The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1870-03-19
No. SO


EDrroR BULLETINS: Should the new Copsti-
tuition be ratified by the people, at the ensu-
ing March election, the next and most i'm
portant subject fer their consideration IS, the
remodsling of the State judiciary. Very
fortunately the people, under the new Con
stitution, are not deprived Of the inestimable
privilege of making their own selection in
filing these high positions Of honor and
trust And in view ef this fact 1t would be
well to direct their minds to this important
subject. Certainly, if the people are to de
eide ct the ballot box who are the best
qualified to fill these important Offices, it is
due to them and TO our own interest that the
names of the proposed candidates should be
placed befors the public, and their respective
merits and dement's thoroughly discussed
and understood on or before the dav Of
election. 1t is generally understood that the
present incumbent Of our Circuit Court, the
Hon. w. z. Bond, viii be a candidate for re-
election. The Brownsville Bee, In its issne
of the 25th ult, comes out in a most un-
warranted and unkind editorial, headed,
"Colonel Benjamin I. Lea" That Colonel
Lea is a splendid lawyer, that he enjoys a
fine practice, or that he, If elected, would
bold aloft the scales of justice, or that
Colonel Lea has been for twenty years
prominent member Of the bar, we do not
pretend to deny, It has3 been said that
practice makes perfect still we have
known many exceptions to the rule. We
have known members Of the bar to die with
old age without having acquired very .ex-
tensive knowledge of the law. The Browns
vile Bee has the right to comment on the
character and merits of any person they may
see proper; but IN doing so they certainly
should so clothe their comments as not to
reflect in the slightest degree on him whose
character whose ability, whose integrity and
purity IS as we'll known and as we'll sustain
ed, as that of Colonel Benjamin l. Lea, or
any other member Of the bar, throughout the
length and brea tn of the State. We can
not conceive, in fact we know, that the editor
of the Bee intended no reflection on the pre-
sent incumbent Yet the article referred to,
is clothed in such language and sentences as
to bear mistaken construction, and it is
due to Judge Bond that it should be explain.
ed, and we have no doubt but what the
author will move a full and satisfactory ez-
planation. We subjoin portion of the
article referred to, which reads as follows /:
If we are to have an election let Colonel
Leafs name go before the good people of
Madison Hardeman, Haywood and Lauder
dale, and we feel confident of his success,
and we may again have the pleasure OF be-
holding lawyer upon the bench, whom the
entire bar without regard to party, or politi
cal affiliations, esteem best qualified to fill
the high position Colonel I4ea's profess
Ional distinction we will not deny; but one
thing is certain, the Bolivar bar has a voice
in this election, and, perhaps viii do as it
done heretofore, give their entire support to
the present incumbent, who has thus far
administered the law and as judge dis
charged his entire dutJ to the entire salts
faction of the bar as wellas the public The
well established character of Judge Bond
throughout this circuit, as lawyer of high
legal attainments and as a judge of unques
tionable purity, makes it superfuous to trea
the article referred to, other than an article
hastily written without intending the slight
| est reflection on the present judge; but a
we above stated we regard it as due to Juig,
Bond, as well as the author, that the articli
be explained, and in the next issue Of th,
J Bee we hope that it will be done. III.
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