Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-06-12

ZION was very properly oVoiluicu Wy 'io
court. the jury were sworn, the trial
proceeded and resulted in verdict of
guilty. This ruling of the court gave
great offense to the lawless element of
Chicago, and they at once commenced
an organized effort to defeat the re-elec-
.tion'of the Judge -Booth.-who rendered
the opinion. AS might have been .ex-
pected,. a candidate was found tO.repre-
sent their views, but, fortunately, he
was defeated at the polls, and Judge
Booth was reelected by.a large majority.
The third, last and most important of
these " germs, {" or causes, of the trouble
was of the same nature. We have,
heretofore, spoken at length in refer
ence thereto, and, therefore, need but
add word at present. The opposition
/ of the farmers, as it is called-but
which is a misnomer-grew out of the
decision of the Supreme Court of that
State, the opinion being pronounced by
Judge Lawrence, a native of Vermont,
that certain laws relating to railroads
were unconstitutional. The decision is
conceded on all hands, to be correct,
and the fault was, therefore, with the
people who established he.constitution
and elected the Legislature, or with the
legislators-the agents and representa-
tives of the people 1t is easier, and
more flattering to the self esteem of the
| people, to find fault with courts, than with
themselves or their agents, and, cense
quently, the indignation of the people
vented itself upon the judges, who acted
lawfully and did justice, rather than
! themselves, who were alone at fault.
The combination, thus effected through
supposed individual griefs, was, for
time, apparently, irresistible, but only
resulted in the defeat of Judge Law
renee, an eminent, learned and upright
jurist, and in filling his place with sec
ond rate lawyer and first class dema-
| gogue. We know, of course Judge
Craig only by reputation, and judge him
accordingly. We do know, however,
that he signed written request 10 Judge
Lawrence asking him to be candidate
for reelection and promising him his
support; that the convention, which
nominated him, did not represent the
farmers, but was composed of political
hacks, broken down lobbyists and wire
pullers, and individuals who had supposed
personal griefs to avenge or private ends
to secure; that Craig peremptorily de-
clined the nomination on the ground
that no man OF integrity, independence,
fairness or reputation could accept it,
and, afterwards, assumed the candidacy
on the very platform he had thus de-
1 nounced.
Such and so much is the truth in Hi
nois. 1t has been ignorantly or mali
aciously called Farmers movement"
The object of this misnomer is manifest,
it being either to dignity the movement
or bring legitimate and proper organi-
cation of the farmers, of Illinois and
other States into disrepute. The farm
ers of the West are suffering from the
want of an easy and cheap method of
transporting their gram and other pro-
auctions to ready market, and are
seeking to remedy their condition by all
lawful and proper means. They are too
intelligent to expect to find relief in a
biased, prejudiced or pledged court, or
by any attack on the independence of
the judiciary, or on the character of the
individual members thereof. They are
as much interested, as any class of soci-
| ety-and not more so-in the stability
of the laws and due and proper adj
ministration of justice. Their position
in the recent judicial elections demon
strated that they could not be made the
tools of designing demagogues and poll
ticians, or be used to aid, in gratifying a
desire for revenge, or to promote selfish
aims The case against the court, as
made by the Journal, the rum element
of Chicago, and those disappointed in
the result of the railway. case, is only
the same that can be made against every
and all courts, by one of every two par
ties that appear therein as suitors. Judge
Lawrence, to be sure, was defeated, but
such defeat is more honorable than a
score of successes like Craig'S.