Wichita eagle., 1889-03-01
THE BAR ASSOCIATION
LAST NIGHT EXPRESSED IT'S PREF
ERENCE FOB A NEW JUDGE.
By Requesting Governor Humphrey to
Appoint Mr. r. R. Vermillon-The
Balloting and the Speeches-A
Committee TO Wait Upon
The Governor.

The Governor.
The passage of law instituting an ad
| ditional district court in Sedgwlck count
has created quite lively interest, tn
question of who will be judge of this ney
court. The governor, under the law, is t.
| appoint one, who will serve until the mex
| general election, when one will be electet
to fill the rest of the time the court vii
| have to run. The salary will be g, 500 pc
year. Quite naturally there have been
number of applicants for the position
brought TO attention of Governor Hum
phrey.
| Perhaps the first person to actively ente
the race was Mr.. r. r. Vermillion- HI
was followed by Capt. j. NJ. Balderstone
| Judge F. 2. Martin and Mr.. j. W. Adams
A number of Others are reported to be il
the field They are ex-Judge E. B. Jewett
and State Senator o. H Bentley
although the latter two gentlemen
are not understood to have de-
clared themselves Mr.. Vermillion'
friends took the initiative step and started
| out with a petition to be signed by mem
| bers of the Sedgwick county bar, asking
the governor to appoint Mr. Vermillion to
the position A majority of the members,
it is said, had signed this petition prior to
the meeting which was called last night
for the purpose of giving the members Of
the bar an opportunity OF expressing to
the governor their preference in the prem
ises.
The total membership of the association
is about 125, and the attendance last night
considering the weather and the condition
of the streets. showed that the interes
manifested was very great, the number
present exceeding that at any meeting
ever before held by the association for any
purpose. There were in all 100 members
present and voting. Some who voted on
the first ballot left before the second was
taken, while others who did not vote the
first time came in time for the last ballot
As to whether or not all of the candi.
dates were willing to abide by the de
cision of the bar last night, the EAGLE
does not pretend to say as there were
various stories af1oat in that connection
last night. Nor can we say that all can
didates agreed to or intended to submit
their prospects to the bar of this county
There was considerable lobbying done by
the friends of the various candidates who
were actively before the association
but there was observed throughout
the utmost good feeling and gentle
manly courtesy in each candidates.
treatment of the other. But, as is newt
able in so large a crowd of ready witted
and oratorically gifted men as one hun
bred lawyers make, there was quite a
large amount of parliamentary dickering,
and at times there was displayed little
more earnestness than strict adherence
to parliamentary usages, and the chair
man had no easy task in keeping the
meeting as well in hand as he did.
THE MEETING.
About half past seven the lawyers began
to assemble and little after eight the
meeting was called to order. MIR. j. j.
Parks was chosen chairman, and Mr.. r.
L. Holmes secretary of the meeting.
The object of the meeting being stated,
little time was lost in getting down to
business. A motion was made
which stipulated that they pro-
coed to ballot and the gentle
man receiving the highest number
of votes be declared the choice of the asso-
citation. This however did not meet with
much favor, but was pretty vigorously
bounced upon by several. After consider
able parliamentary warfare, which includ-
ed all sorts of propositions, even to ex-
pressing no preference whatever, a substi-
tute for the original motion was adopted
and provided that the members procee d to
ballot and the person receiving a majority
of the votes cast be declared the choice of
the bar association, and that the
association request Governor Humphrey
to appoint such person to occupy the new
ly created judgeship.
On motion tellers were appointed by the
chair as follows w. S. Morris. J. d.
Houston, J. F. Mccoy and S. B. Amidon.
For the first ballot, as each member step
ped up to deposit his ballot he gave his
name which was recorded. For the
second ballot, this list of names
was called and as his name
was called, the member stepped
and deposited his ballot Some left after
the first ballot, but others who had not ar
rived in time for the first voted on the sec
ond ballot The changes were very slight
After the first ballot a motion to adjourn
was voted down.