Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-11-16

SlE. 4 CcSlEc, III lhis formal way. TO call VOUr
attention to the facts and circumstances con
nected with my appointment to and summary
suspension from the high and honorable office
OF Chief Justice OF the Supreme Court of the
First Judicial District thereof I did not
solicit the appointment 10 the Office of
Chief Justice, but while was on II business trip
TO Europe, last spring. the entire bar of the iud-
cial district the delegate in Congress. and many
leading citizens OF New Mexico iolned in A re-
quest for my appointment, and alter a careful
eNam!natlon lnto my antecedents and my
standing as u lawyer, yuu saw fit to tender me
the position. / Immediately returned to the
United States, and held Court every dav until
summarly, ard without hearing, suspended by
you. ON 'celNlng the telegram, OctO-
bcg lith, Which informed me that
had been suspended, ! sent yOu
a dispatch asking the cause of my slIsDe,l-
siOii, ana llat ] he given Il hearing, rs there
would be no Courts FOR ten weeks, and there was
no N 3es-ity for immed ne action You have
never replied 70 that telegram. or others making
the SAME request, and it has been necessary for
me to visit Washington tolcarn the cause Of my
suspension, and why 1 was not before final re
tion was taken, furnished with statement of
the charge against me- and permitted to answer
whether guilty or not guilty. Although ! could
not learn what had been charged against me-
know there was no act, in either my public or
private life. which would Bot bear the light OF
searching investigation. My effort has been, as
now, to secure an investigation of all my official
acts and doingS. l telegraphed you on the 17th
asking Ior hearing, but no reply was received
ing telegraphic correspondence with you and
! the ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
SANTA FE (N. NJ. October Goth.
To Hon. All. Gdrinad AH0. Reg-GeHerdl. Fash
tag1oA, ID. G.: Can have your permission to
start for Washington Wednesday afternoon :?
Please answer Immediately.
WM. a. VINCENT
WAsHNGToN ID. c., October 10Th.
To the Ron. ll'3a. 4. IHcat, Santa Fe. / have
no pernlisS on to give as your suspension by the
President is absolute. Your successor viii be
| appointed within a day or two.
y. IL. GARLAND, Attorney-(ieneral.
SANTA FE q. NJ, Noyembeg2lst
10 HDH Gforcr CicrdG1d, HdShjRG'oa, D. &:
Attorney-General Garland informs me that nv
suspension Is absolute, and l earnestly protest
against such summary action without even a
hearing, whereby my reputation is ruined for
ever, and appeal TO your sense of manhood and
Justice tor Il hearing, in order to show that |
have been an upright Judge can reach Wash
| lngton in four days, and refute any charges
aSdlnlt me. VIII you not suspend any further
| action until my arrival? Business cannot suffer
as there are no Courts for ten weeks Please
answer today. WM. A. VINCENT
WASHINGTON, October DIST.
To lion lI.R. 4. IiaceIt, Santa Fe, " IL: The
dlspatch OF the Acknowledgement was approved
by me, and .he same Will be adhered to- because
upon conceded facts we are convinced that n
challSe Is demanded. GROVER CLEVELAND
SANTA FE q. NJ October 21st.
To Grorer C8erctdHd PreSideiH, Washington, d. c.:
| The 1ull facts are not before you. l have sent
them TO the Attorney-Gencral by mail to-day |
am not lighting the office but my good name
Please read my statement on its arrival
WN. 4. VINCENT.
