Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1859-03-26
Judge Smiths Letter Of Destination.

Judge Smiths Letter Of Declination.
70 ~ people Of Tie STATE Of Wiscos:
! The time is close at hand when YOU
viii be called .upon:to: exercise one OF
the highest: duties and privileges of
freemen, upon .anafter vitality affecting
your .dearest-incefests. circumstances
have rendered it my duty. to address
You a few words in:'regard TO the APP
: pr GA ching eleeticn: -. -
III i: .Fo,, some weeks past; aud up to- the
Spres TING, Il; have been in almost
daily receipt ofprivate letters from all
parts OF. the, State, 'numerously signed
pby men of AL parties, calling upon me
t submit my name to the electors of
J. WISCONSIN asa candidate. for -re-eiec-
ton to the. Office Of Associate Justice of
the Supreme Court, al pledging me a
:eerdiat SUPPORT. and expressing an un-
qualified approsalefm official conduct
I recognise in the signatures of these
: 11calis,' the namessof gentlemen oflong
experiences sterling virtue, and of the
highest and deepest interest in the well
fare of the State, and the stability of
its institutions.
!, These manifestations Of approval,
voluntarily bestowed by the wise and
good, cannot fill to be CRAFTY; inc to my
heart, more 50, indeed, than ANYTHING
else could be, save. d consciousness of
having discharged nay duties to the
best Of my ability and when both are
colijoi,ed | have the highest and best
reward (which can be vouchsafed to a
pubAu servant. =: -.
; The. time: has. now arrived when it
ibeco7iles my duty to. reply.-to these
kind inyitations- and assurances and
Fas my time is constantly employed in
ohiei;i duties, rendering it impossible
: to reply to them. severally, they must
be answered by one general replication.
D uSs,::no the last few months I have fire.
..quently been al: ed whetherI would be
IA candidate for reelection, ans. Il. 80,
whethsr Z would desire a party nomi-
nation Nv uniform reply to all these
inquiries has been, that I had served
Che people Of the State six years-that
if:they desired my services any longer,
they would say so--that IN. no event
acoula I ta]:e q party nomination.
that If, the people, without regard to
party ties or demands, desired my ser
vices another term, their will would be
obeyed.
r. Until quite recently, no movement
has been made by either Of the politi-
cal parties, to make the election par
ty question but on the contrary, pub.
fllc sentiment, so far as it found express
Fsion, seemed to be decidedly adverse
to such a course. But recently, mat
ters have taken a different direction,
and both the political parties, with
greater oriass degree Of formalitv, have.
placed III nomination a candidate on
ayoSed partizan grounds, and with a
purpose OF securing, by the. result, pc
.culiar party advantages. Although
this may be di>tastefui 50 large por
ton Of the people, yet the organized
agencies and Influences ofboth parties,
to a considerable extent, seem to have
adopted tn me aSi,re add to have deter
mined to try their strength upon the is
sues thus presented. Both parties are
gathering up their energies and organ
=izinf for determined action. They
have made the doctrines Of the Su-
5preme Court Of this State, as declared
in the fugitive Slave actcases, and 9th
,f l., 4
uneq1iyocai!Y the subject matter ofthe
contest, in view Of which all personal
interest, will and seould be entirely
diSregarded.
/ feel a deep and absorbing interest
IN the maintenance of those great con
sentative principles Of popular liberty
and State Sovereignty on which the
Federal Gov ernment is founded, and
by which alone it can be preserved
| know not what could induce me to do
any act which might put them in ieop-
ardy, or occasion their overthrow, or
To omit any personal sacrifice which
could possibly prevent such a result
1t Is not improper to remark that du-
ring the last six years, it mas been the
good or i'll fortune Of the Supreme
Court of this State to be called upon to
pass upon several questions ofthe great
est magnitude, and novel in their char
questions exciting deep inter
est in the public mind and calculated
to embitter the feelings of parties and
their friends. Ii under such circum-
stances, a Judge had not made enc
mics, Or had escaped their accusations,
it would have afforded the strongest
possible evidence that he had failed to
perform his full duty. Bat time, re-
tfectioh, and those dictates Of reason
7 and justice which never fail ultimately
I to determine the :nllhIic Indictment. af