The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-05-21

Until Next Week.
Some of the Republican members OF
the bar who think a great deal more
of efficiency Of the supreme court
than they do of the Republican victory
are pressing a proposition for a nom
partisan election for these important
offices and are meeting with some
favor among the Democrats. How
ever, 1t is more than probable that
the scheme will prove an utter fail
ure. The same proposition was put
to the front regarding the district
court judges in this district. But this
idea aroused a great opposition among
the men in the trenches. They said
that it would be too much of good
thing to literally give a judgeship or
two TO the Democrats when there are
about sixteen hungry Republicans for
every Office in the gift of the state,
county or city.
In the matter of supreme court cleo
tons there is an objection equally in
surmountable. It is of the utmost i'm
should be composed of such men as
will give proper construction to the
new constitution. On this subject the
ideas of the Democrats and Republl-
cans are materially different. Each
party wants to have a majority of the
three members Of the court, in order
that a strict or a liberal construction
shall be put on the document and on
any political question that may arise.
The RpnT1hlipanS claim that fba ma
jority should be theirs in view Of their
majority in the last election. They
say they would be literally giving
away one judge if they should make
a non-partisan ticket and the Demo-
Gratis should take this exceedingly
liberal concession from them and give
most hearty thanks for the considera-
ton.
The Democrats, however, do not
take kindly to this idea. They realize
that the battle of this fall in the state
is not by any means hopeless. Since
the last campaign the Republicans
have been compelled to take on them
selves the onus of the Republican ma
Jority in the constitutional conven-
ton, the defeat of their bounty ideas
by strong provisions in the constitu-
llOn anu a number u OluSE
and all while they are torn with such
internal discussions as would put the
most pugnaciouS South American re-
public to shame. More than that the
Democrats are conceded to have by far
the best available judicial timber and
even if their general ticket
is defeated it would be more than
likely that their entire judicial ticket
would go through the ordeal to vic
\
to concede the Republicans one Of the
judges in order that there should be
harmony in the campaign but, occupy
ing such a coign of vantage as they
do just at present, it would be most
foolish to give UP as much as would be
demanded.
Then, too. the boys in the trenches
must have their say. To them no Of
fee is so sacred as to allow non-parti-
to the Democrats would be setting a
bad example. 1t nigh: be the seen
which would lead to such political viz
tue as would put an end forever to
their occupation. Charley Crane and
the machine would not have it, and
just at present Charley and the ma
chine seem to have a lead pipe cinch
on the Republican party of the terri
tory. Therefore at present a. non-par-
tisan judicial election, ait least so far
as the supreme court is concerned, is
an irridescent dream.
For this time in the campaign the
crop of candidates among the Repub-
Hcans for the supreme bench is very
luxuriant. OF course the first men,
toned man is Judge Zane. He has
been on the bench 50 long that he has
t,,f1
of practice sits heavily upon him.
There is something very attractive
about a judicial office, outside the
mere question of salary, and often
men who could make more outside in
practice will take the erTnine. 1t was
James Russell Lowell who said that
every man likes a privilege, if it is
only that of chief mOurner at a fun
eral- Within late years Judge Zane
has been severely criticised for what
was called his crankiness on the dis
trsct bench, and few are so deaf as not
to have heard of the murmer against
Johnny practicing before his father.
But as he is one of the most promis-
ing, or, perhaps, the most promising,
Republicans now. openly in the field
for the position, the bar is inclined to
think that it may be well to encourage
him. Removed to the supreme
bench and placed in a position where
he would be brought to deal with only
the cold law, they believe he would
lose a great deal of that crankineSs
and, mated with two other men, it is
not supposed he would have a great
chance to exercise any fatherly pride
he might have in Johnny.
"But there are others. It is not
meet that Judge Zane should be the
only candidate for three offices. To
his credit it may be said that he has
been somewhat more dignified than
some of the others who are coming to
the front and cuts a much better
figure One of the most energetic of
the candidates is none other than
Judge Miner. whom in his term on the
district bench, performed the super
human task of convincing nearly
three-fourths of the bar that he was
not fitted for the position. He was not
considered to have the best sort of a
judicial mind and was severely criti-
cized for his appointment of his SON
in-law to be clerk Of the court in con-
tradiction of the statute until he was
forced to ask for a resignation.
He is working very hard for the |
place. During the session of the con- |
stitutional convention he haunted the |
halls and floor of that august body |
working among the delegates with a |
terrible energy. He showed intense |
interest in every provision relating to |
the supreme court and was always |
working the country members. He |
impressed some of them greatly and |
may develop surprising strength in the /