The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-10-28
THE BENCH AND THE SCHOOLS.

THE BENCH AND THE SCHOOLS.
"ResoIUed, That we shall expect our
chief Judge, if elected, to participate
in the appointment of the scho0l
commissioners as the law now STANDS
upon the statute books Of our State"
I-Odkl0nd Democratic Convention.
"The Democrats of this county in
their resolution say to the people, $50
will Judge Alvey 1T is our wish
as convention that he should con-
cur with the other judges in making
the appointments in question: To
this request his honor will undoubt-
edly comply" b. Ludt0ig, Edt-
tor Oakland. Democrat.
THE LAW.
"The said Circuit Courts shall have
and exercise in the respective cOun-
ties, all the power, authority and jul
risdiction, original and appellate,
which The present Circuit Courts of
this State now have and exercise, or
which may hereafter be prescribed By
Ia10. "-State Constitution: art. ~,
Sec. 20.
"The board of county school COM
missioners shall be composed of three
persons, appointed by the judges of
the Circuit Courts to serve for two
years from the first day of January
next succeeding said appointment
and until their successors shall quail
ify. Code: Art. GTUij, Sec. 6.
SHARK the language. Not the Court;
nor one judge nor two, but the judges.
JUDGE ALvEY's POSITION.
thereafter l shall feel myself justi-
fed in declining to participate in
making such appointments" -JudQe
Alrey, on the 10Th Of February, 1876,
IN his letter to the General Assembly
Of Maryland reJatiUe to the appoint
meat of school commissioners.
1.-THE Office fudge is in no sense a
political one, and though candidates
are nominated by conventions repre-
senting political parties, it is not con-
templated, nor in the slightest degree
allowable, that the judges, when cleo
ted, should act the part of politicians,
or, in any manner, recognize matters
of politics in the administration of
the law. From the very nature of
the office he holds he is required to be
entirely free from all political bias,
and to keep himself apart from all
participation in political affairs. The
judge, moreover, representSa separate
and independent department of the
government, and his action in office
should be correspondingly iadepend-
ent. By the fundamental law of the
State he is expressly forbidden to hold
or exercise any political trust or
employment whatever, and thus to
secure not only the complete separa-
ton of the different departments of
government, but the exercise of the
judicial function free and disembar-
raised of any associated duty, and to
remove the judge from the danger of
being involved in any matter of a
public trust not of a judicial nature.
1t has been in view of this nature and
character of the Office that | have de-
cLi,aed those that a0ere foreign to H."-
Judge Alvey's Letter of acceptance,
Oct. II, 1882.
MR.. READS POSITION.
Gas the law imposes the duty upon
the Judges of the several circuit courts
of the State to appoint the county
school commissioners in their respec-
tive counties, l consider it proper for
me to state that it is my intention, if
elected, to cooperate with my asso-
ciates upon the bench in the appoint
ment of fit and proper persons as
school commissioners in the counties
of the district who will keep and
maintain the public schools in the
highest state of efficiency and see that
H. = II