The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-28
Judge COburn's Removal,

TO the Editor OF the indianapolis Journal:
While in St. Paul, 1 learned that John
Coburn had been suspended, which you
have, of course, noticed. 1 think you
will find in this good cause to strike hard
this sort of civil-service reform I was
much surprised at the order-not at the fact
that it had been tried for the tools of the North
ern Pacific railroad have been working energet-
ically for months to have him removed. He has
been very popular with the people, and has
caused the above-named monopoly some trouble,
and still more remains in store Three judges
Henry N. Blake, J. Conger and John Coburn-
have now, in five years, been removed in this
district, and with little foundation for any griev
ance, save the grasping meanness of this road.
A large number of the territorial officials are its
minions. and the desire to possess all has caused
the suspension. Since last spring w. T. San
ders, j. K Toole and some fellows in this place
have done their utmost to have the Judge re-
moved. Without regard to the fact as TO
whether federal judge can be removed they did
not find anything on which to base the desired
charges. And there are none. The people and
the Republican paper here stand up for him.
But the people of Territory are little better
than nobodies in this respect They have no in
fuonce in the selection of their officers. Only a
few weeks ago plan once suggested was car
ried out; that we might forestal any charges by
placing on record the wishes of the business peo-
pie of this district A huge petition was sent in
to Attorney general Garland Isuggested to the
| Judge last spring that this attempt would be
made and to prepare himself. He, as soon as
this expression of popularity had been sent,
wrote TO Jerry NJ. Wilson, Of Washington, d.
| c., and asked him to see Garland and find out
| 49, g ~.
answered by Wilson since October-some time
| in November-and Wilson stated that no had
seen Garland and talked the matter over and
| that Garland said that not only had no charges
| been filed or ever heard of, but that he was
| pleased, ETC., at this manifestation of the peo-
| pies faith in a decent man, and soon; and, also,
| that if any charges should be preferred he would
| instantly inform Judge Coburn of the fact and
give him an opportunity to refute them. Since
this letter these alleged charges have been made.
| The Judge wrote letter to Garland requesting
| that these charges be sent him, so that he
| might prepare to meet them. This letter has
| not yet been answered and Garland claims, in a
| dispatch to the papers, that he sent them; that
the Judge had them and might make them
public if he so desired This is false all over
Now the meanness of the thing is this: The
Judge is (charged) indicted, tried, convicted
executed and allowed no chance to defend him
| self, or answer in any way. 1t has been four
teen days since this suspension was made public,
| yet the charges have not been made public, nor
will they be. The only thing I have heard is
that ne is an offensive partisan" II the charges
are good let us have them. The Judges char
acter is too well known to you to need any
| eulogium of mine. He is still tho same. 1t is a
| shameless piece of work TO thus stab man at
| any time in the back They think by this work
| to blind the eyes of all by trying to make the
world believe that the Judge dare no publish
| the charges Let Mr. Garland publish them.
Judge Coburn has never seen them. Whether he
| is removed not, and no matter what kind of
a man his successor may be, thus to
| leave in the dark and defenseless
is to ali decent men, of any party, an outrage
which deserves a severe rebuke Our press here
| is too distant, being entirely local in its inhu-
| ence, TO affect this affair it should. Right in
your city, where he come from, where he is
| surdity of the situation will more readily strike
you than others who are not so we'll posted in
| regard to his career and less conversant
with public affairs. The secret OF the affair is
this: A suit would have to be decided III this
term Of the Supreme Court, next month"; which
| involves the title to millions Of acres of land held
by the Northern Pacific railroad. To decide this
requires two judges. There is one fairly
| decent Judge beside Coburn, and they would
| have certainly put a quietus this grasping
| monopoys operations. In spite of all such vii
prop Of the idly swinging scales the project is
doomed. Indiana, with her thirteen congress
men; most Of whom, no doubt, are good men, can
have influence upon the destinies OF
| Montana than can the partly hedged members
| from its own alkal deserts Here we are power
less. We can't reach civilization, except in the
| mails and they rather slow. HoosIER.
MILES CITY, NJ t., Dec. 49,
|