The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1876-04-19
Indignant.

should rush en- nlGsSe, pell nell, to Blount
vile, ring the courthouse bell, and in
dignantly, Unexpectedly and incOher
emily express their condemnation OF
Gov. Porter for appointing Judge Gil
lenwaters' successor so soon after that
gentleman's death; and that Sullivan
county, of all others, should volunteer
to take the defense Of Judge G's. mem
/ DRY into her special keeping is, to say
the least of it, a little remarkable
put it a little palmer, it is simply in
credible The people of sober old Sulli-
van did not do any such thIngl
Here are johnson and Carter, Wash
| ington and Hancock, where the great
bulk of the Judges political friends live
| These counties hear of his death with
sorrow-his untimely death is in very
| truth great loss to them, for he was,
| in a measure, their captain, their leader,
their admirer and friend-but they bow
/ to the dispensation of God with the calm
/ dignity of stricken men. Here is Haw-
kins county, where Judge Gillenwaters
had been born and raised, where his
! relatives and friends lived, where the
man was known and appreciated for his
moral worth, his Christian department
and his enlightened public spirit Here,
among these people, the blow fell heavi-
est; here were stricken hearts and wound
ed spirits: for husband, a brother, a
friend, neighbor, had gone down to
the grave in the prime Of his manhood.
Hundreds Of poor men were anticipating
a busy summers work to be paid for ont
of his means. These hopes were shatter-
ed when his death was announced. And
yet Hawkins county does not rush in
mad excitement to the Court house and
pass Incorporate, insulting resolutions,
because Gov. Porter appointed a Judge
to hold the Courts of the county. No
body here ever thought for moment
that the Governor of the State intended
any indignity to the memory of the dead
Judge.
Sullivan county never come forward
to champion Judge GillenWaters when
he was alive-that county had but few
kind words for him when kind words
would have done him good. But now,
to the amazement Of quiet people every
where, what do we see? Why, a great
string of resolutions, p4rporting to come
from the people of that county, fiercely
denOuncing the Executive of the State
for appointing Judge Gillenwaters' sue
cessOr in Indecent haste and indignity
to the dead"
We cannot believe the people of Sulli-
van county had anything to do with the
setting UP of these " indecent" "hasty,"
ill-mannered, uncalled-for resolutions.
The thing is not in accordance with the
character of these quiet, sober people.
The friends of Judge Gillenwaters,
hRreabQuts, utterly fail to appreciate the
resolutions OF that so.called Sullivan !
meeting. The hollOW-hearted hYpocs |
risy of the whole thing is too apparent. |
And while they do not hold the real peo-
pie responsible for what has been put |
forward IN their name, they do feel in
dignant at the few disappointed little
pettyfoggers who were so willing to |
dodge behind the dead Judge to strike
thing is only a mean slap at Col. John
a. Mckinney,
That a few hot headed, incorporate
men should bring the whole legal pro-
fessiOn into disrepute and contempt in
the eyes of the people is to be regretted.
But the manner in which some of the
lawyers have cut up ridiculous shines"
in regard to the Judgeship in this cir
cult is humiliating. They have allowed
their zeal to optrUn their dignity long,
long way. Let us think back a little
Think of an Eakin, Taylor, Mckinney,
Blair, Nelson, ArnOld-these old men,
who, by their splendid abilities, their
profound legal learning, and their pro-
fessiOnal and manly dignity, made the
Bar of the First Circuit illustriOus, and
themselves famOus throughout the coupz
.ryj and let US turn and look nGlg at the
pack of little fellows-small squirrel-tail-
sd, fox-eared chaps-hOpping about,
growing, snarling and whining, engag-
ID in scandalOus scramble for dead
mans breeches And some of them
we're IN the field in such " hot haste I
With their petitions TOR she appointment {
hat even the Republican paper at Jones'
Joro' cries out in indignant scorn: "t the !
riends of some of them had but little {
aspect for the hOnOred dead TO be circu- ,
ating petitions before the remains of ;
Judge Gillenwaters had been deposited
q the grave"
Neither the friends Of Col. Mckinney !
II he himself circulated any petitions in
egard to his appointment after the {
leath of the Judge. 1t had been under !
TODD here for some time that Judge G,
Intended 10 resign, and with this Under {
tanding a recommendation of Col. Nc {
Kinney had been forwarded TO the Gov t
,Tnof. That recommendation, as we | J
was signed by thirty-three
awyers-sOme of them men of as high |
tanding as any connected with the bar
# East Tennessee. Judge Gillenwaters I
lied away from home, the courts were :
,Oing on. The Governor knew there !
vas no provision in the law for holding |
courts in case of the death of the pre- {
iding Judge except by Executive APP I
continent, and hence, in discharge of
lis public duty, ands to prevent d dis. I
of the courts, so that the s
public business of the Circuit could go |
IN uninterruptedly, he promptly APP I
pointed Judge; and he did so without {
ny disrespect to any one. He gave the !
commission to gentleman every way I
qualified tor the position, one learned in 6
he law; of excellent moral character; f
rm and unfinching in the discharge of s
very duty; honest and upright before {
II men; man who has never had a
lot upon his name, and one who will do l
rs whole duty as q Judge without fear I
f enemies on the one hand or the hope 1
f reward from friends on the other.
The real people of this region are very
veil pleased with the choice Gov. PoT- t
er has made. They will sustain the i
Governor in his action, and they will
Iphold the hands of the new Judge in