The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-06-03
NEXT MONDAY!

The election OF Justice of the Supreme
Court for this judicial district takes place next
Monday, and as this Is one of the most I'm.
portant officers the people this state are ever
called upon to elect, they cannot without more
or less censurable carelessness fail to take IN.
terest enough IN the matter to go to the polls
and vote.
There are two candidates in the field the
present worthy and able presiding justice the
Hon. A. M. Craig, and the nominee of con.
venticle of republican politicians, the Hon.
David McCuloch, Of Peoria
The chief point we make in favor of the re.
election OF Judge Craig is, that after trial OF
nine years, he has proved himself an cXcep.
uonally able and a thoroughly upright Judge,
qualifications of so high an order that they
should insure his reelection without further
Question. The judicial Office is one IN which
rare fitness and eminence can be attained only
by hard study and long practice. So well is
this understood that not only IN the courts of
the United States, but IN many of the states
the judges hold Office for life, eminent fitness
for its duties being regarded as only thus at
talnabe and the danger OF frequent changes
being so grave as to demand that they be de
precated and discouraged. In Illinois indeed,
as in most Of the western states, the life tenure
has not been adhered to, mainly for the reason,
we apprehend, because in the rapid changes
going on IN the phases Of society, in earlier days
it often happened that the judges, whose du.
ties were us yet few and simple, were often
made pof comparatively interior material,
Its relations more complicated, it became
expedient to change for better material The
tendency, however, even in the west, has been
to lengthen out the term, with view to ripen.
ing experience in the office, to wean the In.
cumbents away from active interest and par.
ticlpation in the political broils of the day,
and to discourage changes IN the Office except
for good and abundant cause.
All these sound and healthy considerations.
which have proven almost automatic in our
judicial usuage, would be violated in the
displacement of Judge Craig by Judge Nc.
Culoch. The latter has had comparatively
little experience in the judicial Office, and
such as he has had, has shown him to be
possessed of narrrw, blgoted and partisan
views instead of the broad manliness of Judge
Craig Instead of wholly laying aside and
eschewing the little political prejudices and
chickering's Of the day, which in themselves
are enough to unfit man to become high
toned, enlightened jurist, MIR. McCulloch
makes his appeal directly to the lowest grade
of partisan machinery. passion and prejudice
to secure his election; and what is still more
and exceptionally degrading IN his case, he
had the indecency to attend the nominating
convention in person, and to resort to all the
arts of the political wire puller and hummer
to compass his nomination over competitors
who entered the convention with double his
strength, but who scorned to resort to such
means TO secure success
We make no attack on Judge McCulloch
personally, who in his private life we are will
ling to accept the assurance of his friends il
Exceptionally pure and exemplary; but the
most eminent saints are often the greatest b.
gots and so in the case of Judge McCulloch
the very qualifications that most strongly
commend him to the pletlstic purltanism and
political bigotry to which he caters are exactly
those which most consplcuously unfit him for
the role of clearheaded, unbiased, unpreju.
diced, heightened, big.hearted broad minded
jurst.