Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1898-09-29
THE JUDICIAL QUESTION.


>the people. Whether ornot it's work
is done in the way that is most bene-
fetal depends largely upon the pre-
siding Judge. The law which is to be
administered by court is the wisdom
IF the ages; the best thought OF man.
kind. But to meet the requirements
of our complex civilizat ton the law is
of necessity complex and extensive.
II the Judge has vague or erroneous
ideas OF the law, the trial before him
will be a scene OF confusion, and
chance, rather than justice, will he
the arbiter of the controversy.
Some who do not know the law az
feet to despise it and urge that caus-
es should be decided according to the
Judges idea ofright and wrong with
out regard to the law, thus forgetting
that honest opinions of what is right
do vary. Ii this theory should be
followed, all business certainty would
be destroyed, and our property rights
as we'll as our life and liberty would
he at the mercy OF the Judge, who
would he nothing less han a dicta-
tor. The law is a rule established by
the whole society for the guidance OF
all it's members, and when a Judge
oyerrides it, he Injuries not only the
party against whom he decides and
the public at large, but most gener-
ally also the person he tries to
benefit.
Our district embraces six counties,
namely: Norman, Polk, Red Lake,
Marshall, Kittson, and Roseau. 1t
is very large, and the duties OF our
district Judge require more than Or
binary mental and physical vigor.
On November Sth a Judge will be
elected for the district for the term
OF six years. There are two candi-
dates for the office, Judge Frank
Ives and William Watts, both OF the
city of Crookston and both belong
ing to the Peoples Party. Soon ;,f-
ter Judge Ives had been nominated
by the Peoples Party convention,
some Populists, who were we'll &c
Quainted with Judge Ives and who
thought that it would be a great
mistake to elect him for another
term, commenced to circulate petit
tionS to have MIR. Watts nominated
10y the people independent of conven-
tions and political parties, and in q
short time, and without much
trouble, the petitions had about nine
hundred signatures, that is four hun
ured more than is needed for Il nOmi-
nation. The signers were almost all
Populists, and William Watts is thus
a Populist candidate for Judge. The
Republicans took the standpoint,
that for the office OF Judge the best
man should be chosen without regard
to his politics, and so in their con-
vent;on they also nominated Mr..
Watts.
The main objections to the re-elec-
ton OF Judge Ives are, that he is not
learned III The law. and particularly
that he is too old and feeble. 1t is
apparent, that he has not half the
physical or mental endurance OF the |
average man in the prime OF life. He
cannot in trials before him keep his |
attention upon the evidence 80 as to
correctly remember what the wit
nesses testify to in case of any con-
siderable length. He hardly ever
tries to grasp Il case fully so as to be
in position to decide it correctly or
properly instruct the jury. He can
not do it. He is not now capable of
such strain, and his failing, parti-
cularly in memory, during tn, past
two years is such, that any one who
has observed him at all closely must
know that he will surely be incapable
OF doing the business OF the office for
six more years. Had he ever been a |
good lawyer he might perhaps have
got along fairly we'll III spite OF his
old age, but he never was we'll learned |
in the law. He knows a good many
legal terms and phrases, but his |
knowledge OF the law is vague and |
his opinions OF it very largely incor-
rect. 1t is no exaggeration to say,
that there is scarcely a lawyer in |
practice in the whole district with so
little insight into the law as Judge
ives. He is no doubt honest in his
belief that he knows it better than
any one else. Egotism is by far the
strongest feature in his character and
makes him believe that he is great III
many things. His egotisln more
than anything else is the cnuse OF the
plumbers he makes as a Judge. He
will not hear arguments that differ
from his first impressions, and the
lawyers knowing that a ood argu-
ment is thrown away upon him, do
not prepare themselves to pnlighten
him as they otherwise would, hut try
to take advantage OF his prejudices
and friendships. AS Il result We have