Show f AMERICAN COURTS AND JUDGES The London Review declares that the corruption corruption tion an and cowardice of the tile inferior magistracy and of I j the judges of first instance are the source of all evil evl j in the United States The rhe scandal does not spring I from an any double dose of original sin in the American I native but simply from the fact that these judges lare Iare are elected by popular suffrage The Sat Saturday rda Review Re is famous for what it does docs not know lenow about about America and American methods I and for its disposition to sneer at an and criticise everything every every- I thing American Another notable feature of that staid old chami champion champion cham- cham j i pi pion n of e everything cr thing British to the the- disadvantage of II I I I I al all the outside world is found in its entire Willin willingness willing willing- I ness ness to publish as facts its own opinions when behind behind be be- hind those opinions there are no proofs and when I they have no better foundation on than a diseased and j prejudiced imagination which needs fumigating more than does a house where a pestilence has spent j its force The cases where any suspicion of dishonesty dishon- dishon j I est esty rests upon American state or district or county I Ii i judges are Yer very rare They The average crage first rate when I II I Compared with English judges The practice in American courts needs revision Too much time is of often ten consumed in the trial of cases but generally I in this countr country about all the tile corruption on the part I II I of judges that has ever been charged has been aimed at the appointed territorial judg judges s that have been I forced upon the territories by br the importunities of eastern politicians who to pa pay political debts have given certificates of character to fo broken down politicians politicians' politicians politicians poli poli- and induced presidents who never saw them to appoint them The thought with presidents has been that the tile duties of such judges would be little more than are required of justices of the peace and that almost any mij one would fill the bill Imagine a seedy old chap of that class confronted d with a case where millions c of f dollars depended upon the result where new applications applications applications of the laws were needed and where sometimes sometimes some some- times tunes the temptation of receiving more money than the judge had ever dreamed of possessing was waiting waiting waiting wait wait- ing on a decision No wonder some of them fell down No wonder that others horribly blundered being hopelessly entangled in mazes of legal technicalities utterly be beyond ond their comprehension But as a ai i irule rule the character of the judges in the United States supplies the best hope of the people in the perpetuity of free institutions And the unsupported fling of a jaundiced British publication will not change that faith of the people in their courts By the wn way it seems to us that we read a few da days s ago a statement in a conspicuous English newspaper newspaper newspaper news news- paper that that any anyone one could avoid conviction in England England Eng Eug- land if he had money moner enough 1 |