The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-07-12
THE DTsTRTOT. .JTrDcRsuyp

IHE OISIRIOT JUDO ESHIP.
Many of our lest statesmen have
contended that the judiciary, in order
10 maintain the high standard looked
ior IN the individuals holding Offices of
SO much responsibility should never be
subject to the chances and intrigues SO
common to Offices changeable at every
ductuation OF the political tide. And
that such claim is a good one would
naturally strike the thinking mind
after reading the newspaper articles
which have lately appeared in connec-
ton with the candidacy OF at least one
of our citizens for this Office.
But as the Office, according to our
present laws, is an elective one, like
other offices of emoIument, of course
there must be the usual struggle for it
as for the others.
This being the case, the best thing
we can do is to endeavor, if possible, to
choose men To fill such positions against
whose characters, either public or pri-
vate, there is and has never been cast
even the suspicion of shadow.
This should be done not only be-
cause the Office is one in which a dis
honest man can do great injury to his
neighbors and the community at large.
but also because the party selecting
candidate whose integrity there is
reason to doubt, Injuries its own organ
ization. And no man YhO is true re-
publican or democrat should attempt
to fOist himself upon his party as a
candidate while there are serious
charges against either his integrity or
his character.
Against Mr.. Cunningham, who is
seeking the republican nomination for
this important office, there have been
made, through the public press and on
the streets, some extremely serious
charges. Charges, which, if proven
true, stamp him rs even worse than
Shakespeare's Shylock.
That these charges are true, many of
our best citizens, both republican and
democrat, believe.
This, of itself, should be reason
enough to defeat his nomination.
But, when we consider the fact that
the present occupant of this office,
Judge Graves, is "a gentleman against
whose official or personal integrity not
even his bitterest enemies have as yet
been able to cast shadow, and that
he is II candidate for reelection, then
the reason for the defeat of the former
for the nomination becomes all the
stronger.
That Judge Graves has made an eff
Gent and honest official is borne out by
the fact that-with possibly the excep-
tion of Mr.. Cunningham and those as
sociated with him in business--eVeTy
lawyer, democrat and republican alike,
Is favorable to him succeeding himself.
That MIR. Cunningham is untitled
for the position may be easily proven
by the almost unanimous voice of his
brothers of the legal fraternity.
And IL any farther proof is wanted
we refer our readers to Mr.. G. G. Fer
rem of No. Is Rural street, who last
evening, in an open political meeting,
stated that Mr.. Cunningham collected
some sixteen dollars for him, and kept
the money because he claimed that
Mr.. Ferren said he would rather give
1t to a lawyer than have the man who
owed the bill beat him out of it.
The question is ~ simple one. There
are two candidates. One is named
Graves and the other Cunningham.
Against Mr.. Graves character or in.
tegrity there is nothing alleged.
Against Mr.. Cunningham there are
all kinds of charges, from that of cen.
sure by the highest legal tribunal in
the state, down to that of the private
individual who publicly charges him
with an action so small as to be as.
suredly much below what should be ex
pected of one who aspires to sit in
Judgment on the rights of his fellow.
citizens.