Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1851-02-01
ELECTION OF JUDGES.

lhe judiciary question mas causeu haie
up in Philadelphia in the selection OF dele
gates 10 the Harrisburg Convention. The
Buchanan party were IN favor of Judge
Campbell's nomination for the Supreme
Bench. The other portion OF the demo-
cratic party were in favor of Judge King.
The friends of Judge King withdrew, and
the result is two sets of delegates.
We can inform our political friends in
Philadelphia, that if they expect TO elect
candidate from the city for that important
station, they will have to select well tried
and competent man. We have some little
acquaintance with the Philadelphia Bar
and we have yet TO hear the first lawyer
who is willing to concede to Mr.. c. the ne
cessary qualifications for the post to which
he now aspires. Judge King is decidedly
a superior man in every respect, excepting
that he is not a Catholic, which is said TO be
the only merit of Judge Campbell. Far be
it from us to object TO man on account OF
his religion. Chief Justice fancy of the
U. S. Supreme Court is Catholic, but he
is also highly competent and able man,
and no right minded man could make any
objection to his appointment.
Why an incompetent mar should be Sc
lected from Philadelphia, is indeed incom-
prehensible, unless it is intended TO cast
odlum upon the measure making the Judi
ciary elective. The Bar at Philadelphia
contains number of gentleman, both wings
and democrats, who would do honor to the
station. Among the latter, we may men,
ton John NJ. Read, ESQ.,, whose talents
and legal attainments have never been ques-
toned. We repeat that the interior will
never consent TO elect to that important po-
Sition, an incompetent man, on party
grounds, and the sooner these trading poll.
ticians are taught that the people are not tc
be triled with in this matter, the better il
will be for the party as well as the coun'
try.
The following extract from the Philadel
phia Bulletin of the 2Sth inst, received
since the above was written, more than cor
robcrates our assertions:
They have, by this act, made themselve
as well as their candidate, Il laughing stock
!, and it shows how little knowledge they, anC
the wire -pui!crs who directed this movement
> have of the Intelligence and good sense q
t the delegates from the country, who max
up the body of the convention by which thi
nomination is to be made. What will th
country lawyers who participate in thes
: nominations, say. when they are told that tn
Y great city of Philadelphia has presented
IS man to Them, for their support, who, during
practice of several years at the bar, neve
e tried civil case-and that from sheer ir
i competency! What will they say, whe
they are told, as they will be, that, durin
u the ten years he has been on the bench, hi
a friends cannot point to one single evidenc
- of his fitness for the place, notwilhstandin
- the important questions constantly arising OF
of the business of population of three {
four hundred thousand people? He ha
shirked every question that has come up, an
has scarcely given an opinion, written {
c oral, during all that time. We venture TO sa
rt thus publicly, and we verify believe we al
. fortified by the opinion Of nine-tenlhs of ii
- members of the bar, that he cannot write a
y essay of two pages intelliaiby, on the di
IA ,inciions between law and equity, and the
bearing Oh the Jurisprudence of the countr