Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-10-02
Qualifications for a Jud 60.

Shouting the battle cry OF freeoo"'
Qualifications for a Judge.
That the people Of this Judicial Dis
rict desire an honest, impartial and up
night Judge, there can be no doubt. That
Judge Page has not been and will not be
such Judge, there is no doubt in our
own mind. That he lacks the essential
qualifications of Judge, we know.
Isl, A Judge should be honest. BY the
term honest, we du not mean simply, that
he will not steal, OF cheat his fellow men,
but honest in his actions, in his conduct,
and in his convictions. Perhaps Page
will not steal, but that he is actuated in
all his acts by selfish motive, We believe.
He will not hesitate to lie, to distort facts
to resort to every species Of demagoglsm
and hypocrisy to carry his point. Neither
is his conduct free from suspicion of dis
honesty. His questionable practices as
an attorney before going on to the BENCH
his business relations as citizen 90 not
show him to be scrupulcusly honest, in
the common acceptation of the term
His conduct while on the bench does
not show him to he invulnerable. Grave
suspicious rest in the minds Of the citl-
zens of Austin, bv reason OF his close
association with his former partner. 1t
is claimed by Page that the firm OF Page q
Wheeler have been dissolved, but 1t is
fact known to nearly all, If not all, OF the
citizens here, that Page & Wheeler occu'
py the same room they did when they
were partners, they still own and use the
same library, and new books purchased
come labelled page & Wheeler" A
good many people are so uncharitable as
to believe that Page still shares in the
profits of the business. The escape OF
Pugb, the notorious land forger-the part
that Pages former partner played in that
transaction--the business relations of tie
two men-the circumstances surrounding
the whole transaction, throw doubt on
Pages honesty. That a plot TO perfect
Pugh's escape could be planned so sue
cessfully in the same Office with Page, by
his former if not present partner, without
his knowledge, that so much imposition
could have been practiced on Page, with
out arousing grave suspicious in his
mind that all was not right, the people
in this community do not believe. MIR.
Wheeler, being Pugh's attorney, would OF
- nnurse Use all the "tricks of the trade
part in the transaction we are not dis.
cusslng; but Judge Page nxlng the bail
at the insignificant sum Of $500 for so
great criminal, and other suspicious
circumstances connected with this case,
it is safe to say that justice is not safe in
his hands.
2d, A Judge should be impartial He
should be no respecter of persons. That
Page is not impartial as Judge, has been
shown by the House Of Representatives
voting to impeach him, and majority
of the Senate voting to convict him for
misbehavior in Office. That he has kept
grand juries investigating the conduct of
his enemies. and left unnoticed the con-
duct of his friends, is well known to
every grand juror who has served for the
last two years in this county. he has
sought TO punish attorneys Of his court
who were his enemies, for alleged mis-
conduct, and passed attorneys by whom he
knew TO he corrupt, because they were
his friends; yes, he has even licensed to
practice in bis court those whom he had
good reason to believe were guilty of
grave offenses-men who have been
charged publicly and in private with
crime. Sherman Page, you cannot plead
innocence in this matter, you have seen
evidence of these mems guilt. You know
IT, and you know these men are busy at
work to secure your election. One of
them, in q communication over his OWE
signature, admits that he took money be-
longing to a school district and converted
1t to his own use, and the only excuse he
ever offered was, that he expected, at the
time, to be able to pay it back. These
men are your warm supporters, your as
sociates. And stillPage hates dishonest
man! Does he hate certain men, whom
he has tried to indict, or punish, because
they aye corrupt, or because they hate and
despise him? As well might Sneak Bis.
mark. saw he disliked Gov, Pillsburv be-
cause he is thief
Sd, The community in which the Judge
administers the law, should believe him
honest-belleve him to be impartial. he
should possess the confidence of the liti.
giants who daily 60 into his court. If .
litigant believed. that in order to gain
his cause, which he knew to be just. he
must employ some attorney who was in
favor with the Judge, the administration
of justice would be farce. The people
of this county have no confidence in the
honesty or integrity of Page. Two years
ago they elected Senator and two Rep
resentatives by overwhelming majorities
to 60 to the legislature of this State, and
demand, in behalf of an outraged people,
the impeachment Of Page tor corrupt
conduct in Office; and when the Senate,
as court of impeachment, refused by
the requisite two-thirds to grant them re-
lief, fifteen hundred voters of this county
petitioned him to resign his Office. Hence,
We say, the people of this county have no
confidence IN Page. No confidence in
his court. The administration OF justice
in this county with Page on the bench is
q farce. The people Of this county know
him, they have known him for thirteen
years. They knew him as citizen-they
know him - judge. They must neces-
ssrilY know him better than the people
in the other counties Of his District. We
do not want him, and it is outrage for
the people of the ether counties to try to
impose him upon US. However, We have
faith to believe there are very few voters