Ontario Community Newspapers

Ontario Scrapbook Hansard, 10 Mar 1928, p. 1

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SATS s 489. Tigh ch #a Q YX 0: x at stake. The very es§gence of a ju--| If it h x 5 | ad be scon GOVERNMENT SCUKED Selat pesttion. me uio. mas tnat fne| bhon (EOiehd B oiestion 0s io Boidnch | Judge should ne independent of a GoY--| ferent thing and the At;tgx-ern"t meoly (lf~ | ernment, of any political party or Of| should have interfered. Bus in _ (hu | any influence of that kind. However,| case, I submit, Mr Sf)eafi'; tlr? o ns | he pointed out that a Police Magistrate| Attorney--General was wronz hat the was under the direct control of the | conception of the duties whigh llxn h ag 'Attorney-General's Department, which, | to perform. Th ind e . has 'he said, should be absolutely non--par-- | cial system doesenrc')?r}'cvigzs §§ e wuidi-- | tisan in its administration. It was Un--| tation, t uch:dics fortunate, in his opinion, that the At--) "There mus i Wihtioweges P itorney-Gencral of a Province and the ; hind this casetttlx):nstotr:zighégg 3101:?: be« * Minister of Justice of the Dominion hadi If a Magistrate can be 'di'?m)igggglhi"ons. Attomey.General ShOUld NOt | &o J:c a part of the Government of thc] office on such slight e\;'i(ieil'cflcq tg?;g s t ay. / "* j ; thore is not a Magistrate i f J D|ctate to Mangtrates Turning to the case in question-- that'} ince that can hol%i his eoégmt:h(;qfrg;e o » of Magistrate Bradford--Mr. Sinclait| week from today. The I\"I"iqi\sfr'itps Says SmCIair declared that the Town of Lindsay had} shonld know that they are not inde. been very fortunate in having such @2 | pendent, but are in the h."'m'dq of the M temaaet mar for its Police Magistrate. He | Attorney--General, and are liab PR'CE DENIES had been a capable lawyer, he said, | removed or re;)réved d{,t"':n.l,mgfiot? gg CHARGES he had ten years' expcrience a-'i}" Pod-! concluded, amid applause from the Lib-- | id it n ir ce n e cey lice Magistrate in Sturgeon Falls and | cral and Progressive ben--ches | he had served Lindsay in that capacity || 3 e y oc | Dec! iti i for the same length of time. "He was | Mr. Price's Defensc, | ec'ares .P0||t|cs Dld NOt a man of good ability, good reputa-- | In reply to Mr. Sinclair Attorney-é Enter--Who' | d tion and long experience and he served | General Price said that the Br e inciden under four Attorneys--Ceneral." said Mr. | case had been extemiggl' EiLiMB"'adcflOI:d 'S Discussed Sinclair. "You would think that he ; the past, but "from (;ne's.if(le ovll'l&gv }111; had been improving all the time." | would not say that Mr. Bradford was nppranppnouend & a | wrong, in the case of the young mar-- t of December, 1926. § ris. in . mds ; young mar«-- I Coxernment and Opposition forces 1"0"1("" 4 'h€ g 4 ried couple, in giving the sentence he in the Legislature yesterday scrapped The first interference in the smooth j glraave. He had a perfect right to do so. | course of his career, he said, had comef But the town papner, the Mavor. the | over the bleached bones of the once-- in December, 1926, whon he sa-n!_'encocl'fiI Warden of the county, and other px"cmit famous "Magistrate Jesse Bradforda" @ boy and a givl, who 1'>1f'«7(}~','ld {Tfugllt.v tg; "}f'm people, expressed the view that case. The scrap was to a "no decision" * charge of perjury, which followed| Clemency was desirable Looking into o ieces their swearing falsely to the girl's age: the case as far as he was abls at that verdict, however, for while Liberal Lead-- when they applied for a marriage li~' Hime, he agreed. Ewtr:a-m'::"w.l r'ffic;u, ;!' Sinclair obtained on motion what cense, to 10 (E;l_\'.'} an'd Sfi%") ffOl' ttlhf' 'f:il'l ft".?: as her felt. On the whols, there* e was after--the tabling in the House 204 two months and $50 for the boy. vas "great indizgnation" over the sen-- . Sinclair di t eonsider that, since, tence reported to hin F of all correspondence and documents re e siniuint for 16e orfens A C e maximum for the offense was seven Later on, t Tsleacke 4 haas lating to this case--it was with the ex-- ty};qxzwaimu RAa(gT?stx'::t(t ' h:xld been ex-- t)z'derecl!, O}?