Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-06-27
WATERING THE JUDICIARY.

We have rarely seen a stronger
point, OR one better put, than that con-
tanned in the following article from
the New York World, rebuking GER
tain frightened Republican journals
for their comments upon the Oranges
and the circumstances attending the
election of Mr.. Craig to the Supreme
Court of Illinois. The World says:
The memory of Roger B. fancy
should lie heavy upon the consciences
Of those who cannot sleep well of
nights because OF Craig or because of
Durell. The just judge was long
since without honor III this country
wherever the statute happened to be
invidious, and the natural consequence
has long since ensued. To the new
urd, Of judges obioquy is more pain
iul than the Serse-3 0t duty, and neither
constitution nor esatEIts 0f is any ac-
count III collision with the eaigencies
Of partisan zeal or the temptations of
personal greed. But these Judges are
.lus own creatures, and We must father
their -...e, Neither the elective system
Ieor the appslA,fFa system response
bic for their e4isis4ae. their errors,
nor the bad eonseduepces flowing from
them, but just Our own bad tasSlons
and party hates and envieg.
Z 8 impossible to look back at the
events II the last twenty or thirty
years without discovering how the de-
terioration OF the Judiciary has been
brought about. The premium offered
for corrupt judges has been too great.
We bounded down every righteous
indge who dared interpret the law in
tie face of our prejudices or in con-
ty.ie7 ea.ti9b Of our impulses. We ap-
piit2,Gea ANA. catered every sycophant
VINO ignored tl2e ss4lGGiples of his pro-
iessi0n IN order to eGqfG our favor.
When we had the chance we t.fa,isbed
and expelled the righteous judges,
AND encouraged and advanced syco-
phail4s. 1t became good thing to be
q sycopha1aU ., the bench, and righte-
BUSINESS was places Of terrible dis
count. We 'waterea' ~, Judiciary,
u fact, to break a ''corner' ss1inst
Us, saaa,l we watered it so heavily that
the stock las been worthless ever
since
We began by presenting the judges
who we're steadfast TO the law. We
insisted thas man should not cease
to be a partisan, or else should cease
to be Judge We demanded to have
rogues in order that they 4igi9 steal
for us what we could not acquire q Ian
uarchc. The Judge who would be-
tsay the statute to suit his constituents,
must bc expected to betray his con-
stituents to SIM Himself.
We prosecuted '.sHfy and found
grace and comeliness liz fas military
commissions " organized to e0aviGt,' -
and ~ the admiralty and cotton-prize
Judges Instructed to confiscate, We
a majority OF a@ in the Wes5, at least
President to water tic supreme
Court with the weak, wishy -wasiiy, and
wicked Bradley and Strong deeoc-
ton, in order to reverse the de-
cision of that tribunal upon the
greenback question we thought
Uaderwood's justice m Virginia quite
Il neat 122.ntrivance we id not repudl-
ate entirely Rcnd's dragoonade Iii the
CaroGnas, nor Bhs4aed's rag-and- battle
shop of equity in Alabama nay more,
soma Of US We're willing to fnG excuses
for Du1cll's midnight usurpatioon in
Louisiana. BIZ what right, then, do 1
such assume to condemn the farmers
in Illinois as seeking to have on their
own bench what ahe politicians at
Washington and the railroa4 1aep in
New York and Chicago and Indianapo- |
lis have upon their benches-subservi
ent tools in the stead of impartial
judges If a party may have bench,
if faction may have its Judge, why
may not Tweed and Fisk have their
;1ldges, too-if they can get them
The Chicago Tribune and the Nation
are seeking in the haystack for the
needle thft Is sticking to their own
sleeves The aHqfF GARY isnot corrupted
and fallen because II - made elective.
but because it has been 44oozQAa to be-
come partisan. l. jadge who Vii bag
ter his convictions and opinion for the
votes of 10000 will barter it finally for |
the service or the money of one. The
partisanship ofthe judiciary is a thing
created and thing compelled by the
party, which, from its in
ception, was hafnPered by precedent |
and statute, and found it necessary in
order to make progress in the direction |
of it's sentimental and sanguinary i'm
pulses to provide fitting tools to cut |
the Gordian knot of the constitution |
op1 tho 1ouc II no,,l1 not 11nfio