, 1873-03-29
THE COMING JUDICIAL ELECTION.
Front tho State journal.


We iany to tho fnrmors, beware of tho Judro
who will IN any manuor indicate to you how Id
will doctdo your case With the railroads. A man
who will accept Office at your hands upon suon :
offer him onougl. 10 mako it profitable to do 20.
I It il almost equally dangorouG to SOLICIT man .
for that Office upon the ground that ho is sup
posed to favor what my appear to be tia
called upon to decide. It III vol enough that
candidates for political Office shall oxplai1l their
viows to the people in advance of their e}cction1
but candi1ato for Judge, who will oven accopt
Office with tho knowledge that he ia expected to
decide O giyen question III oortain way is to-
tally unfit to DO Judge.
/ There iB n fcar TINT tho popularity Of tha
movement Of the pooplo against monopoly and
not in lloarty sympathy with It. It has not boon
unusual for thoeo who arc opposed to q moveI
mont, to appear to join in itsVromotion, i'll ordor
thoreby to socuro the control Of it, and give ii
should view with great suspicision tie man who
would appear to join this fa11nors' movement
aud at the san,o timo adyiHe tho "reconstruc-
tion" Of our Supreme Court in tho special inter1
.ost Of tho farmers What tue people want ia al,
ablo Court, and an honest Court. They want mo-
Judges elected in tho interest Of any class. SuclA
Judges would be dangerous to the beat interosta
Of tho peoplo-infinitoly moro so than all tho
1nonoycd nionopolics Of tho world with judi+
ciary untaintod by any suspicion OF being sold to-
itoforonco ia had to tho convention called to.
meet Mt Princeton on the 30th inst. to no,ainnto
q Judge Of tho Supreme Court, in place Of Judge
Lawrence, whose term Of oflico expires in juno
next, Some yot doubt tho wisdom of securing
Judges by popular election, but that is tho modo
provided In our Constitution. Accordingly a
convention Of the people and nomination are
entirely proper. ,Andif, for any eauae, a. now
candidate is nominated ind elected, thoro Ia no
ca,tBo Of compliant; for tho Constitution in ro-
turning the power Of election to, thu people Mt
choice botween all incumbent and a now man.
:. Heretofore we hayo boon ablo to elect Jutlgos
without reaort to extreme party measures, and
have I'M tho main secured good mon. This haB
boon especially true Of the supreme Court, and
III no individual case moro than in that Of Judge
Lawrellco,
Those calling the Princeton Convention will,
however, mako d grioyouB mistake should tloy
undertake to find candidate who will pledga
llnao|f beforehand to decide caHes in QUO way.
A lawyer who would mako such plodgo to q
convention or Ill individual would bB worthy of
expulsion from tile bar; and L. Judge elected
upon it would DO worthy Of instant inpcacll-
ment. Who would trust n Judge who, to buy
yotca, would pledge lis decision to expecting
litgants2
Judge Lawrence has done his duty wcll Ho
IL an honoAt, Learned. and ablo man. It was mot
his fault that tho Legislature passed a lazy tha,
no enlightened and lu,lepondont court could Bus-
tain, but 1t would have boon his most grioyoua
and fatal fa.llt lad lie In deference TO supposed
popular uonaIld, llaYo 30 ueclued H. III to insure
rovorsal by tho 8nprome Court Of tho Unitod
BtateB at tho oxponso Of tho pooplo Of Illinois,
aud keeping them In trouble till another Besslot,
OF tho Legislature.
The Supreme Court performed high service
in settling tho mattor so early as to ol.ablo tic
Legislature to remedy ita former bun,lor, by
onaoting laws TINT will "ho!d wator." Tho
fact that tho Supreme Court pronounced
tho former law unconstitutional tloeH
not prove Its members to bo for or againat
monopolioH, nor for Or against tho people, any
moro t.nn a teacher becomoa tho enemy Of hia
pupil ly inBtructirg him that two and two lo mob
mako ilyot
impartial man thnn Judge Inwronco can bo
found, why, nominate and oloot him; but bo-
waro OF the supromo folly. and danger Of cont
polling candidates. to promise how thoy will in
terprot laws which tho Leglslatnro has not rot
passodl Look, rather to tho uouoral Assembly,.
eeouro wisc lnws aud tho oourth will, III goua
tiuo. do t4elr duty.