to those of you who are serving, or have served, in the capacity of
magistrates, let me say that I am grateful to you, and I know the
people of Maryland are grateful to you, for the services you have
performed in the administration of justice in our State.
All the talk about gratitude and ingratitude, to be somewhat serious
about the matter, is not applicable to our situation, because it pre-
supposes the existence of the spoils system in judicial appointments. For
my part, the spoils of political victories have not been the criterion
for the selection of persons to hold these important judicial offices.
You were not chosen for the office as any gift or favor from me, or
from the Maryland Senate. You were chosen because executive and
legislative authority felt that you were qualified to perform this im-
portant function for the people of the State.
The Magistrate's Court, or the court of limited jurisdiction that
compares to it, in many cases is the only tribunal of justice that a
person will see. In almost all instances, it is the court that a citizen
will see most frequently. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance
that trials conducted in these courts be conducted in an atmosphere
of dignity and decorum. Magistrates' Courts, and in particular those
trying traffic cases, have been criticized widely throughout the country
for the manner in which some of them administer justice.
The cooperation of the public is essential to a proper enforcement
of the laws, and the public will cooperate in the enforcement of any
given law only if it understands that the law is needed to preserve
the peace or promote the general welfare of the people. The public
will not cooperate in enforcement unless it is made clear that enforce-
ment is decent, impartial, on the level. It is here that you, as magis-
trates, and the courts in general, have your greatest responsibility, for
nothing more effectively undermines respect for the law than a shoddy
administration of justice. As magistrates, you have an opportunity
each time that you sit down to hear cases to demonstrate what the
people need and want to be reminded of; namely, that our American
heritage of justice with equality—what Thomas Jefferson called "equal
and exact justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion, religious
or political"—that this heritage is firmly entrenched and unassailable.
Although of course we have by no means reached, or approached,
a state of perfection in Maryland, I think the people of our State
can be proud of the caliber of our courts and the quality of the
administration of justice.
As I approach the end of my two terms as the Governor of the
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