The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1883-10-18
An Elective Judiciary.
MEANWHILE, Oct. 10, 1888.

MEANWHILE, Oct. 10, 1883.
To the Editorof the Broekhaven Leader:
In your issue of Sept. Goth, you publish
the admirable resolutions passed by the
tlOatorial convention Mt Union Church,
jefferson county. These resolutions, as q
whole, form a platform upon which il ap-
pears to me that all can stand safely;
and while this is true, there are two OF
them so dpprOpOs to the present canvass
that desire to offer few suggestions in
support of them. | allude to the 2nd aud
3rd of the series. The second flvOrs a con-
stitutional amendment, securing to the
people the right to elect judges as they
do other county and State officers. This
seems TO he SO reasonable and Just that |
am surprised that the people have not
sooner demanded it. IL is reasonable be-
cause as the law now stands, il places too
much power in the hands of the Governor.
If thc,granting of free tickets to Judges
to travel ON Railroads is an evil that
Ought to be suppressed by Legislative
enactment, what will you say to the power
Of the Governor to control or bias the
courts when the judges preside by his
appointment 1t may be said that we
have q pure and upright Governor who
would sCOrn the idea of exercising or at
tempting to exercise any influence what
ever ON the judges of his own appoint
mcnt. This | chcerfully admit. No one
is prCuacr of our Governor than | am, or
has any more confidence in him than
have. But will We always have Governor
Lowry, or one as pure as him, for oar chief
Iuagistrate9 If it is an argument against
the amendment of the constitution that we
have n Governor that is pure and upright,
and hence i'll no danger, the same argu-
Ill 4
We have a judiciary in our State of which
any IIsSiSsippian may justly feel proud.
1t will compare favorahly with the bench
of any other State, both rs to ability aad
purity. But the truth is, that the argd-
meEt does not hold good in either case.
We can easily see that a corrupt Executive
may give us Il corrupt judiciary, aud it is
reasonable that the people should demand
a change, 50 as TO place 1t beyond the
power of one man to corrupt orr whole
state judiciary. 1t is reasonable that the
people should demand this change, even
surprising that we Will always have Il
pure executive. Rings are continually
being formed by corrupt sOre-hcadS, who
go To work Systematically to deceive tle
Governor, and cheat him into the appoint
ment of on" of their own ring, regardless
of his qualifications for the position, and
thus foist upon the people a judge who is
inimical to iour-tiiths of them. The old
argument that the people are ignorant of
the law and hence incompetent to choose
their own judges, has long since been cX-
ploded in this State. / have but to refer
to our grand old judiciary as it existed
before the war to rcfiito this argument.
A LIST of the names Of the great aud good
men that the people of this State have
placed upon the bench by their votes,
should stop tie mouths, and mantle the
checks with blush of every Que vino
would deny them the right to again choose
their own judges, unless it be the "chilled'
faces of those belonging to the rings of
which have just SPOKEN,
| had intended to offer some comments
on the 3rd resolution, but it will make this
communication too long. If this isdccmed
worthy place III your valuable paper, |
will comment on the :'rd resolution next
week. Yours,
FRANKLIN.