Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1860-05-08
The sentence of the Inca is just"

At this reply the young girl, suddenly throw.
ing of her upper garments, which had hidden
those which would have betrayed her true cha
racter, and taking the entranced youth by the
hand, advanced up to the foot of the throne of
the Inca, and exclaimed:
"Great father of the children of the sun, |
whom thou lowest as thyself, demand the remis-
sion of the sentence against the youth, now
bowed down before thee, until it be known
whether the great work he has undertaken can
be accomplished or not"
Inca Huasca, whose affection for his daughter
was beyond all other feelings, electrified by the
occurrence, sgn6ed his assent to the proposal.
A few months afte. this great acqueduct was
completed, and the engineer and the princess be-
came man and wife.
For the Spectator.
Judicial Election.
Messrs Editors Having shown, in my last
communication, that Judge should be phys
ically and legally qualified to perform the duties
OF his Office, and, besides have dignity of charac-
ter and department.; that the checks, RESPONSE
bilities and limitations of the present system of
the Judiciary, greatly favored that dignity, but
not so as to prevent many of the evils of the
old system from occasionally appearing in the
new; that the character OF the Bar ought or
should command the respectful confidence of the
public, as much as that of the Judge; and after
explaining true dignity OF character and deport-
ment, showed that an exhibition of partalty to
some members of the Bar, and of prejudice, dis
like, or want OF respect to others, by a Judge
while holding bis Court, was an act of great in
ljustice-not only destitute of all true dignity,
but tended greatly to advance the standing and
interest OF his favorites, and crush and destroy
those having his dspleasure, now propose to
specify such acts of Judge as never fail to truly
indicate his feelings towards the Bar, whether of
favor and kind consideration, or of illwill and
want of consideration.
| 1t was alleged that the lawyers were gentle.
men, and should be SO regarded until proven to
the contrary. Was that allegation true? They
have to obtain q certificate from the county
| Court OF their respective counties, of their high
moral character, before their application for Ii
cense to practice the legal profession would be
heard; and then, to be permitted to practice,
they must submit to the rigid examination OF
three Judges as to their legal attainments, and
obtain tie certificate of the same Judges as to
their qualifications. These are the acquisitions
to commence the practice of the legal profession
but to commence and keep the confidence of q
discerning public, they must be Industrious, stu
dious and educated. These are the men that
prepare and submit the business to the Court
for its consideration and decision.
1t cannot be presumed that such men, thus
educated, should be ignorant of their duty and
rights, or unmindful of those of the Court.
They should approach the Judge, during the
session of the Court, as gentleman, and not as
master, with all the freedom of honest men
conscious of their rights, and in pursuit of le
gal object.
If, from any conduct of the Judge, however,
the Bar feel not thus free, they are slaves, and
be their master. Being deprived of their ines
timable rights of liberty, they are no longer fit
to defend the rights of treemen.
Ii, however, from partialty, the Judge per-
mts some members of his Bar to have freedom,
while, from prejudice, illwill, the love of power,
or the exhibition of his authority, be deprives
others OF liberty, does be not thus promote the
interest and standing of his favorites, and para
lyze, if not crush, those of disfavor? What must
be the inevitable result of an argument of a
cause, without regard to the merits of the case,
or the ability of the counsel making the argu-
ment, before such Judge, if one side be repre-
sented and discussed by an advocate having the
favor of the Court, and the other by one having
its disfavor9 Certainly the advantage must be
great on the side of the tavorite; and he must
be on the wrong side, indeed, if he does not gain
the case. This must be the case when the coun-
sci on both sides are of equal age and ability
but when the favorite happens to be an expert
enced veteran at the Bar-ambitious, and not
very scrupulous as to the means of obtaining the
victory7and the other young, modest and con-
scientiOus, what must be the result, let the mer-
its of the case be what they may How are
these terrible consequences produceds
In various ways: love and hatred are active
principles, and never slumber. A Judge having
these affections cannot feel or act inditferenty ii
/ ho uuio Tn fho ~ hofc
him, he must and will, in spite of his wish to
the contrary, favor his favorite, and oppose the
one having his disfavor. He does this by giving
to the argument of rfevorite an assisting at
tentiOn and showing manifest appreciation OF
the views presented while to the argument of
the other, If he give any attention, it is marked
BY displeasure. But in the decision OF q cause,
after having been discussed by favorite on
one side, and counsel having his displeasure
on the other, is when Judge most commonly
manifests his feelings. Forgetting that the
whole matter submitted to his consideration, be
longed to innocent and probably helpless parties
in the country; and not coDtenting himself with
merely deciding the question in the case submit
ted, such Judge would regard his duty not
half performed until be had complimented the
splendd ability of his favorite, and ridiculed the
mean pretensions of the other. He seems to
forget that, while he has right to decide the
questions submitted, he has none to insult,
wound, or torture not even the feelings of the
humblest member of his Bar. By this course,
such Judge must not only destroy the pleasure
and harmony of the Court and Bar, but pro-
duce discord, bad feelings and jealous suspi-
cions, in their stead.
| The undignifed character and department of
such Judge cannot fail to have pernicious ef-
feet upon the taste and moral feelings of the
Bar. Seeing the Judge making it convenient,
on all apparently possible occasions, to show his
temper. and wound the feelings of some of them,
the members of the Bar must regard not only a
moral, but religious duty, in every case afford
ing them q toerable opportunity, to slaughter
several witnesses, and blacken the character of
the parties.
A strange system of ethics How much bet
ter would it be for the Court and Bar to be gov
erned by the ennobling, just and equitable prin-
ciples of true dignity, as before explained
Then, Court, although time of labor, would
bave its labors seasoned with the highest pleas
ures. All, then, would show that they had
studied their noble science, imbibed it's spirit
and principles, be lawyers worthy of the name,
and an honor to the profession. The Judge
would have comparatively pleasant time, and
command the most respectful and kindest con-
sideration of both his Bar and the public The
duties of his Office, consisting of holding his
Courts sufficiently long or often to keep the
dockets of bis Circuit fully under his control, in
yestigate and decide the causes submitted, and
ace to the safe-keeping and investment of the
funds paid into Court belonging to causes therein
nondin0 so as to have them ready when required,