University of Virginia Library

Your editorial of 15 April
"Justice: American Style" written
by Fred T. Heblich, the Managing
Editor, was a disgrace. You say
"The Chicago Seven and Julius
Hoffman seem a long way off."
Yes, they do. And we should be
thankful that they not only seem a
long way off but indeed are a long
way off.

The editorial stated that Judge
Alan Spitzer was a man "of whom
we have heard nothing good...he
discriminates against young people
in general...something sinister about
his legal philosophy if he has any."
May I say that Judge Alan Spitzer is
a man of whom I have heard
nothing ill. I have appeared before
him and can say unequivocally that
he did not discriminate against
anyone while I was in his court.
Were this paper worth the effort it
would, I'm sure, qualify for a be
suit.

It is impossible for me to discern
what the actual circumstances of
Mr. Beyer's arrest were; even if I
knew all the facts, it is not my
position to pass judgment. However,
if The Cavalier Daily felt
obliged to pick up the torch of
student liberty it should have
placed the criticism where it belongs.
It is up to Judge Spitzer to
pass judgment on cases brought
before him. It is up to the
Charlottesville Police force to bring
the cases before him.

If The Cavalier Daily must
criticize, it should criticize the
Police, in this case Officer W.W.
Duff, for not enforcing the law
more equitably; certainly the police
should arrest the students drinking
in public. Why not say so? Is the
Cavalier Daily afraid to antagonize
a largely alcoholic student body?
Wouldn't the request for less
discrimination by the Police force
bring howls of protest from the
student body?

It is simply not good journalism
to cast aspersions on the character
of a judge simply because one does
not agree with his decisions. That's
what we once called "character
assassination" and we accused fascists
of it. And it was once
considered to be intolerable in a
free democratic country.

Judge Spitzer may be commended
for enforcing the spirit of
the law. Too many lawyers today,
and indeed also Judges, lean over
backward to enforce only the letter
of the law. Lawyers are making
their reputations on their ability to
stretch the law, and Judges are
making their reputations on their
liberal interpretation of the law,
both seemingly having no regard for
the intent of the law.

The law was intended to prevent
people from drinking in public and
punish those that do. Judge Spitzer
was doing the best he could to
enforce the spirit of the law. Let us
not hear any more about allusions
to the Chicago Seven and the
mockery of justice.