The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-05-17
SUPREME COURT CLERK.

SATURDAYS Ottawa Times is quite
confident that Mr.. A. II. Taylor will
be nominated at the Springfield con-
yention on the 24th, for reelection,
regarding his unanimous endorse
ment by the Supreme Court itself and
his popularity with the members or
the bar throughout the northern
Grand Division as having contributed
greatly in his favor" Fridays Otta-
wa RepuJlican also "booms" Mr.. Tay-
lor in the best part Of a column OF ed
ltorial.
The opponent Mr.. Taylor has most
to fear undoubtedly is Mr.. John j.
Healy clerk Of the Superior Court OF
Chicago. "A man backed by the leading
Republican papers Of that city on the
score of exceptional fitness and great
popularity with the legal fraternity.
With the united strength Of Chicago
and Cook county at his back, Mr..
Healy will need very little additional
outside help at Springfield to get the
nomination over Taylor, and that he
will get all such help he needs seems
to be already taken by his friends for
granted.
| The district being Overwhelmingly
Republican, and there being no chance
therefore for democrat, we have no
further interest in the contest except
such as arises from purely local con-
siderations Whether Mr.. Taylor en-
joys the popularity with the MEM
bers of the bar throughout the n.
Grand Division" the Times speaks of
may well be questioned, If jugded by
frequent expressions by attorneys
heard about the court house; but the
point is one we need not go into.
What we desire to remind the peO-
pie notably in La Sale, Grundy and
Kendall counties, but particularly of
| the city of Ottawa is, that there is
not only a contest between Mr.. lay
lor and Mr.. Healy for this nominal
| ton, but it also involves the re-nomi-
nation of Mr.. Combs, for clerk of the
Appellate Court: for it is not at all
supposabe that if the delegates at
Springfield give the Supreme Clerk to
ottawa they will also give us
the Appellate Clerk. Now as to
whether they want Combs or Taylor,
the people OF Ottawa ought not to
take two seconds to decide. Mr.. Tay-
lor has been clerk or deputy clerk of
the Supreme Court at Ottawa for over
twenty years, and during that time
has received pay to the amount of at
least $50, 600. Can anyone point to a
dollar of that large sum he has ever
invested, or remotely contributed,
towards building up, improving or
adjoining Ottawa? He even refuses
to invest enough here TO buy a cheap
house to live in, prefcrring to board
around On the other hand, Mr..
Combs has been here six years, and
though having smaller income than
Mr.. Taylor, has invested every spare
dollar in Ottawa property, building
some of the finest cottages in the city,
greatly adjoining and identifying a
long neglected residence quarter. Be-
sides, Mr.. Combs was soldier,
as such was permanently disabled
for manual labor in the service Of bis
country, and prc-emnently deserves
recognition on that score in the dis
tribution of offices. Mr.. Taylor, on
the other hand, kept himself very
carefully and sedulously out of the
range Of bullets or the smell of gun
powder He may have induced, like
ARENAS Ward, some of his wife's rel
atlyes To go, but as for himself, he
preferred the honors and dangers of IA
"home guard"
We have also mentioned Grundy
and Kendall county. Mr.. Combs was
associated with the boys from those
counties in the war, and was elected
Appellate Clerk from Grundy county
where he had been County Clerk. Asl
TO those counties, therefore, and par
ticularly ottawa, it would be IA shame
if they supported Mr.. Taylor and
thereby endangered the re-nomina
ton OF Mr.. Combs.
THE TARIFF DEBATE.