@Cg;laliftmbeguln 1tti \h?'l ]1),';,? pressed approval of Premier Ferguson °© tremely severe. complaining that, in the best interests and his supporters. Later in the month of Dccamber.thl'. ;;t f'a 1enfm'crfment. the Polics Magis-- Si : said. it had been intimated to| trate should be changed. There was The Government stressed the point oD. oréaiord ilty| C i ne Aaig. of 'ohe : Mr. Bradford that he had been guilty| COl, Price stated, some talk of the through the Prime Minister and At-- of partisanship. "He had been a Con-- Magistrate taking part in politicsl. torney--General Price, that it had noth-- Servative, but in the last election NS Nop Apowed to Vote ing to hide in this case: that politics disa : i ; C se . greed and voted against Govern--| "I am surprise en r v did not enter into the matter at all, mont control." e it : nonorag;e fl'igzl;l(;\(l"il'()g: lSi)l;.trll) gflrt?iri!(')l."' and that, while Mr. Bradford's resig-- Says Resignation Wanted. | said the Attorney--General, "that Brad-- nation from office had been accepted An inspector, Mr. Si ' d | find vogeg ?lgamSt on 22 To shew f * ector, Mr. Sinclair said, was| Me quote the Election Act to : in the ir:terests of the community, it did sent to Lindsay, and, ultimately, Mr.; that if Magistrate Bradford hu?i \S'gt%'g not imply any reflection on his ability Bradford resigned, not because he had t all in the election he did so in con-- |as a lawyer, but, rather. inability to Wanted to, but because his resignation. travention of the law, and had rendered ?hold public confidence any longer. was wanted. Ip was charged that Mr. himself liable to a fine of $3.000.' 6 | Strong Plea by Sinclair. }fé'flg;i();dql;le:id t{;;xv:'nutwo bad '.ludgments. § Cocll. Prifie went on to say that he had | f * d, an riat the punishment had ecard "a thess storiless" about Mr. strenuous argument in favor of the ex--. 4nd the girl, "The Attorney--General did He said he had had no particwar ch-- | official, charging that he had been de--| 2Ot 2bDeal against the judgment; that Jection to such action on the Magis-- posed for voting "dry" at the last Pro-- | 's where he made a mistake," he in--> trate's part as long as he performed | vincial election, and challenging the SiSted. "The Attorney--General took un-- his dutiese accoptably, . Comnlaints correctness of the Attorney--General's to hbhimself the powers of an Appeal 28@inst him continued, ard still the methods of procedure in one of the COUrt and released the two." Government preferrcd to give him the two cases which indirectly spelled Brad-- The other cases, Mr. Sinclair explain--| benefit of the doubt. ford's retivrement. The Attorney--Gen-- ed, had been when the Magistrate had| _ Then came the s2cond case--the eral scored a point on the Liberal "°COrded a fine of $5 for common as--: Howard--Thomson caso--in which Mag-- Leader when he quoted the Election SAUt. It was claimed that in this case| istrate Bradford figured. Col. Price | Act to show that if Mr. Bradford had he had been too lenient, and it was said, read to the House the letter of How-- | voted as alleged he had done so in that the Magistrate had at one time, ard, who at the time his wife was al-- | contravention of the law and had ren-- | b{:en a solicitor for the defendant. This| legedly a victim of common assault by | dered himself liable to a $2.000 fine. complaint, Mr. Sinclair said, had also| Thomson, a neighbor, was in Christie ! _ Members of the Legislature from | PC°D lonvestigated by an inspector from| Street Hospital, Toronto, an "incur-- g;)wn Lindsay way took a hand in the | 3"'- Atlfm('i"l';y'fiellemtit's Department, but| able," the result of war wounds, In the scus y iere ha 4 u empt made by s iscussion, William Newman (Liber®L | Miloinsy@Gencral to anoea) tno cclo"n! letter Howard complained to the At-- North Victoria), in particular, arousing orney--General to appeal the case in hey.