The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-05-17
JUDGE POWERS.


Associate Justice Powers is with US.
He came on Saturday, and will at once
go upon the bench as judge of the First
District Court. 1t is not necessary to
say to the gentleman that the entire
community extends to him hearty
welcome, and receives hun with open
arms. The people do this, first because
he is the judicial representative of the
national government, come to. interpret
the laws, and personate Justice; and
second, because it is. hoped and ex-
pected that his coming will mark the
beginning of a new era in the Judicial
affairs of the Territory. For twenty
five years Utah has been afflicted by
many queer characters IN the Federal
courts. Now and then good
man has been commissioned
to the Territorial bench. but in what
strange and uncongenial company has
he found himself, and how glad has he
been 10 get away and be free f d the
annoyances and abuse. Among the
iuatices whose names were odious in
their day, we find Mexican, Schaeffer,
Hunter, Zane, Waite, Drake, Strick
land. Hawley, Foreman and Twists;
since 1862, there have been a few judges
who enjoyed the respect of the people,
and whose records were creditable, as
Titus. Wilson, Lowe and White. The
last two were here but few weeks each,
neither being able to suffer as honest
men would have to suffer in order to
escape the abuse and black guard crit
icism that an upright course implied.
People at all familiar with the history
of the local Judiciary for the past
quarter of century, cannot repress a
blush of shame when they recall the
names of the scuryy gang who
have occupied high places and pre-
tended TO deal out justice. In the crew
have been ignoramuses, religious
cranks. crazy fanatics, bribe takers,
drunkards, adulterers and depraved
wretehes with foul tongues and fouler
hearts. The law has been maliciously
perverted and ignerantly distorted, and
the administration of justice has been
farce and moekery. When one recalls
what has been done in the name of law,
and thinks of the men who have done
it, he does not wonder that whenever
change is made on the bench there
should be rejoicing among the people,
the hope being that improvement will
mark the change. Those who reverence
right and justice, and who adj
mire fairness, responsibility and
deceney on the bench, cannot
help feeling a sense OF pleasure
whenever a new man comes to assume
the ermine that has been soiled by his
predecessor. In the case of Judge
Powers this feeling is keen and
pronounced. In the past too many of
our judges have been sent here in order
that they might be provided for at the
public expense, they being unable to
care for themselves by their own
honest efforts; they had claims upon a
party that believed in rewarding par
tisan services with the offices, whether
or not there was fitness in the authors
of those services; or they were the
hangers on OF men of influence who
dumped them out here to avoid pro-
Viding for them at hsme. Judge Powers
has been appointed to the place by an ad-
ministration that evidently believes that
party service is of less consequence
than qualification for the Office. Mr..
Powers has not been given this place as
payment for any dirty work that he
has done for the Democrats, nor is he
here because he has claim upon a
politician who wants to get rid of him
He is Associate Justice because the adj
ministration believes he will prove an
honest, capable Judge The past career
of the gentleman, so far as it is known
here, indicates that the administration
was wise in its selection. All that the
administration expects of Judge Powers
is that he will be fair and impartial
judge; all that the people of Utah ask
of him is that be will not disappoint the
administration. He has the oppor-
tunity to make a brilliant record, and
let US hope that he will improve it.