The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1883-05-11

x way Commissionsr.; iss Is ID d w
Il Dies MoMEs, Special Correspot dsncs, Nay
3.-About al there is left Of the amendment
case 10 swearing at tho court Judge Day being
the principal objective point II Is quite prob
able an effort will 30 made to lay him away q
the forthcoming Republican State convention,
but the Judge will make 4 fight all the ssma
He will make the issue fair and q square,
whether or not the party will sustain the
constitution as interpreted by the highest
in the State. Il II any change IS
made III the court it should be, to improve It's
legal Qualifications But 1t is impossible to do
this. for . man fitted for, the. place will not
have it He can make more money in practice.
Said one Of the ablest lawyers in the State
when earnestly pressed to take place on the
bench, 81 am not quite ready to retire to pri-
vate life and die in the poor house. Iwant to
make q little money! His income is FIVE times
the salary of Judge. Amediocre court will
turn out mediocre opinions. No more can be
until the State see fits to pay for
brains according to their value. Iowa has had
supreme court which was to her credit, and
an houor to the Jurisprudence Of the country.
The opinions Of that court are to be found in
tho recorded leading cases Of the country.
The members of the court which made
them are now in private practice,
earning large incomes. Tho fpresont
Supreme, court is probably. as good as can be
got for the money: In this amendment case
it so happens that individually every one Of the
court is in favor of the amendment, 80 that
whatever may be said Of them they must be
credited with honesty Of purpose. Judge Beck
is being extolled as being the peoples judge,
and cases are cited to show that in several con.
stitutional contests he has stood for them; and
in one case the people changed the court to
secure q favorable decision, just as is now pro-
posed, but in that case judge Beck was against
the people. In 1863, in Hamon vs. Fernon,
the court decided that townships, towns and
cities could not vote tax aid to railroads. Judge
Cole dissented. The court was changed.
Judges Day and Miller came on the bench,
and in Stewart vs.. The Board Of Supervisors,
the conrt reversed iAelf and overruled the
former case, holding that chap. 1852, Laws Of
tutionaL Judge Beck dissented. Again the
court followed this rule in Bonnifield W.. Bid
well, 80 Iowa. 149, Beck again dissenting.
SiAce when this has been the law regarding
railroad tax aid. The people wanted railroads
in this State, and we're willing to be taxed to
help build them; but Judge Beck decided
against them. A court constructed in accord
ance with public clamor. or the caprice of q
dominant ism, is very poor sort Of court to
build and tablish the jurisprudence of State
The people should first provide ample compen-
sation to secure the best legal talent When
that Is done the supreme court will become q
credit to the State. and bulwark Of sound
legal doctrine.
HIGH LICENSE.
There is prevailing sentiment in this State
for high license Several important cities and
towns have adopted the plan. Ottumwa and
Atlantic have fixed the rate at$1, 900; Creston
81, 900, and Bedford ST. ,2OO In this city the
ordinance also provides that the sale Of whisky
shall work revocation Of the license. The
saloon keepers object to that clause, and have
resolved not totake a license at all, unless the
city council will strike out the Objectionable
3! section. They are perfectly willing to take
f toeF SELLING whk UNDER but fff state pen
they will stand good chance to get
their license revoked Tho way or has given
them three days to decide. It is question
whether or not the city council will back down,
and yield to the dictation Of the saloon keepers.
The Objectionable clause is really the saving
clause in the ordinance to check or control the
sale of whisky. With that revoked there
would be free whisky, as it is next to impossible
to convict q person Of tho sale of whisky under
the State statute.
RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS.
The governor has had long tussel with the
vacancy in the board of railroad commissioners.
In his inaugural message he declared
that the farmers ought to be repre-
sented on tho board. At the first
opportunity he confirmed his statement by ap-
pointing James Wilson. When Mr. Wilson re-
place. and the politicians were also imperative.
And for q time it was understood that Mr..
Deering was to get the place, under the
specious plea that he was a farmer, because he
owned o farm, albeit he has been in political
office nearly twenty years. Without question:
sro hi <1>n obnl1
concluded that in these days when tho SUI
preme court is so supremely precise in its i'd
hesion to the spirit and letter of the constitu-
ton, Mr. Deering was not a farmer according
to the constitution, and two months ago laid
his name aside. Since then he has been look
to two persons-Mr. Mott of Franklin county
and l. s. Coffin of Webster county-which cul-
minated in the choice. "A
Mr. Coffin was born in 1923, among the
rock-bound hills Of Wolfsboro, N. H. His
life was passed on a farm, until twenty years
education. When twenty-three years old he
went to Oberlin, Ohio, for the purpose, if pos
sible, OF securing an oduca ton. With vigor-
GUS constitution, strong determination, econ
omy and manual labor, he made good progress,
and for two years was connected with the
preparatory department of that school Con-
tinued illness Of his wife and wants Of means
compelled him to leave the school and seek
other means to obtain living, and the recov-
cry Of his wife's health. He went to Geauga
county, Ohio, where he becgme a teacher in
Geauga seminary, whore the late President
Garfield and Lucretia Randolph, afterward wife
Of Garfield, were his pupils, an event which he
highly treasures in his memory, and which was
not forgotten by tho president and his wife. In
1854 he loaned small sum of money to man
in Oberlin, who soon after, broke up and
skipped out Mr.. Coffin, incensed at the base
iin.gratltude and rsscality of tho man, followed
him and found him at Fort Dodge in the win
ter of 1854-5. While there he became so
pleased with the country he determined to
make it his future home, aud the next fall
made presumption claim about three miles
from Fort Dodge. and began life in Iowa The
next fall. 1856, prairie fire swept away his
homo, grain and other combustibie property.
During the summer Of 1856 his family died,
so that at the close of the year hewas we'll
nigh discouraged The following spriLg he
married an estimable woman in Western New
York, brought her to Muscatne, and there Dor
rowed money with which TO buy an OK team
and wagon, with which he and his wife
travelled to Fort Dodge, making tho trip in ex-
actly three weeks. He put up another cabin,
and in it lived seventeen years. By practical
methods, intelligent direction, energy and
enterprise, he has improved his surroundings
until his home farm now embraces $40 acres.
Latterlv he has given much attention to fine
stock breeding, and has herd OF 1875 very
fine animals. He is tho president Of the Iowa
Fine Stock Breeders association, which has
developed such cattle as the Moninger herd,
which swept the deck at the National Cattle
show at Chicago Religiously. Mr.. Coffin was
brought up in the faith of the Free-will Bap-
fist denomination, and during the seventeen
years OF his farm life IN Webster county, he
has preached every Sunday to settlers
in isolated communities where they were
unable to hire a minister, after going ten to
to forty FIVE miles, and for all this service the
only compensation received was So on two
finn era) occa aiona nurip0 the xrar ha eplis&a,1