--G f » mMar, | oraer to right any srons torney--General that justice had not the interest of the House with the state-- | °YG°t to right any wrong. | j % af : Mawisctrate wa« «a;iq] been done his wife, inasmuch as Mag« ment that Mr Bradford's case was now' n one case the Magisirate was sald| istrate Buyrdford had let Th ff actually one of "need." and that he sat t?, have been too severe, and in the; ',fia sls y C n 4 c oo on 4 in his office walting for clients who other he was said to have been too| WI"_ _2 fine of $5 and costs, $7.50 in did not come. lenient, These two complaints were the| a}} ,howa.r_d a}leged that Thomson l}ad Considerable correspondence, hitherto 2DV%,,00°S that had been laid against| choked his wife, and had left bruisss | » Bradford in 20 years Sursiv _ is on héer body which did not disappear unmentioned in the Bradford cas ra in yeqts, . GuULCY .i & d case, was is | for weeks. He asked that th be |read to the House during the debate, _ MQ@!strate makes no more than two| 108 WECHS. nie asce ay vne Case Independ £ Court mistakes in 20 years, he is not gotting| reopened. ependence of Courts. very far off the track," said Mr. Sin--| 'Tried to Do His Dut 5 a tha * / y. When Mr. Sinclair's motion: -- "That . C "Up to this time, mind you," said there be laid before this House a return Opinion Behind Magistrate. \ Col. Price, "I had had no talk with : showing all correspondence passing be-- p 4 F i w ; Bradford. The matter as it stood had tween the Attorney--General or any one , "If the Magistrate's decisions in these peen gealt with entirely by the de-- | in his department and Jesse Bradford tW9 cases had served to destroy pUbDHC partment, I was still anxious to Five | of Lindsay, Ont., in relation to the of-- CODfidence in him, then the Attorney-- pim the benefit of the doubt, I held fice of Police Magistrate at Lindsay and Gener@l has some grounds for his 2C-- no animus against him. Sometimes it | the work of the said Jesse Bradford in tion." 'said Mr. Sinclair, and he pro-- ;s gigicult to do one's duty. I think | that office, and also all correspondence ;ceedgd to support his claim that the | I've done mine." (Applause.) | passing between the Attorney--General Public had not lost confidence in Mr. |~ por price quoted another letter from or any one in his department and other Bradford, declaring that a large grOUP |, n--ighpor of the Howards to show that parties in relation to the said Jesse | Of the loading 'c:'mzeps of the tov.:n sup-- | in the Thomson assault case the Mag-- Bradford and his office of Police Magis-- borted him. "Public opinion was de-- || j.irate haq disposed of the matter in trate at Lindsay, and also all petitions, !'ciquly b'im".-'g évn" Bragf(t);d." lh"' ,Sfiid' nis private office. He had not got in memorandums _ or| _ representations|, "HOW 20 10 D0 MSUELIAT Wt 'Clin. ftouch with the Crown Attorney, al= lodged with the Attorney--General or [Afliy romignei", CC 4 hnX though the latter official was in town| his devartment either on behalf of the Clair. His resignation was equivalent all day. And he had conferred with| said Jesse Bradford or in opposition to toh.}fdti;m'issatuv.' enc bere muing t P horieen. The detengents.. who mdl him," was called, he rose to charge that _ / ] Mr05§ixle(;ir what risht has (he | been a previous client of his, and had| h Semvmmmadicalihe mllpre ns mgn on vgit 1 on Attorney--General' to deal thus with a Siven Mrs. Howard, the assaulted wom-- | the Magistrates of the minor courts was Polic /s 3 c tha l an. no advice, the letter said. | olice Magistrate? Is the Attorney-- ar a dford to come t General to be a court of review of all I then asked Mr. Bradh0td °o ene o t e and see me," said Col. Price. "Inter-- these courts, holding all these offices A impl xiety to have in his hand? He should have anpealed ference? No, Simply aNXIOW If h the decisions in the manncr providea, bhe case treated on o e mc n rrante Oe RevMamese *' had been a Postmaster he would have been fired on sight. Plenty of politics in that, but none in this case." (Ap-- 4 > plause.) o

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