The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-09-01
TIE JUDICIAL CONTEST.
Judge Herring's Side Of the Matter.

readers may know his position in the
matter.
"The contest for the Democr attic
nomination for Judge in this district,
comprising Columbia and Montour
Counties, is rapidly coming to head
with every prospect of the ultimate
success of Judge Grant Herring, who
is now serving by the appointment of
Governor Hastings.
While the followers of Robert R.
Little still openly claim to be conf.
dent of the legality of his nomination,
privately some of his lieutenants are
admitted to have small hope of win
ming, and it is becoming more ap-
parent every day that Judge Herring's
claim to the Montour delegates Is
clear, and that the men who voted for
Little in the conference had never
been appointed by the late Judge
Ikeler.
Interest now centers in the action
of the Dauphin County court. Mr..
Little's nomination certificate has al
ready been filed with the Secretary of
the Commonwealth, a fact which
enables Judge Herring to have the
matter disposed of at an early day
thereby giving him ample time to have
his conferrees meet with those of Mr..
Little from Columbia County, and
make a nomination for the district.
CLAIM OF OPPOSITION.
The objections to Mr.. Little's nomi-
nation are now being filed. They
assert that the Montour conferrees
who met at Exchange, were never
legally appointed. In support of this
1t is stated that DR.. McHenry, of Ex-
change, whose vote broke the dead
lock and nominated Little, was never
actually appointed a conferree by
Judge Ikeler. DIR. McHenry, when
seen few days ago, said that he had
never received any official notification
of his appointment whatever. He
received no notification of his ap-
pointment, and heard nothing more
regarding the matter until after the
Judges death, on the day of holding
the conference at Exchange, when he
was informed by Frederick Ikeler,
one of the candidates for the nomi-
nation at that convention, that
he had been chosen by his father to
act as a conferree.
Not content with making his claim
on this one point, Judge Herring
maintains that even if appointed, the
lkeler conferrees' power to act ended
when Judge Ikeler died. Another OBJ
lection to Mr.. Little's nomination
certificate is that under the rules of
Montour County, the only tribunal
authorized to fill the vacancy caused
by Judge Ikeler's death was the Dem
ocratic County Committee.
LITTLE's SIGNIFICANT LETTER.
That this view was taken by Mr..
Little himself and that he recognized
the existence of vacancy is shown
by the following letter, which he wrote
to the chairman of the Montour Dem
ocratic Committee
Bloomsburg, Pa, Aug. 8, 1898.
]. d. Howery:-
Dear Slr:-It seems to me that you
should issue call to the County Com
mittee to assemble and supply the va
cancy on the ticket occasioned by the
death of Judge Ikeler, and that you
do so promptly. l believe that a
meeting is to be held next Saturday
atternoon-an adjourned meeting
and l would suggest that your call be
for some time in the forenoon and for
the purpose of filling this vacancy and
for other purposes.
1t is your duty to call the committee
together for this purpose, and you
should not hesitate in doing so, and
give the committee, the public and all
others interested reasonable notice of
your public act. And if you would
publish your callnow and send to each
member of the committee notice
personally in addition it would be
reasonable under the circumstances.
trust that you will act, and act
promptly, and let me know the time
fixed for the meeting of the committee
tor this purpose. Yours,
(Signed) ROBT. R. LITTLE.
Mr.. Little, it is claimed, did not
change his view until he found that
the majority of the committee would
be opposed to him. The committee
was called as he requested and elect
ed the Herring conferrees.
Congressman M. E. Olmstead and
Messrs. Wise and Gilbert, of Harris
burg, will conduct the proceedings for
Judge Herring in the Dauphin County
courts, and are confident of being
able to show the entire illegality Of
the conference held at Exchange. If