The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-03-11
l. xester EroEll zudge Taylor.
HUNTINGDo ON, Feb "a, 1871.

! U bSO OlN1bSJ 11OttC' HtS SO'f"StNtt't
| Tribune.
DEAR SIR-Long since subscriber to
| your paper. and Cne Of your patrons, l feel
! that may, for double reason, justly claim
! space in your columns to notice an editorial
! in the Tribune Of the 10Th inst, devoted to
! me personally, based upon reports" tohtCh,
/ if true, you think-and publish widely
I your paper cirCulateS-wIll, TO great
/ tent, remove from the minds Of my frenls
/ 1.-The security they ever felt in me as AN M
! PARTIAL. AND JUST MAN" This you will
! agree with me, is a very grave charge. You
! say however, III the beginning Of the article.
/ that you ''Ia0 lc nothing ofU the TRUTH or FAIL
sITY of the charges" made against me; and,
/ in the conclusion of it, that you don't be
! here" them. The structures which intervene,
aud the aniR,us which pervades them. as
/ fair and just to me, or otherwise | am quite
willing to submit to your own inseniousness,
/ and to the sense OF justice of the readers of
the Tribune. To the article itself have 10
/ otter or further reply. But since these
/ "REPoRTs," deemed SO damaging to my
/ character, relate to that subject, | will be
+ allowed to lay before your readers plain
! statement Of my connection with The Dis
! trict Court of Cambria County )" and, having
! done so, | shall invite the criticism of your
keenest casuiSts, quite willing 70 bear, with
/ out a word Of reply, all the odium which.
in the estimation of either foes or - friends"
/ they can cast upon my character.
first learned Of the act establishing IAN
additional court in Cambria County," and
{ that il assigned 10 mo the duties of President
/ Judge, when | saw aud read it IN the 1rib-
/ uRe, after it had been signed by the Cover
nor. Those duties l assumed, although my
/ labUrs were sufficiently OueruuS, because |
( felt willing 80 perform the part assigned me
/ by those who procured the enactment. in
/ organizing and keeping open a court that l
/ believed would be a valuable convenience TO
JohDstown ald the adjacent boruughs and
/ townships included in its jurisdiction ; and
/ would, moreover, tend to ailay unfrendly
! feeling between the two sections Of the coun-
/ ty. Those duties ! continued to discharge
! until the opinion Of the Supreme Court III
; the Scranton case was delivered last fall at
Pittsburgh. Very shortly afterwards, when
| was holding court in UoliiGaysburg, sever
/ al gentlemen of the bar in Johnstown ad-
dressed ne at Huntingdon, expressing their
/ conclusion that the decision affirmed The
constitu:iouality of the district Court" but
ruled the act unconstitutional so far as it
assigned duties TO myself, the associate Judg-
es, aud the ProthOnUtary aud ash ing my
views upon the subject. Some time elapsed
before | received the letter, or was able 10
give the subject any careful consideration.
My attention was. for the first time. directed
to the questions prcsen ted; and | felt ia the
dehcacy OF the position III which l found
myself, as may readily b0 lmagIued, not
little en- baIrassed II deter mining what to
say or advise. 1t might be the wish Of some
to get rid Of me or, IN anything ! would
suggest, or advise, l might be suspected of
wishing to hold on place which | had
not sought or coveted and had no power to
vacate. Neither my self nor my associates
held any Office III the court that we could
resign We were iudges Of it er oficiO md er
the operation OF all act of Assem- oily which |,
at least, had no agency IN deYising or pro-
curing. We were utterly powerlesS to ere
ate UacuHcieS to be ii led in any way by OLEeJ.
officers, or to relieve the sui ject Of its only
supposed EN- barrassmeut. Finally, sketch
cd reply, which was about 10 mail. " hen
it occurred to me that 1t would reach Juhus-
town when the gentlemen to whom it was
addressed would be at the Argument Court,
where | would see them ; and | took it with
me. On the way | read it, in the cars, to
the Hon. D. j. MOrreN. l met in Ebeus-
burg only taco Of the gentlemen who had
addressed me, but had not an opportunity
to exhibit my reply, and had no recDIIected
conversation with them, or With anybody
there on the subject. Returning. Mr.. Elder
was with ne III the cars to Huntington. and
J explained the delay TO him. and told him
| would revise and copy and forward my re-
ply as soon as ! could fnd time after |
reached home. Before | could find time to
do 50, being engaged in the Huntingdon
court, l received a letter from Gen. James
Potts, mailed at Johpstowu. enclosing cer-
titled manuscript copy of the opinion Of the
Supreme Conrt, with note from the Attor-
Il p,
Easily and Murray, aud Prothonotary Hito,
informing Us that application had been
made to him to file information,'' and pro-
cure writs Of gao tCarraHt0 to issue against
US and requesting us to aCk now ledge notice,
and to furnish him with any suggestions we
might desire to make. This was a COM
mencement Of hostities and, Of course,
ended all parleying. Thus assured that my
views were not wanted by those who were
acting in the matter, instead of writing to
the gentlemen in JUhnstown, l replied to
the Attorney General.
If. at this point, | had resolved to defend
the suit against myself. done in Com>
monwealth rs. Judge ConyDgham, | only
would have ava;led myself of the right of
every citizen. instead of doing what could
have been thought either dishonest or dis
honorable. | am stranger TO any code of
ethics that would have condemned nv con-
duct if had employed counsel to argue my
cause, or had appeared in pr0pr5G persona
and argued it myself But | threw no
obstacles whatever in the way of a speedy
decision of the case. answered promptly,
scairing any notice rule npon me. and
agreeing in advance that the Suggestions
which l communicated by request should be
treated as an answer to any writ that might
be issued. After the wTits Issued, the At
torbey General enclosed them to me by mail
TO Ebensburg, and l returned them TO him
the same way, with ap acceptance of service
endorsed. Judge Brewster also wrote to me
asking my permission to print my letter to
him which promptly gave; and he had it
printed in his paper book. The court in
It's opinion. says that admitted the facts,
and sr,hn,itted rnysaIf unnn the law of The