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Newspaper Page Text
THE LAW'S DELAY Able, Progressive Judge Says That Everything But the Courts ' Have Felt the Quickening ouch of Human Advancement, That the Courts Alone Continue to Put Their Faith in Old and Outworn Things. ' This is the first of a series of three articles on'The Laws DelayJ' Judged R. M. Wanamaker, their author, is oik of the original Qhip insurgents, a presiding judge of a judicial circuit who believes in the recall and who is not, afraid to say so. He began his public career as prosecuting attorney at Akron, Ohio, and in that capacity he handled the cases growing oUt of the Akron riot, securing 35 convictions. He is counted one of the most able of Buckeye jurists. Editor, fr the law tathe sacrifice ojt the sub- By Judge R. M, Wanamaker. Long ago the former threw aside the sickle and rode the self- bin'der. The merchant quit the ox-team to transport 'merchan dise and used the fast freight or express.- The .miner threw aside the pick to operate the almost human machine a half mile un derground. All 'arts, sciences, trades, oc cupations and lines of business have responded to the magic touch of progress. Government alone has signally failed td catch the spirit of the. onward march of the people. In stead of looking for the latest and the best, it is still looking for the sickle, pick and px-team. v The judges of our courts are unduly obsessed with the belief that the mpre ancient the prece denf, the older the decision, the more autqritative, the more obli gatory, the more sacredMt is. . - In short, government, espe cially the judicial branch, has made, a fetich of the syllables of stance of justicev IHt were possible to bora our constitutions, court reports and statutes and start anew-make a new constitution and new laws suited to our times, as the fathers of 1787 made a constitution and laws suited to their times, we would be surprised at our genius of common sense, conscience and patriotism, which would" make justice-the end and the ,law the means, sufficiently flexible tot yield and adapt itself to the con dition and spirit of our times. It is a fact that cannot be truth fully denied, that there is a la mentable loss of confidence in courts prevailing "among the peo- " Briefiy the people, complain of our courts in the following1 par ticulars: , First-Justice is too .much de- -layed. t " -ecpjid Justice is too expen sive. Thirds-Justice is too uncrtaiaf