The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-07-13

John ii. Bowman, Jacob Snyder,
H. q. Dern, Edward Hodnstt.
Chss. G. Shannon, Chas j. Slahl,
+. b. McCrum, John F. Bowman,
Lewis Plsck, Ciemont Jaggard,
L. J. Hutchinson, R. A o. Kerr,
James Clabaugh.
To VIM. n. Lloyd, John Shoemaker, Esqs., and
others, Altoona, Pa:
GenAeH,en-Your communication has been
before me. and the subject of serious consid-
Grafton. for several weeks.
l had heard of such letter before saw
II, or saw the signatures to it, and had heard
also Of similar letters which | have not vet
seen, and know not who have signed, thru'
certain newspapers In your county. scarce
ly know, therefore, gentlemen, whether this
Is to be regarded as CUg personal correspon-
dence. | have not been accustomed to hav-
ing my letters opened. and. in distorted
and garbed form, PUBLISHED, before ! re-
ceived them. 1t occurs to me, as it has
doubtless occurred to you, gentlemen, that
1t would lave besu deCorous in OTHERS who,
upon rumOr or surmise, have seen fit to un>
deEtake to step in between US. to have waited
until they knew what communication YOU
had made to NE, and my response to it, be-
fore they undertook to make your conduct
But it was thought, perhaps, that you might
be doing something, and did not know or
understand what you were doing, and might
need the friendly aid of some disinterested
monitor or might be induced to follow and
recall surmlseG letter TO me; or that others
might be deferred from like acts of indscre-
ton or, at least, that might be intimidated
into hesitancy in complying with your invi-
tation 10 be an independent candidate. Waiv-
ing, however. all questions Of etiquette or
geUd manners, (of little significance among
mere politicians let ne here at oncs relieve
this part Of the subject of all difficulty by
saying explicitly, in answer to your kind
letter, that | am. and if God shall spare my
life until the day of the next general cleo
ton. tcU then be, an independent candidate
for the ,ffi;e Of President Judge Of the
XXIVth judicial District.
My RIGHT, at least, to be q candidate,
whether on my own Yolition, or at the sug-
gestion or invit alton of you. gentlemen, and
others, even without the permission of some
other aspirant and his friends, will not, Of
course, be questioned. No one, certainly,
will question the right of any oIher geutleH
man to bs candidate on any platform be
may choose. l will say further, in relief
of those who kindly volunteer TO be our mon
itors or guardians, that l do not hold any
one of you, gentlemen, OF any one else who
has addressed me on this subject, either in
writing or orally, committed to my support
beyond his conscientious sense Of duty when
he slial! come to cast his ballot, with all the
candidates that may be in the field before
him. And l will here say further, gentle
men, that if be found doing or saying any
thing unjustlY to disparage or injure any
gentleman who may desire to be candidate,
-, nvvu
his defeat, l am willing that you should re-
gard it as evidence that l am unfit for high
judicial Office, and unworthy of it, and cast
your votes against me.
Having thus placed myself before the peo-
pie as candidate for the high and respon-
sible Office | now hold. il is due alike te my
self and the public, that I should make, and
| know you will excuse, frank statement
of the reasons which have brought me to this
conclusion, and for assuming the attitude l
now occupy before the people
Ny duty to those dependent upon me will
not permit me to cease from laboring at
something; and. SO long accustomed to look
ing at both sides of questions, feel 1t would
be awkward for me TO 60 back to the bar
and | have, besides, a strong distasto for en-
gaging again in the practice of the law;
while my long training upon the bench rem
ders my labors there lighter than in my ear
lier judicial life. Besides. [ have been, and
am, so identified with this Judicial District,
that 1t will not be thought strange that am
warmly attached to 1t. When it was first
formed, was caed.to be its first PSesident
Judge; and, through the indulgeDt partiality
and confidence of the people, have contin-
ued to preside in its courts ever since. The
changes and "Reminiscences of over twenty
years have served to strengthen that attach
ment. What say will be readily appreci>
taed. therefore, when declare frankly that
there is no field of labor, while | must toll at
something, that would prefer, although the
work in it is orerous to degree that no one
who has not felt the labor and responsible
ty involved in the discharge of all the Judi
cial duties in heavy district like this can
know or appreciate. l would still prefer it
to any political Office that could be named or
offered me.
l have, at the same time. gentlemen with
the estimate place upon the office Of Judge,
and particularly in view of prospective toll
bevond that period of lite when years of rest.
should they come, are to be desired, no anx~
iety for success that would induce me to seek
or accept the Office upon ANY terms. Iwould
rather not be candidate, or, If candidate.
be defeated, than descend to the degrading
appliances of sslfish political partsanship to
attain it. / have carried with me from my
earliest manhood.a strong Impression of the
almost sacred value of the purity and ind6>
peadence of the Judiciary as a branch Of the
government; and | glory now in the fact
that, while other departments have often
been. through the corrupt:ng tendencies Of