The daily gazette., 1882-06-19
THE JUpaEsu1P IN CEc1L.
An Acrimonious Contest-The Charge
Against Judge Stump Stated.


The judgeship fight in Cecil county is
growing as warm as the MONDAY heat of
this horrid weather. While the contest is
not one of calumny exactly it is one of a
good bit Of bitterness. The party is dis
rupted, and the friends of Judge Stump
and Editor Cruikshank are urging the claims
of their fayorites earnestly and well. From
one end of the county to the other men have
been button-holed again and again and the
fight which the "out' faction is making for
control, with DIR. Mitchell working for dear
life TO save Judge Stump, is a desperate one.
The Cecil papers are full of talk on the
contest. They are all taking hand, and
editorial columns and correspondents cor
ners are bristling with pungent and untem-
pered attacks. Mr.. Cruikshank's paper, the
Democrat, of course supports him, and the
Mems also leans to his side. The Whig, the
Radical organ of Cecil, has become an out
and-out Stump paper, and is backing him
up for two reasons, according to the opposi-
ton; First, because Mr.. Cruikshank owns
the rival paper; second, because Judge
Stump would make the most vulnerable
candidate. The Rising Sun Journal, at first
strongly opposed to Judge Stump, has
changed its tune, and has considerably en-
larged its pages to hold five columns of COM
munications 1t is now receiving every week.
The last phase in the contest is the pub
lication in the Baltimore Days issue of yes
therday of a two column statement, of the
condition of the contest. It is a very fair
review of the case, but will prove averitable
bombshell in the Stump camp. 1t brings
them publicly face to face with the issues
which they will have to fight. Here is a
selection from the article
"The objections urged to the renomina-
tion of Judge Stump are grave and specific.
In the first place it is said that he is not
competent for the position; in the second
place, that he is frequently so much under
the influence of liquor as to be incapable of
satisfactorily discharging his duty. AS to
the first point, incompetency, his opponents
assert that nearly all the real work is done
by Judges Robinson and Wickes, and that
Judge Stump seldom delivers an opinion in
an important case. 1t is alleged that he is
not well-read lawyer, and that his decisions
more frequently fail to pass the scrutiny of
the Court of Appeals than ought to be
the case. On this head Judge Stump's
friends merely reply that he has discharged
his duties to the satisfaction of his asso-
ciates on the bench with whom his relations
are of the kindliest character, and without
complaint from the people throughout his
circuit. There is no tangible basis, in their
opinion, for the assertion that he is incom-
petent. AS TO the charge of intoxication, il
should be said that his opponents claim tc
have avoided all reference TO the unpleasant
subject as far as possible. 1t is, however
alleged by them that the judge has OF
several occasions been incapaciUated from
| transacting business in court, and that out
side the court room he has repeatedly beer
seen intoxicated. When questioned as t
this point one of the most prominent of hi:
friends stated to The Day representative
/ that the judges habits had improved of late
and that he had never known of his being
seen intoxicated in the court room save OF
one occasion, when having fallen overheard
while shooting from boat in the marshes
he had accidentally over stimulated himsel
with liquor in order to fight off cold.
AS to the prospects of the canvass, tn
two sides naturally differ very widely in thei
estimates. There are nine districts in tn
county. Cruikshank's friends claim that h
| is practically sure of all except two-th
| Seventh (Port Deposit), in which Judg
Stump lives, and the Fifth North East), il
which Hon. Hiram McCullough's influence
is conceded to be very strong Stump'i
| friends add to these as being almost certain
to go in his favor the Second and Thid dis
tricts, with good "fghting chances" in two
or three others. Mr.. Constable, however
has led the successful wing of the party fol
the past three years and his opponents will
| find it no easy task to dislodge him. He is
understood to have set his heart upon the
United States Senatorship, and as he is q
man of fine abilities and in the prime oi
life he will undoubtedly make lively fight