Arizona weekly citizen., 1893-11-11
THAT PETITION.

A petition was circulated in this city
 last week for signatures praying for the
 removal of Judge Sloan from the bench
 of the first judicial district.
 As the said petition received less than
 one hundred signatures in city ot 70OC
 inhabitants, the movement cannot be
 considered 8 popular one. The inn
 mediate causes leading to the petition
 arose from the order of Judge Sloan for
 the incarceration of Judge W. H.
 Barnes for contempt.
 We are not lawyers, learned in the
 technlcalities of court procedure, but at the same time, as good citizens, we do know that the dignity of the court must be maintained or its usefulness is gone. Judge Barnes was Sloan's pre- oecessor on the bench, and is, by virtue of his profession, an officer of the court, pledged to maintain its dignity. That republican judge IS now on the bench IS no excuse for a violation of its tra- dItIonal ussges and obligations. When Judge Barnes presided over the judicial functions of this district he was far more exacting than the present judge ano punished with heavy hand in- fractions of court etiquette. The otfense of $. c. Bagz, editor of the Prospector, was an editorial squib on the results of a case that had been disposed of and was no longer before the court. For thls he was arrested and sentenced to a fine of $500 or 300 days in jail. The sentence was so disportionate to the oifense that the citizens of Tombstone paid the fine and Bagg was escorted home with band of music.
 Coming nearer home it must not be forgotten that when a number of our best citizens-democrats and republi- cans-petitioned certain bondsmen to withdraw from the bond of B. A. Hamilton, the judge, who had a personal interest in the case, denounced the signers in open court and threatened u fill the jail with them. We mention these cases not th rough any lack of ofsympathy with him in his present misfortune, or to relievs Judge Sloan of the responsibility of his recent action, but merely l., show that
 emocratic as well as FSpublican judges are alive to the respect due court. It Is ciaime' that Sloan was unneces- sariiy severe in his sentence. This ac- tior we do not propose to discuss, but the difference to man in jail between ten days and 300 is a whole lot. We are sorry for Judge Barnes and would like to see him we'll out of his present trouble, but it should be borne ih mind that the judge of court has rights in common with the attorneys who practice before him. It has been charged that he was biased in his rulings and under factional influence. This we learn was the stock in trade of the petitioners. If tkis is the case, with all due respect to their opinions, many good citizens will differ with them. Sloan may err as did other judges before him, but if he has done so We believe they were errors of judgement and not of intention. His administration has been as accept able to the people as any of the judges who preceded him. True he could not please the democrats any more 4an 6 democrat could please the republicans, but aside from politics, which we are free to sny were nevar dragged into hIs court, there has been but small cause for complaint. Judge Barnes has many personal friends who would gladly sign a petition to the court in his behalf, who would not sign petition for the removal of Judge Sloan. It pays best to be fair at all times and in all things.