Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-01-31
Is Judge Winslow a Non=Partisan
Judge?

Judge Winslow is ont as a non partisan
candidate to succeed himself as Judge
of the Supreme court
is be non-partisan?
That he is Democrat we all know.
The question We put, however, does not
relate to his politics. 1t may be better
put thus: Has he upon the bench,
shown himself to be a non-partisan
judge? Let indisputable facts give
answer to the question.
In March '9l, of the five judges of
the Supreme court, Cole, Lyon, Taylor
and Cassidy were republicans and
Orion was democrat. On April 3rd,
1891, Judge Taylor died, and Gov.
Peck on the fourth day of May following
appointed Judge Winslow to succeed
him. In January, 1892, the Hon. S. T.
Pinney, democrat who had been
| elected to succeed Judge Cole in April,
1891, took his seat upon the bench, SO
that i'll January, 1892, the court was
composed of three democrats and two
republicans. In April, 1892, by the
courtesy Of republicans, Judge Winsiow
was elected without opposition for the
unexpired term of Judge Taylor, that
is. until January, 1896. In 1891, under
the dictatorship of Boss Wall the
Legislature, with the approval of Gov.
Peck, passed the first infamous gerry
nander act, which violated the
constitution Of the state by taking parts
of counties and patching them together
to form assembly and senatorial districts
and by making the number of inhabi-
tants of the different districts vary
greatly to subserve grossly partisan
purposes. On March 22G, 1892, the
supreme court declared this apportion-
ment act void And, as the dates
above given show, it was shortly after
the announcement of this decision that
Judge Winslow was elected without a
contest. After this decision Gov. Peck
called the legislature together in special
session, to frame new apportionment
law. The Legislature met in June, with
Boss Wall in command, and passed the
second gerrymander act, which WAS
approved by Gov. Peck on July LIST,
1892. 1t respected county lines, but in
ITS appointments was UNANIMOUSLY
partisan. 1t formed one democratic
assembly district with only S,626 inhab-
itants, and formed republican assembly
district with 25,1l1 inhabitants. II
made a democratic senatorial district
with 30,732 inhabitants. and it shaped
one republican senatorial district SO as
to include 50 $50 inhabitants, and in the
language OF Judge Cassoday, there
were "other irregularities, though less
glaring, vet no less repugnant to the
constitution, running through the whole
act
Judge Orion, when the supreme cour,
set aside the first gerrynander act, III
his opinion said: "This apportionment
act violates and destroys one of the
most sacred rights and privileges of the
people of this state, guaranteed to them
10y the ordinance of 1857 and the
constitution, and that is EQUAL repre-
sentation in the legislature.' This ais.
is a matter of the highest public
interest and concern, to give this court
Jurisdiction in this case. If the
remedy for these great public wrongs
cannot be found in this court, it exists
nowhere"
The second gerrymander act was
great public wrong, in the particular set
forth by Judge Orion, and the supreme
court was asked to set aside this wrong
The act came before that court for
consl Iteration and determination, at the.
August term, 1892, and on September
9th the court decided that it was void
because it violated the provision of the
constitution, which requires the legisla-
lure i'll forming assembly and senatorial
districts to do SO according to the
number of inhabitants. But the
decision was not unanimous. It WAS
the decision of four of the judges, two
(Lyon and Cassoday) being republicans
and two (Orton and Pinney) democrats.
Judge Winslow disgented, holding in
the face of the constitution that this
app"rlionment act ought to stand III
spite of its fragrant unfairness. That
Judge Winslow's dissent was due to
party considerations seemed evident
That was not so long ago as TO make j.
impairment now TO inquire: Is Jud e
Winslow a non-partisan judge?-Gran
County Herald.
We are in accord with the sentiments
expressed in the above editorial and
favor movement to nominate a Repuh
ican who is fully qualified and not So
partisan that he can see virtue only in
his own party. We favor the nomina
ton of a republican against Judge
| WinsloW.
BeGGs' GERMAN SALvE.
I L.,