Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-01-27
To the Voters of the Fifth Jud :cial
Circuit.


in speaking Of the methods of presenting to
the people candidates for office, said 81 do
incline 10 believe that when man wants an
"oiiice and feels within him that he can serve
''the country to its profit, il is the mo ST manly
: "and honorable thing to speak out his wishes
"openly before the world"
/ entirely agree with DR.. Woolsey. And as
want the Office of Judge of the Fifth Judicial
Circuit, "and feel within me that | can serve
1.-THE country to its profit" | have presumed
in this mode Ito speak out my wishes before
"the world and TO announce myself as an
independent candidate for that office at the
election to be held on the first Tuesday of
April next.
1t is not improbable that by personal efforts
and the efforts of my friends, / could secure
party nomination, by an irresponsible caucus
which would assume to represent the political
party with which I act. But, however de-
voted may have been to party in efforts to
attain legitimate political ends, | would not
accept party nomination for judicial. Office.
Twenty four years since when the elective
Judiciary was an experiment, was in favor of
party nominations, and took an active part in
bringing out Judge Co thren as party candi-
date He was elected, and was confessedly
the best Judge ever elected in this circuit.
But my observation for nearly quarter of
| century has produced a change in my opinion,
and if occupy seat upon the bench, it must
be with the distinct understanding, that the
tenure involves no party allegiance and creates
no partisan obligation.
There is another mode of bringing candidates
for this office before the people, which is
sometimes adopted. 1t is that of calling them
out by an address signed by those who desire
| to vote for the person called out This is not
so Objectionable, when the call is the free, un-
| Gsi0 Of ha aifs Rt,f hon
as is too often the case, names to such call
are obtained by Importantly and over persua-
sion, or by more reprehensible modes, it tails
| to be an expression of the wishes of the
people, and is really perversion of the pop~
ular will
l Discard both these methods, and adopt
| DrW oolseys belief that it is the most manly
''and honorabel thing" for man who wants
| the Office of Judge, land feels within him
| "that he can serve the country to it's profit, to
"speak out his wishes" or in other words,
to announce himself as candidate for the
office.
1t is manifestly proper, that should inform
YOU why want the office, and why feel that
| can serve the country to It's profit
| My motives for desiring the Office are va
rious but | will confine myself to the state
| ment of two.
| First. | have an ambition which, if I do
| not deceive myself is honorable and praise.
worthy, to round out my life with such SER
vice to the State, as will secure for me the
| fame of having adorned the bench as one of
its most able, industrious, upright and impartial
judges, and to establish for myself a judicial
character, to which my children and my chill
! dren's children may point with pride and
which shall add to the glory of the State,
in the founding of which [ took a somewhat
| prominent part
| This is a high and noble ambition worthy
the aspirations of any man. Such fame /
might fail to attain if the way were open
| before me. But it is very certain it cannot
be attained,if the door be closed. | only ask
| that may have the opportunity. If succeed
in serving the State well, your gain will be
greater than mine. If fail, the ignomny will
| be mine alone, and it will be so great, that
| nothing in my power to do to avert it shall
| be left undone.
| Second. l want the office as a means of
| supporting myself and family. If had con.
fined myself exclusively to the practice of my
| profession, could probably have secured such
a fortune as would have furnished me with an
income sufficient to give me a comfortable
| support for the rest of my life; but unfor-
tunate investments in embryo railroads and
mining enterprises have so impaired my
means, that | am under the necessity of toll,
ing in my office to provide for the comfort Of
those who are dependent upon me for their
daily bread.
To undertake to inform you why 81 feel that
| II can serve the country to its profit" Is
task that will necessarily subject me to the
| imputation of egotism, and which it might be
more modest not to attempt. But if it be
manly and honorable to ask for your votes,
would it not be unmanly and dishonOrable
| through a false sensitiveness to withhold the
reasons for asking them?
1t was my good fortune, that my father had
the ability and the will to give me the best Of
educational advantages. From the time was
seven years of age, until was nineteen, | was
kept constantly at my books, and then grad
uated at Dartmouth College. 1t is true that
! might have improved my advantages more
than did, but in after life found my scho-
astic attainments such as they were, to be of
the utmost advantage to me in the pursuit of
my profession.
/ was then placed in the law school of Judge
Gould (author of Gouds Pleadings) at Litch-
field. Conn, which was generally recognized
at that day as being the best law school in the
United States, and which has certainly sent
out some of its most eminent jnrsts, One of
nv classmates was the Hon. Ward Hunt, now
on TIE bench of the Supreme Court of the
United States, and others have attained marked
distinction. While attending Judge Gould's
Law School, wrote and now have in manu-
script, five volumes Of about five hundred
pages each, of his lectures, forming an entire
compendium of the science Of law, every title
of which is as complete as his work on Plead
ings, which is almost literal copy Of his
lecture on that title
After completing my very thorough course
of law studies, was admitted 10 practice at
the bar Of Litchfeld County after most
exhaustive public examination, by the Judge
of the Court and all the members of the bar,
who took pride in the boast that none were
admitted to that bar who were not thoroughly
educated in the profession.
I then returned to my native state Of
Vermont and commenced the practice of my
chosen profession, and continued it with
reasonable success until, in 1885 was taken
with the fever of migrating to the West, and
the month of June in that year found me
located at Mineral Point where l entered
, upon a large and lucrative practice, which |
maintained so long as devoted my exclusive
attention to it.
In 1888 | was appointed United States
Attorney for the Territory Of Wisconsin,
which Office held until l84l, when in COM
pany with Gov. Dodge and other T. S. officers
} of the Territory was removed by President
John Tyler The duties of this Office called
me to every county in the Territory, and my
professional engagements in all of them were
numerous and remuneTatlye After the or
ganization of the State Government my prac-
: tice gradually became restricted to the Fifth
. Circuit, and in a large degree to Iowa county.
, 1nIs52 my anxiety to aid in the develop
ment of the industrial resources of the State,
: betrayed me into the folly Of giving up my
] law practice and deveting my time to efforts
9 towards the construction of railroads, es'
a pecialy the Mineral Point r. R. and the La
Crosse aud Milwaukee. These efforts continued
T. :. for about six years, and although the road:
i we're built, it was my misfortune to waste siS
g wears of the most active portion OF my life, a;
q well as to lose the little means / lad acquired
! and to be compelled to start anew in my pro
fession, and TO huild up again if possible Z
business which had foolishly although voun
q tarily abandoned.
7 During the last seventeen years ! have
!. quietly pursued the even tenor of an unevens
= full life, attending 10 the education of m.
children and whatever professional bushes
= came in my way
r. E.or, this h-;af statement sana idea ma