St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-21
JUDGE WILLIS REPLY.
He PIumply Denies the State
ments of IAN Eminent Demo .
crnfr

OooS0 u pun ny OinCldl COuuuCb. EW
unately for myself, and unfortunately
for my assailants, have done nothing
of which / am ashamed. and nothing
which reason and law will not abun-
dainty vindicate. Fortunately, also, for
myself, and the disadvantage of my as
sailants, l am stalwart fighter. and l
have always believed in and acted upon
the maxim which tells US that "tne
Lord hates coward"
In the DAILY GLOBE of this date is
printed an article in which an anony-
nous skulker described in the article
as IAN eminent Democracy makes the
statement that | prepared my decision
in the civil action entitled, Henry
Ripple VS.. George l.. Becker ct al. (he
now famous Estate Elevator Casey in
advance of the hearing. and that the
judge before whom the cause was tried
(referring to me) promised the most
careful consideration, and yet immedi-
ately on the close of the case, he drew
from his pocket decision prepared be-
fore he had heard the argument and
filed it," TO the statement that pre-
pared my decision in advance of tile ar
gument and without giving careful con-
slderation to all the arguments add
vanced by counsel upon both SIDES OF
the case, enter an emphatic denial. l
did not write syllable of my decision
prior to the completion of the argument.
My opinion upon the law of the case
was delivered orally, and touched seria-
tim upon every point OF the argument
advanced by the counsel who repre-
scented the applicant for an injunction.
AS evidence in support of my statement,
beg leave to refer to my opinion as
taken in shorthand by the court report
er, and to the persons present when the
opinion was delivered, viz: Hon. Ii. w.
Childs, attorney general of the state;
eX-Attorney General George p. Wilson
and George n. Hillman, court reporter.
The eminent Democrat" aforesaid
further airs his lack of yeracity, saying:
II am informed by two responsible per-
sons that the Judge (meaning your hum
bic servant drew the resolutions which
were passed by the Farmers Alliance
convention denouneing the supreme
court" deny this statement. l had
no connection with those resolutions,
either by way of authorship or sugges-
ton. / had no knowledge whatever,
prior to the publication of the resolu-
ton by the daily press, that such reso-
lutions existed or that their passage by
any body of citizens was contemplated.
should consider it gross breach of
professional prOpriety FOR myself, as a
lawyer, and an offense against good
taste for myself, as judge, to indite
any attack upon the supreme court be-
cause of any decision it might make.
Respect for the courts ought to be a
cardinal principle with every good citi-
zen. l deprecate any attack upon the
supreme court as much as deprecate
the existence of constitutional proyl-
sions requiring the Interpretation which
led to the defeat of the plans which the
people sought to effectuate through the
state elevator.
AS the newspaper article to which l
refer mentions my acts and utterances
in regard to the enforcement of the laws
enacted for the protection of labor. and
especially in regard to the laws de-
signed to secure to children of tender
years place in school and emancipa-
ton from the drudgery of factory and
workshop, beg to say that l shall ever
maintain the position that such laws are
wise and that their complete enforce
ment would be in HE highest degree
salutary. Your fellow citizen,
JOHN w. WILLIS.
st. Paul, Jan. 20, 1884.
The Author OF the Resolutions De.
cIares Himself
To the Editor of the Globe.
In your issue of this morning. under
the caption, Not All Turkey for Will
lis" you publish an interview with
zone of the most popular Democrats of
the state, lawyer of conceded ability"
in which he appears as having said
referring to the arguments IN the ele-
vator case) that he Uudge WlIlisl. I'm
mediately OIL the close of the case, drew
from his pocket decision prepared
before he had heard the case and filed
it, and again (referrlng to the resolu-
tons passed at the Farmers Alliance
conventiom, II am assured by two re-
sponsible persons that the Judge drew
the resolutions which were passed by
the Farmers Alliance convention de-
nouncing the supreme court"
With regard to the first accusation,
have but to say that this prominent
Democratic lawyers abilities must be
in his boots when he could not discover,
IN the decision filed by Judge Willis,
that the eminent jurist. in said decision,
had drawn his conclusions solely from
the arguments of the learned counsel
OH both sides, and, therefore, unless
gifted with a prophetic intellect IAN
honor which not even one of his hosts
of admirers attribute to HIM, could not
have prepared his decision beforehand.
Referring to the second accusation
that of preparing the resolutions in
support of himself have only to say
that more Infamous lie has never been
printed. In support of my somewhat
severe, but none the less true, state
| ment will say that the resolutions IN
question were drawn up by prominent
Republican lawyer OF this city and
| myself, without the knowledge of Judge
Willis OF any one else, and were handed
by me to the presiding officer at the
| convention. This statement / am pre-
| pared to substantiate under oath and
| ought to be sufficient for this prominent
| Democratic lawyer and his 1.-TWO re-
sponsible persons" who possibly existed
| only in the Imagination Of the writer of
the publication referred to.
l would challenge this prominent
Democrat and lawyer to give his name
| and the names of his 1.-TWO responsible
| persons" only know how fruitless it
| would be, because from my knowledge
| of deliberate liars and vicious men, they
! are always towards.
| / write not SO much on behalf of
Judge Willis (whose reputation needs
no defense from me or any one else) as
/ do for fair treatment to the public,
and in the sacred name of justice ask
tor as prominent publication of this
letter as you have given to the SANDER
| OH the fair fame and honored name of
| this pre-eminently distinguished lawyer
/ and upright judge.
JAMES CoRMIcAN,
221 Spruce street, st. Paul, MINI.
| Jnu oO 1904