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the judicial recall a "symptom of a gen eral wave of dissatisfaction." He said it would seem that this proposal had been advanced as a sop to the people. Speaking on "The Initiative and Re ferendum" Prof. Paul S. Reinsch of the University of Wisconsin said: "It is a new and direct way in which public opinion may make itself felt upon im portant matters, and as such it ought to be valued . But it ought to be looked upon more as> a power held in reserve, to be used only on important and rather exceptional occasions." Miscellaneous
Thirty-two states have notified Secre tary Knox of their ratification of the proposed income tax amendment to the federal Constitution and four have noti fied the State Department of their rejection. To become effective thirtysix states — three-fourths of those in the Union — must ratify. After being before the federal courts for nine years the Danbury Hatters' case resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff, Oct. 11 at Hartford, Conn., the jury finding damages in the sum of eighty thousand dollars, which will be trebled by the court and result in a judgment for two hundred and forty thousand dollars. The judgment will be reviewed by the higher courts. The case, which is a striking example of the law's delays, first appears in the reports as D. E. Loewe & Co. v. Lawlor, 130 Fed. 633. Warren F. Spalding, secretary of the Massachusetts Prison Association and a well-known penologist, was asked by a reporter of the Boston Herald what the matter was with the Massachusetts prison system. "To answer the ques tion in detail would require columns of space," replied Mr. Spalding. "In brief,
however, Massachusetts has no 'prison system.' It has a great cumbersome, complicated and enormously expensive machine for dealing with criminals. Some parts of it are modern, like the probation organization and the reforma tories. But they deal with only a small part of the criminals. It imprisons a man for a while; does nothing whatever to improve him and turns him out with the stigma of the jail upon him. It makes no effort to reinstate him. Some day we shall have a prison system, the main purpose of which will be to reform and restore those who have done wrong — a system which will aim to prevent the second offense." The removal of certain Ohio common pleas judges by impeachment if neces sary, was broached at the meeting of the Cleveland Bar Association held Oct. 5, following the presentation of a report which declared them "a disgrace to the bench and to the profession, and a scandal to the community." The matter has been in the hands of a special com mittee of five, which will investigate the records of the judges and make specific statement of their merits or demerits. Regarding longer hours, the original question, it appeared to be the sentiment of the bar association that the present schedule is sufficient. Where the trouble lies, it was declared, is in the waste of time in useless and incon sequential argument and in procrastina tion. "Many cases, motions and de murrers argued and submitted," said the report, "are carried weeks, months and sometimes years without decision, and often to the great injury of the parties and indeed until the judge him self has forgotten, in whole or part, the facts and laws as presented by counsel, sometimes making a rehearing neces sary."
