The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-02-20
me County Judges.

~ have read very carefully The opinion
=, snare MoScvag In the case OF MINOR cs'
w,..,,s,. and we are almost ready 10 au'
mi, that that excellent man, sou"a eo"s'
,,,,en,, lawyer. aud upright JUDGE mas
~, . the very right Of the matter We
sn,,c,na,ed. or rather expected, The decs
.,on would turn upon the very point whnn
Judre MoScURE mskes--namey, toas 'ue
term Of Office Of the new judges had airead!
begun, and consequently that tney were
entitled to take Office at once. we "a'o
never for one moment believed thst .nc
s,oreme Court Of Appeals would dec'ue
either that an officer could take oflice beiore
his term began, or that the words " hrs. APP
no,ntment or qualification under this Con
.t,tutionv alluded to any judges otner 'ns-
those elected in 1879. welo'd coe OF Juos'''
N,xoR,s counsel that the case would '"'n
mon the point we have mentioned; anooh
the 18th OF January we inuma'eu Ia soe
D;sDafcA that the decision got wouid out
MIGHT be lust what it is. We said;
"Ii there is any hole through whIc. 'ne
new Judges can slip into once az op,e' !
must he found In some CONSTRUCTION {, ,ne
Cons li.u,ion which wilI'c'alm that 'hS .cih
OF the new Judges began before inc WI
elected. alth ugh the Constitution esopress'y
saws thar il shall begin on the ils, day OF
January next following their appointment
Speaking Of the above, the Wss3 OF the
next day said that the Dispatch WIS " oher-
ing terms OF capitu.ation."
Wen. our terms have been accepted; ana
we shall not complain.
Again: On the 1itb Of Febrzary, IN re-
plyjno IN the Jrr Journal. we said:
eff the new county iud2e take once
before next January 1t VIII De because '"ci
term has already commenced.
The fact Is that the absurd arguments
brought 10 on the other side had compelled
us 10 ADMIT the weak point in our own
case-to let the advocates OF the other side
know that they had missed altogether the
rea, point in the case. " we could only
have gained that point we could have gain
ed our ease. But. we repeat, we take the
decision OF the Court as binding, and shall
not deny that it is right. Let there be no
more CONF paints. We would that the Re-
adiusters had done so when the same court
decided that coupons must be received for
taxes.
What could be said in reply to Judge
CHRISTIANS opinion will be found in our
article OF The 18th instant, on the Lao
Journals views.
1t is worthy of remark that, though Judge
MONCuRE's decision may be right, yet the
facts he reciie>, or thinks he recltes, are not
all facts. For instance he says:
"7he first day Of january 1871, being
the first after the adoption Of the Constltu-
ton, some nine or ten months before, lo0S
THEREFORE, fixed Us the day for the COM
mencement OF the first 'efms,' DC.
The fact is that the Convention provided
Tor q general election on the I'd OF June,
1868, and intended the new judges to be
elected after the meeting OF the Legislature
then to be elected, and to take office on the
1st OF January, 1869.
But we dismiss the subject. The people
will be glad to know that the question is
settled; and will not find fault, whether
they al e new Funders or old Funders.
or one thing we are confident, and that
Is that the decision was the honest judg-
ment OF the Court. The judges would, Un-
der the circumstances, have greatly pre-
ferred not even TO seem to lean to the side
OF the triumphant Readiusters. 1t would
have been much more pleasant to side with
their own friends. But they threw aside
all selfish and personal considerations, and
decided the case solely upon its merits.
Vireinia's good name will never be lost so
long as she has such tribunal OF last resort.