New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1898-12-07
SUP RENE JUDGES.
Objection Raised to the Present Method
of Selecting the Members OF the
Supreme Court. .-...

A Duluth citizen, who has given the
matter of selecting our supreme court
Judges some attention, contributes the
following to the columns of the Duluth
Herald: =.
The question Of adopting some differ
ent method of selecting justices OF the
supreme court from the one now IN
vogue has frequently been under gener-
al discussion by the intelligent people
of this state during the last twenty years
or more, owing, perhaps to the fact that
during that period the supreme wool
sack has been pressed by some decided
ly weak men who owed their position
either to political Vaccinations or polit-
ical accident. The subject is now vex-
ing the public mind more than ev-
er, owing to the defeat of Judges CAVITY
and Mitchell, whose retirement FROM the
supreme bench is telt with the keenest
regret by the whole bar of the state.
The public sentiment is unanimous
that the supreme court should be COM
posed of men with the highest ability
and attachments as jurlsts, but the fact
remains that though this state is blessed
with very large number of unusually
able lawyers it seems to be only by &C.
cident that one who surmodnts tie aver
age in mental qualities is elevated to a
seat on the supreme bench, and with but
a few exceptions the judges of our high
est tribunal have been sadly mediocre.
This is woeful commentary on the WIS
dom md expectancy of the,present man
ncr of elevating them. 1t is not that peo-
pie are not aware of the immense i'm
pcrtance of ability and integrity on the
supreme bench, nor is it that they arc
filled with the best talent of the state or
not, but under the present method Of
election and in a country where politics
are necessarily run by parties it is tie
sclf-asserting politician who comes
to t h Q front where pune accident
does not decide the controversy, and
nomination by a majority party is as
good as election, for in the noise and din
and turmoil of the campaign the averas
voter loses sight of everything except
Ahne or four offices out of fifteen or
twenty Or more, Throughout the state
there are few voters outside tie Rer who
are able to acquaint themselves with the
merits and dement's of the candidates
for Justices of the supreme court and as
y consequence they vote according to
party lines purely,
The advisatility Of appointment of the
supreme judges by the governor in the
same manner that federal judges are APP
pointed by the president has often been
discussed; but this method has many
drawbacks and it is safe to say that the
people of this state would never consent
to such change. But why would it not
be a good way to have the justices OF the
supreme court self cted by the judges of
the district courts of the state? Whenever
a vacancy occurs on the supreme bench
let all the Judges of the district court
throughout the state meet and select the
man to fill the vacancy. Tins scheme is
perfectly practicable and may be lnaugu-
rated by a suitable change in the state
co lstitution. And why is it not wise
scheme? The districv judges would GER
tainly have the best knowledge of the
qualifications needed IA well as the any
plest opportunity to know the mettle OF
the different candidates. No body of men
could be more com petent to make the
best selection Nor can see or imagine
any power or influence that could pos
slDly sw,rve them from doing what they
thought right and proper in the matter
1t may be suggested that they would al
WAYS he inclined to elect one CT their
own number, whether he were the best
maa or not, but this could easily be
guarded against ly making chem 1neli-
gible to the office No serious loss to the
community would result from this fol
there are few Of our ablest jurists occu,
pyins seats on the bench
In addition to purifying and improving
the courts this would tend to purify ani
improve the bar. An attorney with any
aspirations would naturally, under thes'
circumstances, endeavor to appear a
his best before the trial courts, woult
come prepared to discuss his cases intel
>ligently and in gentlemanly nlanne
and would never try to deceive the tria
Judge as to the law. Add to these chang
es life tenure in office of supreme judge