Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1915 — Judge Deery, of Indianapolis, Not Run by the Politicians. [ARTICLE]

Judge Deery, of Indianapolis, Not Run by the Politicians.

Whatever may be said as a whole against the democratic crowd that swept into power with Joe Bell in Indianapolis, there seems to be one man who is clean cut and fearless. It is Judge Deery of the police court. Deery has refused to permit his office to be run by the police and the politicians. He has dealt with all prisoners at his court with a view to justice, disregarding the homes from which they come. He has thus incurred the ill will of a number of prominent democrats, many of them of political influence and some of them high up in the councils of the party. It seems that it has been a practice in Indianapolis as in other places for politicians to whisper in a judge’s ear: ‘Tbis defendant is the son of a prominent man and we want him released,” or "Drop this case and don’t cause any exposure,” or “Owing to the prominence of this man it is better to nolle prosse the ease.”

'Deery says his oath binds him to the administration of justice without regard to social standing and that he will brook no interference with politicians. Recently the son of a prominent office holder got drunk and assaulted a man who was selling brooms and brushes at the city hall. He knocked the man almost out of his senses. The young man was arrested but when his case was called in Judge Deery’s court several prominent politicians interceded and urged Deery to let the case drop. Deery said he would not do it, but if the young man was guilty he would foe punished just the same as any other prisoner brought to his court. Then the politicians took another way of getting the case dropped. They fnformed the man who 'had been assaulted that If he did not drop the case and refuse to prosecute he would not sell any more brooms and brushes at the city hall. The man needed the patronage at the city hall and recognized a probability of a big order if he dropped the case and he did so. Thus was justice thwarted at the expense of not only the peace and dignity of Indiana but probably at the expense of the taxpayers who paid for the brushes and the brooms. That was only one of numerous cases that have hampered justice in Judge Deery’s court, but he has refused to permit dictation from any source. The result is the ill will of the bunch who are in the hsfoit of running things and they are scheming for revenge. They propose to -have another court established, arguing that Judge Deery’s court is burdened with so many cases that he does not have time to give them proper consideration. Judge Deery disposed of 118 cases in three hours one day last week and hit the mark quite squarely in each case. He keeps the docket clean, but the dissatisfied politicians who want a judge they ean run are anxious to saddle the expense of another court on the taxpayers of Marion county beeause they happen to have a judge who has a high regard for his oath of office. It will be interesting to see what the outcome will be, whether the fearless and honest judge or the dishonest politieions win out.