New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-03-28
To be Regretted.

The course Of several of the country Democratic
papers is much to be regretted according to the best
of our humble judgment. Instead of allowing the
people to exercise unbiased suffrage in the selec-
ton of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, for
the Second District they have invoked the spirit Of
party. Instead Of keeping politics out of the canvass
they have actually forced politics into the canvass
Instead of permitting two distinguished urists and ir
reproachabe gentlemen to go before the voters on
theirown merits and to have their respective claims
fairly and dspassionatey canvassed and determined
by their fellow.citizens they have sought to bring
about an issue to decide the campaign on partisan
grounds alone. 5-s-, &s'sr ~
This we consider all wrong and, for ourselves we
will have neither lot nor part in it, Our readers will
bear us out in saying that we have reprobated
political influences when brought to bear upon the
election of Judges to the bench of our tribunal of
last resort r- KS HEF.r g4-..
A few weeks ago the Pioneer of Assumption pub
1shed an able and lengthy article, speaking in de-
servedly high terms of Judge Cole and Judge Lea the
opposing candidates for the Associate Justiceshp at
the time deprecating the introduction of politics
into judicial elections. We extracted literally from
the article and commended its tone and spirit But,
in the last issue of the Pioneer strong, may say
not that he is less eminent as lawyer, not that he
has not proved himself a Judge of unquestionable
integrity and ability, not that he has failed in any of
the duties of good citizen-but because the editor
had heard sunors that he had been nominated by a
convention of the American party which mysterousy
assembled sometime in February, somewhere in the
parish of Jefferson! Truly, this is weak ground on
which to condemn former object Of unstnted praise,
g Al,
vention has been held and such nomination been
made and accepted t
For our part we are free to express the conviction
that Judge Cole is no more actually the nominee of
the American party than is Judge Lea the nominee
of the Democratic party. The name of the former
was regularly announced in several of the country
papers before we heard anything of it in the city,
and Judge Lea was brought out bya numerously
signed call, among the names attached to which we
recognized many belonging to prominent members of
the American party. Does this look like scheming,
plotting and underwriting? We candidly think not;
and if there is any difference in the independent
attitude towards the public occupied by the two gen
tlemen we are unable to discover in what that differ
ence consists. Perhaps we may be remarkably near
sighted and astonishingy obtuse, and must be, if
there is any real difference Besides, it is very strange
that the Pioneer should know so much about the
action Of the American party, and so little. The
months are not many in the calendar Of time when
every Democratic editor in the commonwealth was
willing to swear that we were the head and 'front.' top
and bottom Of the offending of the American party,
and now we are obliged to go to Napoeonville for
information as to what that party is doing! Well!
suppose it is owing to the election BILL consables
BILL assessors and collectors bills Or to the fact that
have quit minding the business of party and gone
on attending to our own, which we find infinitely
more pleasant and profitable. This may account for
the profundty of our ignorance in the premises.
Judges Lea and Cole are really before the people
as independent candidates for an exalted judicial
staton-at least one is just as independent as the
other, according to our conception of the matter
and should be regarded by the sovereign people.