The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-06-03
The Purity of the Judiciary.

II is certainly amusing to read the article
which are now appe airing in many northern
papers cenSuring the farmers Of Illinois fol
having declared their purpose to vote fol
candidates for Judges whose opinions as to
the power Of the Legislature to control The
railroads of the State are known to be identi
cal with theirs.
Some Of these papers are most sycophan
tic admirers of General GRANTS. and have
never had one word to say in condemnation
of the outrage he committed when he packed
the bench of the highest judicial tribunal in
the United States with justices who were as
good as pledged to reverse the decision of
that tribunal on the legal-tcnder question.
Others of them are devoted to the memory
of the lamented LINCOLN, but have never
found fault with him for appointing such a
burlesque upon the judiciary as JOHN G. UN-
pERwoop to preside over Tue United States
District Court in Virginia. Nor have any of
these papers. SO far as we know, denounced
the appointment of DURELL, or BUSTED, or
nELAuAy, or of any other Radical whom any
Radical President has made judge.
How is the Supreme Court of the United
States constituted 4: With few exceptions,
thejudges are all Republicans, who were ap-
pointed justices because they were known TO
be Republicans. Not only were they known
10 be Republicans, but they were known to
entertain opinions on certain constitutional
questions which would necessitate the re-
yersa of decisions which had been pre-
vousy rendered by that tribunal. And
now, when there is to be a chiefjustice ap-
pointed, no one expects General GRANT to
select a man because of his fitness only, but
all of us expect him to put the gown upon
Some such bitter partisan as Roscoe b.
CoSKLISG, Of New York. Is it less repre-
hensibe in the President of the United States
TO appoint partisan to the highest judicial
office within his gift than it is in the people
Of Illinois to vote for a man for circuit
Judge ofthe state who is known to be of their
party on the railroad question! Is it allowa-
bic to clothe such unscrupulous partisans as
BRADLEY with judicial power as servants
OF the whole nation, and damuabie TO
east vote for man who agrees with
his neishbors upon a question that concerns
their prosperity and their rights as citizens
BRADLEY openly fills up his jurics with ne
groes against the protest Of the bar of Au-
Eusta, Ga, and not northern paper finds
in the act aught to condemn. JOHN SMITH
simply avows his purpose to vote for cam
dldate for judge who has said that the Lcgis-
lature has the right to regulate the price of
transporting freight upon the railroads of
the State, and for this he is denounced in
unmeasured terms
There is no doubt that it is wrong to make |
Judges of men merely because they are ef- |
hcent workers for this or that party, and |
equally wrong to make judges of men for the |
purpose of securing desired decision from |
the bench. But we do not admit that those |
persons who applaud the appointment of the
former class have any right to condemn the |
appointment of the latter class. The PEG. |
rie OF Illinois say of both the Republican and |
the Democratic parties that they are corrupt, |
and that they Intend to vote for such candi- |!
dates for judges as suit themselves. Who
can say them nay?