The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1873-09-20
For the Palladium.
To Mr.. Gae0rge Holland:

l notice in the last number of the
Richmond Times, that, wearying of
the reluctance of any one else to
assume the responsibility, you have
voluntarily consented to place your
name and qualifications before the
public, for the important Office of
JUDGE Of the Wayne Circuit Court.
I fully agree with you that: ''This
Office is one Of very great impor-
lance to the people, - land
consequently the people should
have full and fair opportunity of
looking into the qualifications and
fitness of the candidates for 80 i'm
portant a position
After conceding such clear and
self-evident facts, don't you think
the people, the grand jurors, the
traverse jurors, the spectators, and
last, but not least, almost the uni
versal membership of the profess
sion, to which you belong, in this
county, will feel astonished to see
your face protruding from beneath
the banner of conflict, with such
notices as the above inscribed up
on it, Are you, sir, willfully ignor.
ant, or stupidity deceived, in the
fact that all who witnessed your
feeble administration in the Grimm
al Court, without distinction of
party, color, race, creed or nation
ality;" saw you graphing with ques
tions you never could comprehend,
turned away from your abortive eff
forts with pity and contempt I
but pronounce the common iudg-
ment of the people of this county,
whsn I tell you, that the Criminal
Court, m you hands, sank to the
level Of second rate police Office.
Detected thieves, murderers, and
old incorrigible offenders, absolute.
ly reveled in the respite and hoi
day which your decisions gave them,
for you almost invariably filed the
record full of errors and blunders,
by which your decisions were re-
versed.
Don't you know, sir, that out of
seventeen important cases taken to
the Supreme Court, fifteen of them
were reversed! But you complain,
that, in certain papers, '4he Repub-
icans of the county are loudly and
pathetically called on and appealed
to, and exhorted to vote for Judge
Kibbey as Circuit Judge, etc.
Why should they nots Don't forget
what you have said-s.This Office is
one of very great impoi tance." = .
This Court is the only one in the
county"
Is not this announcement enough
to fill us with fear, lest an imbecile
on the bench should again rende,
the system odious. All civil, all
Criminal and all probate business
must pass through this court.
Who is Judge Kibbey, Of whom
you complain? Born and reared
in this county until his present me
redian of life, without q spot O,
blemish on his integrity. In al
private dealings above reproach
and in his public Judicial life, sc
severely prudent and just, as t.
compel even his enemies to acknowl
edge his honesty and impartiality
A sound legal mind and solid judg
ment, with judicial attainments Sc
cond to no nisi prius judge in thu
State. As a judge, he has alread,
given evidence of great ability il
every department of the law. A,
probate lawyer, he is thorough
careful and accurate, and in civi
and criminal judicature. no judg.
in the State has been better sus
tanned in the Supreme Court thar
he.
Now. Mr.. Holland, if you tax,
any exception to the above qualifi
cations please point in your next
to what particular item in the abov'
you object.
But you say you did not go int
the nomination, because, II doubt
ed it's propriety at the time. First
because the Office to be filed was ,
judicial one, and I thought SHOULD
be kept as free as possible from
party politics, ETC."
Why did you not think of this be
fore, when You offered yourself a
a candidate! Did you then thin
the Republican party was manage,
by cliques and ringss Did yo1
then think the Office ought to b
kept out of party politics. Nc
sir! You were then comparativel
unknown. and the people wer
cheated into the belief that 70
! nOsaoase.1 some fitness for the nos