The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-15
AN ANNOUNC Cement
By William H. Fish to the Democratic
Voters Of Georgia.


TO express your choice for three members
of the Supreme Court, viz: a chief JUS
tioe. an associate justice for a full term
of six years, and an associate justice for
an unexpired term of two years. l am
candidate to succeed myself, and am offer
ing for the fun term.
AS almost my entire time has been, and
Is now being devoted TO the discharge of
my official duties, L adopt this means Of
presenting some of the reasons upon which
ask your support, and l request each of
YOU TO carefully read this communication
and give it an impartial consideration.
After an honorable contest in which /
did nothing unfair or unbecoming, I was
nominated for the Office 1 hold and subse-
uuentIy elected without opposition. JUS
tices Little, Cobb and myself were chosen
on a joint ticket, without distinction
to the length of our terms; but in draw
ing for them, as the law required, the
short term, by mere chance, fell to me. 1t
has been the lfnbroken usage of the Demo-
cratic party to accord a reelection TO
every official even after serving fun
term. if he has been faithful to his trust.
have earnestly endeavored to be faith
full to mine, and therefore feel that 1 ought
not to be displaced after serving only one
third of a regular term.
respectfully submit that the candidacy
of Judge Gober was not begun, and has
not been conducted, in a fair and legiti-
mate manner. There are, as stated above,
three distinct places to be filled. This
was fully understood from the beginning,
for the chairman of The Democratic exec
utive committee of the state plainly so
announced, and at the same time prescrib-
ed the form of the ballot to be used. Judge
Gober well knew this, and yet did not
announce for any particular term, but
generally for zone of the places" 1
charge that he pursued this course DELHI
erately and Intentionally for the purpose
of taking his chances against all three
of the present incumbents, now seeking
reelection. Finally, when compelled to
unequivocally declare his position, 1t ap-
pears that he is running against myself;
but before saying so in plain English he
has carried on an active canvass by which
he sought to gain all the advantages pos
sible from a general candidacy without
appearing to oppose any one. The unfair
ness of this course is plain, and the va
rious ways in which it could be worked,
and has been worked, against me are OBJ
vious. I do not believe that such meth
cd of seeking this high Office should be
encoura ged or endorsed. 1t Is unjust not
only to myself, but to the people, to whom
Judge Gober owed the duty of saying
promptly and candidly which justice of
this court he desired to supplant, so that
they could Understandings express their
choice.
What occurred in some of those counties
which, in the recent primary, voted for
the nomination of Supreme Court justices,
forcibly illustrates what Is said above.
Tickets, containing the names of the four
candidates, but not specifying the partic-
,ular term for which any one of them was
running, were prepared by Judge Gober,
or his friends, and used to conceal the
fact that he had at last decided to run
against me, the design, of course being to
procure votes for himself by telling vot-
ers to strike any one name they pleased,
so long as they left his on the ticket. No
candid man can or will assert that this
was dealing fairly, either with me or with
the voters, the more especially when this
plan was practiced in counties in which
l had no notice at all that an election as
to the justices would be held on that day.
In Fayette county tickets were used
upon which the followed appeared: For
chief Justice, Thomas J. Simmons For
associate justice full term. George F.
& Gober. For associate justice (unexpired
q term, two years., H. T. Lewis, W. H.
FISH, The purpose could have been moth
ing else but to mislead voters into the be-
lief that there was a contest for the short
q term between Justice Lewis and myself,
and thus leave an open field for Judge
Il Gober for the full term whereas the per-
& sons who prepared this device knew per-
q fectly well that there was no opposition
Il between Judge Lewis and myself, but that
81 ! was a candidate to succeed myself for
Il the full term. 1t would be difficult TO
conceive anything more palpably unfair
81 than this.
81 I have a letter from a reliable gentle
man in which speaking with reference TO
q Walker county, he says: There was no
81 election held in this county on last Mon-
day the 9th instant, for Supreme Court
81 judges. The executive committee met on
tuesday the It'll, just to consolidate the
81 vote cast for Governor and state house
ohcers and congressman, and, after con-
"a soldating the vote, then selected ,lele-
gates TO attend the convention to nomi-
nate Supreme Court judges, and selected
u ae-egates favorable to Judge Gober. The
n people did not vote on it," This REQUIRES
# no comment.
Judge Gober has sent out numerous let
ters and circulars, many of which are full
OF cheap "claptrap'' to catch votes For
# instance, in a number of them addressed to
farmers, he poses as an agriculturst; and
70 some, he sent photographs represent
III ing hlmser experimenting the packing of
ia peaches for shipment to market. Surely
# such methods are not to be commended.
# Everybody knows that we want for
Judges men who have a knowledge of The
law, and that farmers, however, honor
able their calling have not the training
Tor such offices. This sort of electioneer-
ing IS direct reflection upon the inte3li-
sehce OF our farmers, but l do not be-
'leVe they are so densely ignorant as to
approve of Judge Gober's absurd suggas-
uoh that they put him on the supreme
pehch because forsooth he is a farmer"
but the judge, in some of his circulars
ma IN at least one newspaper article
sished by himself-is doing something even
1es9 worthy of public appreciation. He is
lacking the efficiency and insinuating
A@anst the uprightness of the members
~ the present bench. Four of them Gus-
eices Lumpkin Little, Cobb and mysel1
Ola their present commissions directly
rom the people under a unanimous cleo
non. The chief justice has been repeated
elected by the legislature without on
position; and Justice Lewis is now holding
nder an executive appointment do moi
teibeve that the people Will receive patient-
y or view favorably attacks of this Find
Ha L.