Did l ask for more than was fair? Do nv dis
patches read as though / had anything to con-
ceal? The same night received your telegram
started for this city, and since my arrival nave
examined all the papers in relation to my case
al the executive mansion, the Office of the At
| torney-General and the Department of the In
| terror, including the General Land Office. The
lA hon
by Mr.. Fishback, of Indiana, namely the
appointment of stephen w. Dorsey as one
of five Commissioners to select jurors for Colfax
county, and that was made under the imures-
sion that he was to select jurors for the United
States Courts. All the other papers on file are
| testimonials and Endorsements of my character
as a man, my fairness and ability as a Judge
ana general approval of my course while on
the bench. No man could desire stronger in
dorsementS than | have in the papers ON file
many, and perhaps the most important (which
were filed since my suspension. You have as
sured me that 1t has not even been intimated
that am not honest as Il man, that | was not
honest as Judge, and that my legal capacity
for the position had never been questioned
Attomey-Gencral Garland aud Secretary Lamar
have assured me of this in even stronger
terms. Since it is not charged that
am dishonest or incompetent. you must know
that great wrong and injustice has been done
me. You did not, and could not, know the rea-
sons which induced me to appoint Mr.. Dorsey
1t would have been only fair, and il was due 10
l
made, as only asked delay of four days be-
fore you appointed my successor. MI Dorsey
was appointed Commissioner for the following
reasons: There have been for many years a
number of turbulent spirits in ColfaX county
who have continually fOmelted trouble Last
spring the Sheriff, in attempting TO make an
arrest, was shot, and 50 badly wounded that he
is still confined to his bed Shortly after this
occurrence one of the guilty parties was arrested
and placed III Jail at Springer, the county-seat
of CollaX county \ number of his asso-
ciates attempted to release him from iail
and in the riot which followed. three men w re
killed. Remarkable as it may seem Il large
number of prominent and influential citizens
sustained the parties who had made the attack
upon the Jail, and it was necessary to call in
United states regular troops from Fort Union TO
quell the riot and preserve the peace This
trouble renewed the old ieuds created some
years ago, when, ON account of a similar
trouble. ii was necess airy 10 annex Colfax cOun-
" 10 Toas county Tor judicial purposes, and the
feeling between all classes Of people was more
! bitter than can describe or you can imagine
In addition to this, there is continual war in
New Mexico between sheep and cattle men in
regard to range and water rights. When the
Court convened in Colfgx county. in September
there were l6S criminal cases on the docket
and during that term over 100 more indictments
were found, many, if not most Of them, growing
out of the trouble to which ! have referred
Where there had been so much feeling it was
OF course difficult to obtain fair jury and I re-
allied that the task of selecting Jury Commits
Slant rs was Il delicate one. As you doubtless
know, the New Mexico statutes provide that the
Commission to select Jurors shall. consist OF the
District Judge, Probate Judge Of the county AID
-three Commissioners appointed by the District
Judge. the latter having the right to reject any
one proposed by any Of the Commissioners I
have always had Republican on the Commis-
SION, 70 prevent the possibility OF having pu-
littcal jury, and have divided the Commission
erS between NcXicans and Americans, 50 that
race feeling might be avoided. The pruJ4ic
Judge was It Mexican and Republican. I mad
never met him, but it was represented 10 me
that his sympathies were inclined towards the
sheep-owners. Juan Osril0, the other Mexican
on the Commission, was selected because he
was Democratic Mexican, ard had been
identified with mining Interests. \. Z. Burnham
had impressed me favOrably, on GCcUIst of his
intelligence, and was selected because he was a
penocrat and one OF the few who had no SYM
pathy with any of the contending factions. TX
Senator Dorsey had taken no part in the troubi es
referred to, was the leading Republican OF the
county, and PROBABLY the largest Individual
cnttie-owner. He had been active in ms efforts
to harmonic the conflicts between the sheep
and cattle men, andwaS in reality Il representa-
tive cattle man aud peace-maker in the county
in addition TO being man of wealth. and In
consequence interested in the good order of
the county. considered all these matters very
carefully. and it seemed TO me- after
| consideration, that it would be q wise and dis
Greet thing 10 appoint him. | did not do so
however. until after consultation with Colonel
William Breeder. Attorney General of the Ter
Frank Springer IL prominent lawyer of the
Territory, and Colonei Richard w. Webb. Clerk
OF tine COufI. IneN all agreed Llat ms appoint
ment was the best that could be made and | de-
termined upon il, for The reason that we could
not think of another resident of the county. Re
publican IN politics, so free from local complca-
tions, OF who Judgment would be SO valuable
in the selection of jurors to try the many crimi-
nal cases on the docket. The same fday de-
| eidcd 20 appoint Mr.. Dorsey, he happened to be
in the Courtroom l called him and admins
| red the oath. and the Commissioners selected
a jury Tor the next term. This did not occupy
an hour. and ! am prepared to prove that the
jurfes for next term are the best that ColfaN.
county has ever had. In regard to my personal
| relations with Dorsey, | can say that | had
never met MIR. Dorsey but once before VIII Il.
! going to Springer 70 hold Court and then oaiV
| for moment. Some time aherWard some Jr,s,sl-
bers Of the bar invited me To JOIN them in FiIl
( to Mr.. Dorsey ranch. I Joined them. but as Nj
Dorsey was i'll all the time we were there : had
no conversation with him. In the appoiutJnent
of Mr.. Dorsey il did nUt occur to me that sle tact
I would have any effect upon national politics OF
/ the general policy of Your administration This
! view OF the case never entered my mimi The
preservation OF peace and good order In the com
munity was alone considered. Fishaack of In
. diana, VINO preferred the charge of appointing
| Dorsey against me- may be a veEy Reputable
man, but he is . brotherin-law 10 q Yery dan.
ger01s, Vio!eat incendiary naDed o. p Nc
| Mains, who now resides in New
! Mexico, and has been onySeted Of murder
although he escaped punishment npon a tee a
Hicalily. have filed with the Attorney Genesa
certified transcript of his trial and conviction
| together with all the evidence given az tho
| trial, and from which YOU can see that ths nsur
der was not only cowaTdly. bet cruel in ihe ex