Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-08-06

JOhh lie hoil lot NouTt ol Appears.
Editor Greenbrier independent
We have been taught from the be-
ginning Of our government down to
the present time that our judiciary
is the most important branch Of the
government-the great bulwark of
American liberty-that branch of
the government to which every citi-
zen from the most exalted to the
humblest has to- look for the mainte-
nance of his rights of property, his
personal liberty and his life, when
any Of these may be threatened.
Considering the great importance
of the judiciary, ought we not, i'm the
selection of man to place on the
highest Court of our State, Court
from which there is no appeal and
whose Judgment upon the question
before it, let it involve life, liberty
or property, is final and conclusive,
act with the greatest caution, and Sc
leCt for the position a man possess
ing the very highest qualifications
for the place and take no man of
scCond-rate ability?
Without meaning to be offensive
to any other gentlemen who may be
aspiring to this position, say with
out hesitation, upon my own per-
sOnal observation, and upon the esti-
mate placed upon the capacity,
ability and qualifications of John ii.
Holt by the ablest lawyers in the
State with whom l have conversed
on the subject, that he is by far the
best man for the place which will be
vacant on our Court this fall that we
can get. He is man of fine educa-
ton. He had, to begin with, the
training of his father, who is one of
the ablest and most learned lawyers
in the State; he had the training of
two of the greatest law schools in
tho United States, which gave him
an accurate knowledge Of the great
leading principles of our law; he
has had large and varied practice
for the last ten years in the various
Courts of this State and the United
States District and Circuit Courts, in
which he has come in contact with
the ablest talent of the country
Added to this, he is a man of the
": ct order of common sense.
and possesses q clear, clean-cut, legal
discriminating mind, is great
worker and a great student, is polite
and respectful to every one and will
listen to your arguments with the
greatest consideration and then act
upon your cause with all the integ-
rity and honesty that the great Moses
charged the judges of old to act with
as shown in Deut. l., 1917. Bcliev-
ing, as | do, that John Holt possesses
these qualifications, it would be the
p'i vi "iSupii WI thc DcillOCTdJlC
party to nominate him and for the
people to elect him to the Court of
Appeals.
In the great States of Penhsylva-
MIA and New York you never see
loose opinions of their Courts of last
resort. The reason of this is, that
the lawyers of those States will not
allow inferior men to offer for the
place Of Judge.
In the State of Pennsylvania Judge
Sharswood was kept on the Supreme
bench for the last twenty years of
his life, Notwithstanding the fact that
he was a Democrat and the State had
lOO,O Republican majority. He
was known to the lawyers to be a
man of great learning and ability
and of the highest integrity. They
offered him to their people and he
was accepted by them.
Let us offer Holt to our people and
see what they will do for him. Do
not go into the convention looking
around for some man who may have
no record, who may be offensive to
other parties or who may have the
endorsement of some other party for
the same position. If you do you
are sure to be disappointed, and he
is sure TO be of no account. Nomi-
nate your own man. Do it on ac-
count Of his ability and fitness for
the place, and other parties will re-
spect you and him and help you to
elect him.
/ do not believe there is a lawyer
in the State who will dispute sim
gle statement / have made with re-
gard to John Hollis fitness for the
Court Of Appeals. Let us nominate
and elect him. X.
CONVENTIONS con-
ventiOns will be held next week as
follows: The Judicial and Senatorial
conventions, both at Hinton next
Monday, the 10th; the State conven.
ton at Wheeling, next Wednesday,
the 18th, and the Congressional con-
vention ut Charleston on Saturday,
the 18th.
a SPECIAL, of the 30th ult., from
Charleston TO the Wheeling Register,
states that Bryan and Sewall Club