Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-06-02
is BURNETT A GREAT tAwYEsS

The Salem Statesman defends
Judge Burnett against our assertion
that when .he was elected Circuit
Judge he had never had VIII 1t is called
ah extensive law practice, civil OF
criminal. 1t claims thlt for 9 years
prior To his becoming judge he bad is
cases In the supreme court, while
Judge Hewitt had only y and Mr.
darcy hal o iiy9 This may 6t the ret
ord, but IL does not contrUvert our state
mcnt, that when he was elected judge
he had never enjoyed large expert
ence Ia either civil or criminal prac
tice. His Business was largely that OF
a probate lawyer. and his cases were
mostly collections and foreclosures
II is a fact that lawyers who make
specialties OF practice OF this kind
Of business handle more cases
10 the Supreme court than those
In any other field. Their clients are
the wealthy class of people who are
able to take appeals.
Any Uhe cannot remember Of Judge
Burnett haYing an extensive practice
as jury lawyer. He never wrestled
hard ln the Police and Justices
Courts and as for criminal business he
had almost none. He did conduct the
affairs of the Republican party 10 sew
eral campaigns and knows how TO
work a primary aud manipulate con
venLious. 1t Is TO this that he owed
mis- elevation more than his reputation
as a barrlster. The Statesman Is care
ful not to defend him against pur
.barge, that in all cases between farm.
ers and corporations, he enjoys the con-
d ence OF the latter and is shuuned
like u rattle snake by the counsel for
the agricultural classes. The States
man avoids our charge that he used
his position and influence as Judge
to nulllfy investigation Of the court
house frauds, and that his technical
ruling On the question OF "intent'
prevented an indictment last June OF
the conspirators who we're robhing the
taxpayers Of Marion county.
The Statesman lodges these ques-
tions and INDUCES in its usual abuse
of THE JOURNAL, (which it calls a
"black- mailing Sheet" Mr.. Flagg
called The JOURNAL "Black-mail.
ing sheet" a few years ago in his
Democrat, and if the man whom the
Statesman defends comes to grief as
completely as the person defended by
Mr.. Flagg, Judge Burnett will never
again crack the whip over the law
yers and common people Of this dis
trict.
Judge Burnett's intolerance toward
his political opponents and his no.
torious leniency toward convicted
ringsters of his own party are we'll
established. They are not even
denied by his party organ and further
comment is unnecessary. Judge Bur-
nett is simply a sharp willy lawyer
politician. His grand-stand plays, of
disciplining the bar, to make the
farmers think he is their friend, are
only equalled in bad taste by his
boisterUus defamation about patriot
ism before the Republican county
convention and his school-boy 4th-
of-July oration at Rev, Grannis'
memorial service. THE JOURNAL has
personally no illwill toward Mr.. Bur.
nett. If we knew that he would be
elected by an increased vote we would
oppose him as a public duty. We
hope II he is reelected he will have
become better and filter man to
occupy the bench. He evidently does
not know that he is considered mere
partisan tool of the Republican ring.
He may not know that he would be
relied upon implicitly to protect the
gang in any robbery of the taxpayers,
In perpetrating any political outrage
at the polls or otherwise; yet such is
the estimate in which he is held by
the party machine now controlled by
such men as Hendricks, Bingham,
Terrell, ct al
To prove this low estimate which
these Doodle politicians place upon
Burnett we need only quote from the
Salem Statesman the following ar
ticle in commenting upon the state
ment of Hon. II. L. Barkley that ne
would prosecute his lefamers IN the
courts;
BRO" Barkley threatens to take
the matter into the courts. Well,