The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-09-30
NON PARTISAN JUDGES.

Just at this time in Cecil county, when
certain Democratic politicians are making
a football of judicial nomination, and
disregarding the interests of the people
OF the county present no hig her consider
alton than partisan subservency as claim
to official dignity, tn subjoined taken
from the Baltimore Sum is particularly
timely and pertinent.
THE most important lessons a nation
can learn from its own history are to be
found iii the exposure of its own errors
Ii this assertion OF the philosophlc histor-
ian be true, it falls to the lot OF the Jour-
nalist, who is for the people their daily
historian, to point out and give warning
against the vices Of public administration
as they arise, and to endeavor to arrest
their progress before their effects have
inflicted fatal injuries upon the moral
health of society. The Introduction of
the spells system into American politics
anu its enormously rapid growth has had
a most signal influence upon the charac-
ter OF American craftsmanship. Before
the spoils system had fastened itself as
controlling influence our statesmen were
men of ideas, men who rested their hopes
of distinction and public favor upon ineas
and upon their power to impress them
upon the public mind, and upon their own
Identification with those ideas as origina-
tors or powerful advocates. In those days
there were giants. But with the extern
sion of the system of spoils came a steady
decadence in the moral and intellectual
stature of public men until we have al
most fallen upon race of pigmies. While
the spoil system was yet in its infancy
some of our ablest men, witnessing the
peruicious operation which it was begin
ming to exert through the prostitution of
the appointing power over the judicial
administration, and feeling the vital ne
cessity of saving that corner stone OF
free institutions from injury, devised the
scheme Of electing judges by the people
for the express purpose Of saving them
from the colrlpting Influences of partisan
appointment. The first experiment rea-
lied the most sanguine expectation of
the advocates Tor popular elections. The
most striking example occurred in the
almost unanimous election by the people
of Mississippi of Judge Sharkey as chief
justice of the State. Judge Sharkey was
Il Wing. and during the tiercest of the
tOilIitlS btl NttlI tlIt piti w my anu lJtnl-
ocratic parties, and with an overwhelming
preponderancc of Democratic strength,
the people with one accord laid aside par
tisan divisions aud united in securing his
election. Tie advocates of the new ex-
pertinent were everywhere encouraged.
and the example If Judge Sharkey S cleo
ton, i'll entire disregard OF partisan con
siderations, was fol o .red, and the system
Nt al Inv fln H.,
came to be adopted. and in Maryland was
accepted i'll the constitutional convention
of 1850. Could the motives which sug-
gested and actuated the change in the
mode of appointment have continued to
prevail. the ,judicia! body would have been
maintained at its high and proper stan
dard. But those who sought to avoid
the influences of the spoils system exert
ed through the national and State execu-
tives did not anticipate that the applica-
ton of the spois system was so soon to
exhibit its blighting influences in another
way. viz, by engendcring and soon cor
rupting the machinery of primary meet
ings, conventions and so forth, and as
their outgrowth the ring and the boss.
These, by their abuses degrading poll
ties from a contest over ideas and opin-
ions to persona: contest for the spoilS of
office, have i'll addition to their dreadful
consequences, been silently and surely in
vadins the independence of the judiciary
and communicating its purity with the
poisonous breath of passion. Before the
evil becomes insupportable let the people
OF Maryland take warning and avert the
danger which threatens her civil admin
istration. The State whose judicial an
nails have been SO iiluStrious, and whose
bar has furnished as many great orators
and jurists as any other State of equal
population can boast, owes it to herself
to preserve and exalt the character of her
judicial body; and to do that, it needs
that the selection of judges should be
made upon higher considerations than
partisan efficiency OF partisan subser-
viency; that man has been partisan
tool or is likely to WELD his office for the
furtherance of partisan continuance,
ought to be an insurmountable objection
to selecting him for a judicial station.