The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1879-09-17
COL. W. II. HAYES.
The New Judge of the United States
District Court of kentucky.
what IN known ana what u Said of
IIim-bis Tenth Kentucky
Regiment.

w. III. Hayes, of Springfield, Washing
ton county, to be the Judge of the
United States District Court of Ken
lucky, the place made vacant by the
death of the lamented Judge Ballard,
was announced in Saturday afternoons
dispatches. Saturday evening the COM
mission was issued by President Hayes,
and doubtless il will reach the fortunate
gentleman soon.
Not much is known here of Col. Hays
for he has never practiced much in the
courts here, and but few of our lawyers
have met him at Frankfort. AS to his
integrity, his high sense of honor, his
kindness of heart, his gentlemanly
and considerable manners there seems to
be but one story, and 50 far he is very
satisfactory. AS to his standing as
lawyer, and his ability TO preside over
so important Court as that to which
he has been called, there are variety
of opinions.
Col. HAYS is about 50 years old, was
born at Springfield, land has never lived
elsewhere He has since early man
hood been Il successful, though not n
brilliant lawyer, practicing mainly in
the country Circuit, of which Spring
field is the center. He was once Coun-
ty Judge of Washington, was elected Il
Representative to the Legislature in
1860 rs Union man, resigned to be-
come Lieutenant-COlOnel of the Tenth
Kentucky Federal regiment, Gen. Har-
lan's regiment, and on the promotion OF
the latter succeed him in the command.
In 1864, his regiment having been mus
tered out, Col. Hays was appointed In
spectOr General of the State by Gov.
Bramlette. He has been a staunch,
consistent Republican since that party
came into existence, but has never been
obtrusively so. Democrats have al
ways been able to talk politics with him
without any high temper on either side,
rare thing in this State, where Re
publicans depend on being rancOrous
to secure any notice.
1t is greatly to the credit of the new
Judge that he himself made no applica-
ton for the office, either in person or by
letter. He refused to do so, saying that
were he President Hayes instead of Col.
Hays. he would appoint no one judge
who asked it for himself. He even de-
clined to give to those who sent his
name to Washington, any references TO
his country people who would endorse
him. Several of the young lawyers in
Louisville, whom he had befriended in
their earlier days, took up his cause, and
backed by the officers and soldiers of
his old regiment here, and assisted by
the clash among the Louisville aspi-
rants for the place, his name got the
prize.
In this city, the unanimous choice CT
the whole bar, excepting the Republic
can members, who mostly coveted the
place for themselves, was Hon. John
w. Barr. That he is the very best man
i'm Kentucky for the place can not be
disputed, and doubtless the President
knew the fact, for proof enough was
sent to him. The refusal to appoint
Mr.. Barr has created a good deal of sore
hess, but the result is received philo-
sophically. The lawyers, many of
whom were talked to this morning,
seem to have heard nothing but good
accounts of Colonel Hays as a man.
In that respect no better appointment
could have been made.
One distinguished lawyer said: "Col.
Hays stands high as "a man; no one
bears IL better name for honor and in
tegrity, but his practice has been entire
ly in the country. He can have given
but little study to the mercantile law,
SO important in large cities, or to patent
laws, or to the bankrupt laws, still of
some moment, or to several other
branches of Jurisprudence that are inn
portant here but not often so in the
country courts. a lawyer of different
experience should have been appointed.
However, he is said to be man of
strong mind, and he will doubtless soon
learn
Another lawyer spoke to the same eff
feet, except that he did not seem to
trust much to Colonel Hays ability to
grasp the difficulties of the new position.
He said: ale is not anything more
than "a sensible, industrious country
lawyer"
Another lawyer had the greatest con-
fidence in Hays in every respect. He
knew him well. "As to Dick Brown"
he said, in reply to a mention of this
quite famous Springfield lawyer, ''he
may be more brilliant lawyer than
Hays, he doubtless is; but L consider
Dick Brown the very first lawyer in the
State of Kentucky, and if he lived here
he would be the crack lawyer of Louis
VILE"
All the lawyers who knew Colonel
Hays personally were pleased with the
appointment, expressing themselves as
having desired il, next to that of MIR.