Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 December 1898 — Celebrated Contempt Case Decided. [ARTICLE]

Celebrated Contempt Case Decided.

The celebrated contempt case from Benton .county which has attracted such wide attention, has at last been decided by the Supreme Court, and that body itself deserves contempt for the way they decided it. Instead of rising to the occasion and deciding the case on its merits, and thereby defining and limiting the respective rights of judges and lawyers, as well as the people generally, the Supreme Court simply found a technical point that was wrong and decided the case on that. The decision was in favor of the attorneys, and on the point that the proceedings were not properly brought. An indirect contempt case should be brought by affidavit of the party aud not by an indictment by a grand jury. It was a very lame and impotent conclusion instead oi what should have been an interesting and important decision on the rights of the parties concerned. ’