The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-10-17
TIMBER FOR 4 GOOD JUDGE

Without at this time expressing q
preference for either of the candidates in
the field for Judge of the 7th Judicial
District, some thoughts have been sug-
gested 10 us, abstractly, as to the best
material for a Judge.
We're not matriculated into the mys-
teries of the legal craft, but there are
few questions in this world which will
not be better for the test of common
sense, and we do not regard this as al
exception to the rule. From the stand
point of common sense, then, it occurs to
us that there are very few lawyers, no
matter how good they may be, who pos
sess the elements of a good Judge. We
may safely assume that, as a rule, law
yer who has the elements ola good advo-
cate or good attorney, generally, is not
good timber for judge. The lawyer
who makes good advocate or attorney
almost necessarily possesses a nature
which in its make up units him for the
Judgeship. Such an one is generally of
a very warm nature-sympathetic if not
passionate-with strong prejudices, and
who can readily and conscientiously be-
lieve in his client and his clients cause.
Such an advocate you never find on
both sides of any given case, nor hating
or hesitating in his clients cause-but
the client gets from him an uncompro-
missing, heroic and devotional service.
Upon the other hand, the lawyer who
makes good judge must be born in the
possession of nature-a character, q
disposition--almost if not quite, contrary
wise. Such an one must be cool, calm,
considerate, discreet, dispassionate and
unsympathetic. He must be able easily
to free himself from all prejudice in cases,
land such there will beg wherein he has
formed preconceived notions, or, as an
advocate at the bar represented theory
upon one side or the other.
IL is especially difficult as it seems to
US, for one to come out of the active
practice, carrying with him as he must,
mole or less owing to his nature, the
prejndices, convictions and theories of a
practitioner upon mooted legal questions.
4 wonderful man would he be who could
90 that, E..s
Again, it has occurred to US as q cor
ollary of the last above proposition, the
further the lawyer judge is removed from
active practice the better his condition
for the position and that all things else
being equal, the space of four years time
intervening, especially if that be on the
bench, between the lawyer-advOcate and
the lawyer-Judge. wonld further advance
his fitness for the place. Now the fact
of experience ought to be consideration
in the election of a Judge, though it has
little Office in the natural qualifications
which we had set out to discuss. So
should the degree of legal attainment be
an indispensable sine qai non. Howsom-
ever these mere requirements we reckon
on for il is not to be presumed that any
lawyer of the It'll Judicial District with
out them will have the impudence to
seek the place. Certainly neither of the
candidates SO far announced is suspected
of any weakness of this sort. But the
purpose of this communication is to d.
rect the attention of electors to that
other phase of the subject, namely: the
NATURAL qualifications, leaving out Of
question or discussion for the present at
least, the question of competency
The Office Of Judge is high office. 1t
is worthy the ambition and best endeav-
ors of the verv best lawyers. Only such
men as will bring to it the tributes Of
dignity, decency, honesty, capability
and cool. sound. dispassionate judg.
ment should he selected for that place.
To it all such have right to aspire.
CITIZEN OF 7TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT.