Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-04-02
THE PROSPECT.

The President seems to be taking his
own time in making nominations, and
thus far all nominations have been of
very satisfactory character and such as to
inspire confidence. Utah as yet has re-
ceived no consideration in the matter OF
appointments, although there is va
cancy in the judgship for the First Judi
cial District and a number of applicants
for the place. The names of some who
are said to be applicants for this place are
well known in the community, but. not
altogether favorobly known; while the
the applicants who do not reside in Utah
are entirely unknown. The position is an
important one, as the Supreme Court is
composed of the district judges, "a very
bad arrangement, true,) who should be
men of as good capacity as can be had, as
the questions arising here are, many of
them, of grave importance, being largely
of political hue.
Many of the judges in Utah have been,
in fact most of them, men of
inferiority, and men of whose in
tegrity grave doubts have been en-
tertsined, and in whom no one put
confidence, neither client, attorney nor
jury. The condition of affairs, it is hoped,
will be remedied when we do have any
appointments made. What pity there
is no competitive examination to deter
mine the fitness of our appointees, for
there are great many here who would
have to go and their like would not be
seen again. But what is still more dis
tressing is that the better men of the
Democratic party in Utah will not be-
come applicants for Office, and manywho
are applicants are not an improvement
on the present incumbents, a thing we
certainly should have. That the removal
of Chief Justice Zane would be an injury
to Utah none will doubt, unless it be
those who find in the continued and quiet
enforcement of the law thing to be de-
preciated, and hope that with newer
man there will come time of rest. That
there are plenty of men the equal of
Judge Zane is admitted, but is there not
great risk run in trying to get a superior
man? The merit of the present
Chief Justice is that he is devoted
to the law, not merely the anti-polygamy
laws of Congress, but to the anti
whisky laws of Utah as well. One of the
chief troubles here has been that Judges,
prosecuting attorneys, governors and
others have been devoted to the interest
OF parties and not to the vindication of all
laws; the Chief Justice and District At
torney are not so. Mr.. Dickson has his
faults, and among them is the employ
ment of such men as ellison. We admit
that Mr.. Dickson has an unusually diff
cult task to perform in obtaining
evidence in the class of criminal
cases most numerous in Utah; but
We also believe that all the evidence
he has got and all the convictions he has
secured could have been had and with as
much ease without the employment of
men who are so obnoxious as ellison. In
this connection it is proper to say that
Gibson was never in the employment of
Marshal Ireland, and the Marshal is to be
commended for sending such men as
Captain Greenman and Mr.. Vandercook
to make important arrests when there is
some danger of disagreeable conflicts.
The selection of these two gentlemen for
their important posts has been highly
praised by those who are in every way
hostile to Marshal Ireland, and proves
that gentlemanly conduct is a great aid to
the enforcement of law and the service of
process. The three above named officials
hold the most important offices in Utah
and if they are to be filled anew, the
greatest care should be used in the selec-
ton of their incumbents. In fact there
is not at the bar of Utah to-day a more
competent person for the office of District
Attorney than Mr.. Dickson, and his re-
moval should not be made, no matter
by whom suggested and urged Doubtless
Mr.. Dickson is a Republican in politics
but he has kept his politics out of his
office and that is all that can be asked of
his politics. If there is more competent
person for the position it must be the CITY
Attorney for Ogden, who would receive
powerful support from vast majority of
the voters of Utah.