Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1861-02-22
County CONVENTION.

ty Convention has been called to meet at
Jefferson, on tho ninth day Of March, for
the purpose of taking into consideration
the proprlety Of nominating a candidate
for County Judge to be supported at the
ensuing election. This is not the usual
course that has been pursued in such mat
ters here, but as affairs stand now it seems
to have been the only one that the County
Committee could adopt. A large number
of Republicans are opposed to making any
nominations for judicial Offices, and hence
were not in favor of calling convention
for any such purpose while others in
view Of the fact that there are three or
four candidates on our side for the posi-
ton named, thought it advisable to give
the people chance, first, to pass upon
the question as to whether any nomina-
ton shall be made, aud second, as to whom
the nominee shall be if majority of the
convention declare in favor of bringing one
forward.
The question having assumed that shape,
it is important that our friends throughout
the county should take immediate action
in the matter and see that they are proper
ly represented in the Convention by good
practical men, The election is one Of i'm
p rtance, for the Office to be filed is one Of
great responsibility and requires, in its in
cumbent, qualifications Of no mean order
of talent and the strictest integrity of char
acter. 1t is immaterial,in our view, where
he resides, though it is claimed by some,
We understand, that the County Judge
should be located at the county-seat. For
our part, We consider the question of resi-
dence the least important of any involved
in the whole matter As the law stands at
present, no business can be done affecting
the rights Of parties, except in open court
and at regular term time >; SO that for all
practical purposes the County Judge may
as well live in the remotest corner of the
county, as at Jefferson, so long as he holds
his court at statsd intervals at the latter
place and keeps the books and papers of
the Office there for thu accommodation of
the public, as is the case now. Tbs i'm
preston has gone abroad that because
Judge Butler used to transact business at
all times and at any point where he might
happen to be found, the same can be done
now. But such is not the case. The law
clearly forbids every thing Of the kind
Judge Baird complies With this require
ment Of the law and holds term of court
at Jefferson twice month, which we pre-
sumo is quite as often as is necessary for
the convenience of people having business
before him.
The Convention, if determines to
make nomination, cannot be too careful
in the selection it makes; and we trust
the delegates viii come together with no
other object in view than to present the
name Of The best man, if any at all, for the
position to be filed. 1t should not allow
any extraneous issues to be dragged into
the canvass, Give US man who is quail
fed for the place-one who will admins
ter the affairs of the Office in manner sat
isfactory to the people-one who will stand
impartially between litigants and decide
all questions touching their rights with an
eye single to the furtherance of justice
and squity-and we are for that candi-
date without any regard to the question of
his location, or any other matter having nc
greater bearing than that upon the main
issue involved in the election.