Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1860-05-18

and investment OF the funds pald into Court
belonging to causes therein pending. so as
have them ready VIII d required, would not
be unpleasant; and, while recurring atten-
ton and labor, command the acknowledged
appreciation of the public. if satisfactorily
performed. Having shown what Judge
should be, and what he ought not to be,
without single personal reference (now re-
membered) to either Of the candidates, and
having hitherto devoted my communications
almost exclusively to the 1ew and old sys-
TEN, the advantages of the present. the evils
of the past, and other questions deemed per-
tinent to the duties of Judge. without in
tending to render any judgement.as to the
fitness or un6tness of either of the candi-
dates, I should suppose neither should feel
aggrieved. If, however, contrary to this
p~~raaaa. it should be SO, q,la capt. lille ia
ciut. Intending to submit tho.,a 20 tho con
sideration of the public, with evidence Of
their respective qualifications, I shall now
examine that evidence, and test them by the
laws of true dignity, as before defined.
Whether Mr. Fultz, if elected, will per-
form the duties of the Judicial Office with
dignity Of character and department, we
have the evidence Of his high reputation as
a man, his energy of character, his .emar-
kable business qualifications. his industrious
habits, his fidelity to his clients, and their
general approval of his services, all in his
favor. AS to Judge Thompson, he having
filled the Judicial Office of this Circuit for
about thirty years, has furnished the public
with all the evidence that could reasonably
be required, how he would perform the du-
ties, if elected. In reviewing his long Ju-
dicial career, the evidence presented album
dainty established the fact beyond all con-
troversy, that he is a gentleman, an able
lawyer, and laborious in the duties OF his
office but that evidence equally establishes
some other things to his prejudice.
His greatest friends and warmest admi
rers have publicly admitted that he has faults;
then if show fairly by the evidence of his
Judicial life, the character and results of
those faults, | shall most earnestly protest
against being regarded unfrienaly, for l
could have no such feeling. Then. the evil
dence conclusively establishes that he is
either wanting in true dignity, or has been
department while holding his Court. He
appears to have made it the infexible law of
his Judicial life to assume. during the terms
of his Court, particularly while in session,
towards the members of the bar and the pub
lie, severe adsterity of manner, wholly
unnatural and equally unusual with him on
all other occasions
This was certainly in conflict with all the
lovely principles of true dignity. He fur
Their, for some reason not known to the pub
lie, and beyond their comprehension, APP
ing and in the exhibition of bad temper
and not unfrequently passion This will
unquestionably be admitted by even the
members of his bar, to be in direct violation
OF all the principles of true dignity: If the
msnbers o. the bar do not admit this, they
are certainly wanting in all the feelings OF
gentlemen, and must be birds indeed, or
ings, to love only their tormenters, because,
while standing and receiving the apparent-
ly unamiable rebukes and lectures of the
Court, before the assembled bar, the congre-
gated public, and frequently visiting stran-
gers, they most assuredly, on some occa-
sions, at least, exhibited manifest signs of
annoyance, if not of wounded feelings. =
These exhibitions have been generally wit
messed with regret; for, to the honor Of Vir-
GINA. the people of this Circuit cannot be-
hold such indignities without feeling of
the most decided disapprobation. But, there
are some exceptions to this rule. They are,
however, found to be, almost without ex-
ception. those persons who have received a
castigation in the argument of some case,
from the lawyer, thus publicly rebuked and
lectured They have not forgotten the Of
fence, hate the offenders and rejoice to see
him thus publicly punished. They will
speak of it with delight, and are surprised
to ffud Others not as much delighted as them
selves: Who has not Witnessed their disap-
pointment, when they stated, eve were in
the Courthouse to-day, and heard the
Judge give such lawyer 'goss;' but he is a
great rascal, and did not get half as much as
he deserved" and found no one to sympa-
thize with them in their pleasure?
One Of the duties of Judge, as stated
above, is to hold his Courts sufficiently long
or often to keep the dockets Of his Ci. cult
under his control. This Judge Thompson
appears to have neglected, SO far as relates
to that of Augusta county. This is referred
to as a fact an9 not intended to be imputed
to an indisposition to labor or design -
When he was elected to the Judicial Office
the Common Law D, cket of the Circuit SUI
perior Court Of Law for Augusta County
must have been very small; for the Common
Law Issue Docket Of that Court, in that
County, at the June term, 1885, only con-
tanned, as reported, about forty cases.
Notwithstanding this, however, the number
of cases was permitted to increase, from year
to year, until the June term, 1913, when 1t
amounted to about two hundred and forty
FIVE cases. The number varied from this
period to the year 1854, when it was found
to contain about two hundred and seventy
cases, There we're several provisions made
by the Legislature to prevent this increase
Of the dockets or business Of the Courts; but
they appeared not to have been noticed -
They will be fully examined. JUN1Us.
NORTHUMBERLAND monument of marble,
with shaft ten feet high, has been finished
in Charleston, S. G., to Re placed at the
bloody field of Waxhaw's where Col. Tarle
ton. with doubly superior force, ~slaught-
ed nearly whole regiment of $50 Virgin
ianS under Col Abraham Rnf,rd H.,