The Iola register., 1891-10-23
IrFITs LEANDER sTILLwELL.

In a recent article in the X. &. Star
Noble Prentis outlines the qualities
and characteristics that should be
possessed by the man who is to serve
the people as District Judge. And if
he had had Judge Stillwell for mod
ell he couldn't have drawn q closer
picture of him. Here it is. Read it
and see if it doesn't fit Stillwell as
| if it were made for him:
The Judge should be learned man;
he should know the law as well as
any lawyer practicing before him and
better than most. He should have
behind him the record of successful
and honorable practice at the bar. A
LAWYER whom any other lawyer can
"turn down. is not fit for a judge. He
will be too easily scared by the attor-
news. Besides his knowledge of the
law, he should have fund of general
information, constantly increased by
general reading.
The Judge should be man of dig
nifty and courage. He does not need
to be tyrannical and over bearing, but
the consciousness that he is as good as
any man i'm the court room, and of the
we'll nigh sacred character of his office
should make him always the first man
while court is i'm session. He is not
there merely to witness the admins
tration of justice; he is there to aid it,.
He should be man enough to assist
the timid witness; give the swift wit
ness q setback and maintain order
and the courtesies and amenities of
civilized society, AMONG bullying, in
decent, ignorant and ill-bred lawyers.
The Judge should be sober man.
A drunken man may be JOY IN the
family circle, and the life of the festal
board, but he is out of place on the
bench. The half-shut and feeble eye,
the one-sided, balf-open and drooling
mouth, and Goods great gift of speech
abused, - do not become court OF JUS
tice. This remark is based on person
al observation. 1t may be said farth-
er, that while prohibition remains in
the constitution and law the Kansas
Judge is sworn to maintain, it is not
proper for him to indulge in a series
of explosions like General Dyren-
forth's gas balloons on the subject of
sumptuary legislation.
A Judge should not be demagogue.
OF course in Kansas this requires some
self-restraint, but he should put on
the curb. He should not undertake
to reform the law; his business is to
take it as he finds it. He may sim
cerely believe that the man who steals
horse has a better right than the
man who owns him; but he had better
resign his office while the law MAIN
tains its present prejudice and bias
against horse thieves, than to advo-
cate contrary theory.
1t is the boast of adherents of the
Establishment in England that the
Cnurch puts a gentleman in every
parish. The people of Kansas should
see to it that there is placed in every
judicial district a gentleman occupy
ing the position of district judge. The
office should be raised so high that
Falstaff7s recruits, Mouldy Wart and
Bull-calf, would not aspire to it.
When a gentleman, courteous but
firm; and approved of all men as en-
dowed with a sense of justice and a
knowledge Of the law, has been in
Quoted into this office of district judge,
he should be kept there. 1t is often
said that the salary of the district
Judge is not sufficient to attract the
best lawyers. This is not entirely true;
and besides if the office could be taken
with assurance of permanence the sal
ary would not be so much an object.
Under our present system no such as
surance can be given; the best judge
in Kansas may be turned out with
cry for some worthless demagogue,
heoousa tho faithful honnrah hle DIlblic
servant has "had it long enough"