Los Angeles daily herald., 1873-10-05
The City Press and the judgeships.

EDITOR HERALD:--I have read with
interest your timely and temperate
suggestions on the subiect-of he ap-
preaching Judicial election, and fully
concur in your opinions rs to the inn
portance of Il careful and discriminate
ing Judgment of the relative merits of
candidates who aspire to the honor
and dignity of the bench. But, like
yourself, Mr. Editor ] am a "new
conner" l have, however, resided
here sufficient length of time to be-
come citizen, and availed myself of
the privileges afforded to citizens by
the elective franchise at the late elec-
ton. voted the "Independent Tick
et.' The canvass was efficiently con-
Quoted on both sides, and voters were
enabled to vote intelligently. But in
the pending canvass for Judicial olfi
GERS, |, for one, must confess that !
scarcely know who to vote for. hail
from one of those grand old Middle
States where the intelligent voter is
accustomed to take counsel Of the pub
lie press i'm all matters pertaining to
public affairs. There it is the invaria-
bic rule that Il successful public jour
nal must be an honest one, and the
people are swift to discern the ele-
ments of trustworthiness, or the re-
verse of it, on the part of a newspaper
editor. 1t is, perhaps, for this reason
that the press is generally honest, and
| the people are willing to abide its
counsels. 1t is a pecularity of the
human race, that in migrating, people
carry with them their distinctive
characteristics and notions. ! have
brought mine along with me. l read
the newspapers, and especially those
of this city. 1t is seldom that an
original item or idea in any of them
escapes my eye. | have watched with
unfailing interest, and lately with inn
patience, the editorial columns of your
contemporaries for candid discussion
Tor any discussion at all of the relative
merits of the various candidates for
Judges and Justices of the Peace, but
they are as silent as the SphynX.
There are two candidates in the field
for the office of District Judge, three
for County Judge, and somewhere in
the neighbOrhOod of bakers dozen
who want to be Justices of the Peace
Are these men all equally competent
and equally honest, so that we may
not err i'm a choice of candidate on our
ballots? | am afraid not, and yet |
know bnt little about them. 1t is the
boasted province of public ;3ur
nails to give direction and guidance to
public sentiment. If the newspapers
of this city have any claim to that
honorable distinction they will no
longer compel the unenlightened voter
to grovel i'm the dark respecting the
merits of candidates in the field, but
will indicate the proper persons to be
voted for and assign reasons for the
faith t thfEs SI j. Ep IN thffm; htft9;nn uou, or rne
canvass, and those laborcrs in the pub
lie vineyard are still idle.
am of a somewhat religious turn
of mind, and often when perplexed in
my efforts to adapt causes to effects, |
seek for 4 solution of the difficulty in
the pages of holy writ In coming,
recently, its sacred teachings, chanc-
ed upon the following text i'm the 9th
and 7th verses of the Goth chapter of
the Gospel according to st. Matthew:
"And about the eleventh hour he
went out, and found others standing
idle, and said unto them, Why stand
We here all the day idle? They say
unto him, Because no man hath hired
u.s."
| am in a quandry, Mr.. Editor, as to
whether this text has any application
to your esteemed contemporaries of
this city. Possibly ii has not.
CUILP.
October 4th, 1873.