Show danger in impetuous demand for reform in administration of justice by JUSTICE DE DB YOUNG illinois supreme court HE public is being awakened to that vigilance which is the cost THE T of good government still there is a for caution that wo we do not overstep ourselves there are modern philosophers who aro are impatient to wipe out the restraints in law that have llave proved their value through tile ages on the streets find and in the press presa almos daily there is some one who would remove the presumption of innocence from a criminal trial some one else wants to remove tile the requirement that guilt must musk be proved beyond a reasonable doubt these are daei that must le be retained Pr or the administration ol of justice will retrograde centuries however I 1 would be the last one to say that our courts are efficient that they have kept I 1 abreast of the times take the law for example that makes a ju jury ry in a criminal caso case judge of the law as well as aa tho the fact this presumes that twelve men know more about the technicalities of au our r constitution our common law our statutes and our supreme court opinions than does the presiding magistrate who lias has devoted his life to tile the study the law lair I 1 enacted in 1845 should le abolished our faults lie as much in the organization of our courts as in the tha laws there is much room for legislative improvement but tile the legislature always move with celerity there is nothing dramatic dra matia about reforming court procedure nothing there to attract a legislator anxious to please his constituents the judiciary lias has little political power it has no patTon patronage arre it has no funds to distribute but the public is aroused by the weaknesses of our criminal prosecutions and the tha public will get the needed reforms |