Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1888-10-27
A NEW JUICE.
j FKANK BALI, 3 q, APPOINEnD
MUNICIPAL JUDGE.
Tho Frisnds OF Judge Turner surprised
and Indignant At the Action Of
Governor Blggs.

The announcement that J FEAnk
Ball, E'q has been appointed Judge oi
the Municipal Court has created rsa'
genuine surprise upon the part Of al-
most every body, and . little il!-feeline
on the part OF some. While the nbilitIep
Of Mr.. Ball 10 Feoo7nisAd, and nobody
could reAsonRbly objsot to his AppoiDt
ment either on tbe score Of ability or
chnrIotaT, the public mind had settled
down to . desire thst Judge Turner
might be ooptlpued In the flee he had
90 ably filled since his appointment. II
now appears that Judge Our mtnb'
esiRDAtion Of the Office Of Judge OF the
Municipal Court has been In the hApes
Governor Blgas for some weeks past,
I'D this fact has been kept Q profound
soret on the part OF the very few WI o
new It.
II is raid that tbs Governor, appre
ensive that the report Of Judge Cum
nins' resignation, II IL got out, would
1riDg tremendous pressure upon him
q favor OF this and thAt oAndi6 ste, de-
srmined TO cut the matter short and
sppolnted Mr.. Ball 70 the of8cS las'
'uesdsy. Judge Turner fully expected
be appointed to the { ffi %, and bie
osny friends fully expected the same
Ting, hence the rather unpleasant feel
pg In the m sitter, not against Mr.. Ball
but rather against the Governor for the
manner in which he made the appoint
nent.
Though Mr.. Ball received his com
uisslon 10 Judge last Tuesday, he sRj6
oshinR about It until yesterday, and
irobAbly would even thon have pre-
f.rPaA aAlanna IOnoaH haA
raduAlly leaked out from other sources
bat he had reoslved the IppointmeDt. l..
tu referring 10 the matter be said the
ppointment was an absolute surprise
0 him, as he had not applied for 1t por
squssted any OF his friends to Ask for
/ for him. As tl 9 commission came 10
him unEolioited, and he believed the
oihon to be one Of great rtsporsl-
hlity, he had asked the Governor to
i've him some time for consideration
efore making final decision as to the
acceptance Of the appointment.
The Municipal Court Of Wilmington
was orested at tie 1883 session Of the
Legislature, and 1t went into eff
arlY in the summer Of thAt year, with
udEe Cummlns as the flnt Judgaof the
)ourt, his appointment having been
pRde for IL years. 1t wss evident,
, on after the court went Into oBer1 ton
fhst whatever legal abilities TIE judge
might be possestGd OF be WAS 10. fsteG
Tor the position, and when last hummer
his fAl ure in busineEs transaction, tine
uTed with eyi!ent dishonesty, com.
1elled him 10 leave the city, there we're
no regrets that his eeAt upon the mu
CipRl bench was left vacant. This
VACANCY for the time y as filled by w I
Lyman, Es4,, wi had been commits
Toned a. deputy By Associate Justice o.
Now Castle County Judge Grubb.
The dutiei Of the ofios not b. ing eE-
lotly in the line Of Mr.. LyBam's tsste,
10 declared his intention 10 resign,
vhel Henry Q. TdrneT, E!q with 6
stronR recon mmendatlon from the bar Of
Wilmington, was appointed judge
4t interim by Judge Grubb, who was
hen summeTlng at Bedford Springs,
Pa. As nothing hRd been heard OF thu
oToJpectise resignation OF Judge Gum,
miuBi which should have been immedi
s,ely offered when he went into volun-
ary exile, Il was generally believed
hat IL would devolYe upJn the ne1i
Legislature TO impeaoh Rfd remove
MIN, and u til that time Il was gen.
rally supposed Judge Turner would be
9scure in bis cfh 70. The iates, however,
iesm to be agsiIss him, and the ieelID 8
ia strong that Governor Biggs in his
secret voluntary action has failed 70
rsoogn;ze merit in the manner In which
be has put his foot down upon Judge
Turner.
Should Mr. Ball Aoc pt the appoiut-
ment, Wilmington will have Q VeFy
capable and worthy Municipal Judge,
hut ahf "a xvtll ha n TannIaw atEws,, - a.,
ilgnAtion amongst the Salisbury wing
# the Democrats, although both Mr.
Ball and Mr. Turner have been strong
sdherents Of that wing. The mos
RIathy amongst the Democrats ar
those Of Irish desce 1t. The deliberate
daughter Of Jutgs Turner IL looked
upon as : stab NJ the Irish wing Of the
party, that has always stood by thG
Democrats, even by sacrificing theiI
Sell-knoWn opposition TO free trade fol
tho sake Of being gco1 Democrats.
In the expectation that Mr.. Ball will
accept the appointment, the question Ii
osnvAssed aB to who will succeed Mr..
Ball IS City Solicitor. There are many
WhO have already declared In favor Of
Judge Turner becoming City Solicitor,
but it is said that . contest for the
place will be made by ex-JudRe W. T.
Lyman, J. Frank BigRs and Willard
Salisbury, Jr , Esq.
The opinion prevails that Mr.. 6Auls
bury was prime fAotor in having j nd ae
Turner removed aud Mr.. Ball Ap-
pointed, AB thereby the latter would NOT
block the way OF young Democratic
ssplFants for Consre s'onsl preferment
at any rate the Democrats are In q ter
ribls stew over the matter, and there
are those among them who predict thai
IL will result In the election Of the Re
publican county tjoket. II this is the
only disaster that will follow the couK ty
can stand IL, and Delaware will still re
main an important part Of the penin-
sula between the two bays.