing shot. |
He goes after both waterfowl and |
upland game in season. He has a |
duck blind on the Chesapeake and 1
he has trained his own dog to
point quail. In recent years he has |,
driven out to the DakotaS every (
fall to hunt pheasant.
His name was in the headlines
recently when he asked the grand .
jury to investigate small loan COM /
panies. The grand jury has
taken no action yet but the@Small |
loan establishments probably have [
not heard the last of the judges |
disapproval. He was interviewed
on this the other day, in chambers |
behind a desk piled high with /
law books.
Explains Blast on Loan Firms.
His blast against the small |
loan companies, he explained was
occasioned by one of the COM
panies asking for judgment Of |
$293.
When I looked through the
papers," he said, everything did /
not seem quite right. Ordinarily
in an undefended suit a summary
judgment is entered without TAX
ing testimony. In this instance
I told the lawyer he had better
produce his client.
"These small loan companies
get per cent month. 36 per
cent a year. There was an item
of SIS added to the loan that ap-
peared to be the addition of un-
paid interest. But the loan COM
pany man tried to tell me that
the borrower had put the SIS
through the wicket and then with
draw 1t as an added loan be-
cause he needed the money. They
had seized the borrowers auto
mobile and sold it-and there was
no report on what they got for
the car.
AN interesting thing about the
small loan law is that if it is
proved that they are trying to
collect more than the per cent
a month, the debt is erased. In
this case the lawyer asked to
withdraw the suit with prejudice
meaning the loan company can
never sue for that money again.
''Never Come Into Court"
''I am told that the big COM
panieS never come into court. II
they can't collect by their own
methods, they let it go.
I'm the banks. the tellers some
times notice their customers draw
ing checks every month for these
small loan companies and ask
them why they didn't borrow at
the bank: the interest would be
much lower. The customers say
they wouldn't mind being turned |
down by small loan outfit but
they would be embarrassed if they
asked for credit at the bank and
were refused.
II don't know why Maryland
tolerates this small loan business;
it's a disgrace to the State. I am
told the business has the biggest |.
lobby at Annapolis during sessions
of the legislature"
When he charged the grand
Jury, Judge Woodward let the |
loan companies have it, some
what to the embarrassment of the
foreman, Fred L. Lutes. Mr.. Lutes |
is the president Of the Suburban (
Trust Co., whose main Office on
Georgia avenue has many small
loan neighborS.
"Cutrate Competitor"
Mr.. Lutes' establishment might
be termed a cutrate competitor.
Where they put out money at 36
per cent, he puts it out at 4 and