The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-04-21

| judge should be, and appreciating my
many deficiencies in that regard,
| approach my new duties with modesty and
misgiving. l feel that l need the aid of your
support. Your presence here tonight, and
| your cordial expressions of confidence and
| respect, affords the agreeable assurance,
| that overlooking my defects, you are ready
| to give me the great aid of your cordial
| good will. If am able to SO conduct myself
| upon the bench as to merit and retain
your confidence, 1 shall be more than con-
tent. l can promise you my best efforts to
that end.
| have lived and 1abored in this commune
| ty many years, and you all know me much
more thoroughly than those at a distance
possibly can. You know my good traits and
my bad ones, .. my strong points and my
weak ones. And knowing all these, it is
exceedingly gratifying to me, to be made to
| feel, as your presence here tonight does
make me feel, that the citizens of Portland
regard me with confidence and respects and
manifest in this public manner their ap-
| proval of my appoin tment by Gov. Cleaves
to the high Office of Judge of the Supreme
! Court. l should be distressed to accept that
| position, against the wishes of my neighbors
and under their diapproval. You make me
| feel tonight that such is not the fact; and
with this expression of confidence from so
large humber of the bar, and the in1u-
entail business men, whose interests may be
| affected, my anxiety is weakened, and L
| take up the new life with hope and courage.
| In this state, and in the country general
! ly, we have heretofore been favored with an
able and pure judiciary;and all our people
| have felt safe to trust their interests, SO far
as the law affected them, to its guardian
ship and protection; and so long as the
citizens are sound and intelligent there is
| little fear of corrupt or weak court.
| With the church to cultivate and foster
our religious natures, and the civil law in
| telligently and honestly administered, to
secure and protect civil rights, and each
supported by wholesome public sentiment,
we must continue to be, as we have been in
| the past, contented, happy and prosper
GUS people.
The laws that govern any free people, and
the institutions establishd by them, and the
officers elected OF appointed by them are
necessarily the reflection of that peoples
intelligence and integrity. The character
of the one is practically the character of
the other. Although mistakes may be some-
times made in the selection of officials, such
people, the source of all power, are them
selves sound. The intelligence and integrity
| of the American people are the safeguards
of our laws and our institutions. The courts
administer the law, and hope the part l
may bear in that duty will not tend to bring
| the administration of justice into disrepute,
| nor lessen the respect of our citizens for its
| judiciary.
Hon. IT, III. Drum InOnd'S Speech.
| Hon. J.H. Drummond was next called up
on to respond to the sentiment expressed by
Judge Strout He declared that any formal
| speech was entirely out of keeping with
Judge Strout and himself. He was happy
| that his brother shared in that feeling. He
declared that Judge Strout was stin with
us and of us, and will always be the same
brother in the law that we have known and
honored-yea, and loved. Those of us who
| have crossed swords with you have learned
to respect you if we didn't before. He de-
clared that Judge Strout had discovered his
own deficiencies, perhaps. but his brethren
had not. We have the utmost confidence
that you will justify your appointment and
| our support of it. In closing ! can congrat-
ulate not only you and us, but the people of
the state in the knowledge that to you the
laws of the state are safely entrusted.
| Governor CIeaves's Speech.
| Gov. Cleaves was introduced as one who
was elevated by the good sense of the
people, and who was the cause of the eve
ning's entertainment.
The Governor was greeted with tumultuous
applause. He expressed himself as pleased
to join in the congratulations of the eve
ming. This tribute of theapeople is of deep
! significance. 1t expresses the confidence of
this community, and of this state regardless
| of poll les. He goes to his high duties with
the confidence and respect of the entire
state He will perform those duties in an
| impartial and faithful manner. Maine
boasts of her independent and non-partisan
] Judiciary The people depend upon the
| Judiciary to give protection to all that a
| citizen has Maines courts, including the
Federal courts, (applause) have won the
confidence of the people. Prejudice has
never polluted the pure air that surrounds
our Judiciary (Applause). Conscience is
| the guide of our judges, All honor to the
Judiciary of Maine. Upon their character
and learning rests the purity of our govern
ment and the happiness of our people. g
| Judge Putnam's Speech.
| Chairman Moulton here announced that
Mayor Baxter was confined to the house
with severe cold, and introduced Judge
Putnam to respond in his place. .The Judge
said that he regarded it as fortunate that
| he could arrive in the City in season to be
present and to bring to his brother Strout
his congratulations, and those of his better
| half who was not invited. He assured his
| friends of his brother Strout's qualifications
| for his high position. He has all the quail
| ties especially the temperament / never
knew him but once to loss his temper.
| While trying case his.face was once flushed
with anger because his opponent defeated
him Shy his d-n bad grammar; though
the rest of us couldn't beat him in legal
| knowledge or skill in debate.
| Mr.. Moulton said that the series of judge s
| of the Probate court had a particularly
| high standing. That court never stood
| higher than today, and its business was
never in better hands than in those of
your next speaker, Judge Peabody.
Judge Peabody's Speech.
The company rose and greeted him with
cheers.