St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-07-15
Communication.
Judicial Election.

MrssRs. EDToRs The time is quite
near when we will be called upon to
vote for Judge of the District Court
for this District. The gradual in
crease in population and wealth and
the number of important suits which
are litigated each term in our District
Court in this county and in all the
counties of the District renders this a
matter OF the greatest Importance to
each and every one of us. 1t needs
no one of very prophetic vision TO see
what a train of evils the election of an
unqualified person to the Office of
Judge could bring along with it, and
most of all i'll new country where
the terms Of the Court in the District
are So far one from another.
But there may be some who will
ask, what are the qualifications per-
son must have in order to fit him for
that Office First of ALL he must be
an honest man who knows neither
fear nor favor one strictly impartial,
whose sense and love of justice and
equity is stronger than any pref
udices he may have as 4 man. 1t is
also a very necessary requisite, thathe
should have Il good knowledge of the
theory and practice of law, although
it is not as essential that he should be
the best practitioner in his district !;
for it is well known among lawyers,
and in fact among all people, that the
same talent which makes an acute
lawyer, will not always make a good
judge. 1t seems to me, Messrs. Edi-
tors, that the people in this district
should inquire who in the district is
best fitted for the Office, and then, by
their ballots, elect him.
There are now before the people of
the district two prominent candidates,
only, for the office, Judge Murdock,
the present incumbent, and Judge
Williams, both of Clayton county
and it will be between these two we
as voters will probably be called up.
on to decide.
Judge Murdock is well known
throughout the district; he is the first
and only Judge we have ever had, bu,
in the district there is strong eflor,
being made to defeat his nomination
In a late number of the North Iotco
Times published at McGregor, in Clay
ton county, | noticed the following
paragraph:
REPUBLICAN CoNvENTlOS.-On Saturday las
the County Republican Convention met anC
adjourned. The delegates elected to 90 t,
West Union in August are understood to b,
for anybody but Murdock for Judge-this il
treating the old Judge "a little harsh, but W,
suppose he has no special objection to bein.
J cut loose from party which he evidentl,
joined in hurry in 1854.
The above is harsh manner of ex
pressing dislike, especially whel
done by convention of ones owl
county and. if unmerited, a wicke,
and cruel slur. But, if general repor
can be depended upon, the same stat
of feeling exists to considerable ex
tent throughout the whole district
That there is a strong prejudice exis,
ing with many against Judge Mul
D dock few who are acquainted in tn
district will deny, and it is seldom
, that such prejudice can exist witt
n out cause.
. Now let us see if we can detect an
ground for this prejudice. Any on
who is acquainted with Judge MuI
dock knows that he is an eminentl
social man, one who has endeare
d many to him by acts of kindness a
. Just such times when those acts woul
: be most highly felt and appreciated
and also one who appreciates retur
as highly as he cheerfully performs
Now, would it not be an anomaly
such an one was not man of stron
n passions, one who would have stron
= prejudices for and against. And ma
not the people of this district, kno,