The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1899-04-05

accomplished gentlemen, but the
Governor would not give us q
chance to do it and just as he would
not give the Legislature chance to
carry out the needed reforms in the
management of the I. 1. and G.
HIS MEASUREMENT ABOUT
JUDGE COOPER LEAVING
SUPREME BENCH.
| In the Governors speech at Ha-
zlehurst he endeavored to create the
impression and in fact plainly stat
ed that the Railroad Company had
taken Judge Cooper off of the SUI
preme bench. The language used
by him at Hazlehurst was as fol-
lows:
&" The Railroad Company took a
man off of the Supreme bench who
had been in the best of his judg
nent deciding justly between the
railroad and the people and gave
him salary in their employ"
l showed conclusively that Gov
ernor McLaurin took Judge Cooper
off the Supreme bench and not the
Railroad Company. I showed that
after Judge Cooper had rendered
his resignation to the Governor and
the Governor accepted the resigna
ton that upon his, the Governors
request, conveyed through Govern
or Lowry, this letter of acceptance
had been returned by Judge Cooper
to Governor McLaurin, thereby in
dicating plainly that irrespective of
any engagements that Judge Coop
er may have made before that time,
that when he returned to Governor
McLa urin his acceptance of his let
ter of resignation of his position as
Judge of the Supreme Court that he,
Judge Cooper, was willing if Gov
ernor McLaurin would re-appoint
him to remain ON the Supreme
bench. Subsequently Governor Nc
Laurin raised constitutional objec-
ton. Think Of Governor McLaurin
raising a constitutional objection
against Judge Cooper's re-appoint-
ment and then at the same time
holding that Judge Byrd's appoint
ment District Attorney was val
id. How much weight should such
constitutional objection to have
had2 Subsequent events showed
very clearly why Governor McLaur
in wanted to have Judge Cooper out
of the way. By virtue of Judge
Cooper's resignation a remarka BILE
condition of affairs ensued. His Elk
cellency absolutely created vacan-
cies and rewarded 3adherents of his
by one resignation. He gave Judge
StOckdale the 6 months term; he
gave Judge Terrell the full term on
the Supreme bench creating vacan-
cy in the circuit iudgeship and ap-
poin ted Judge Wood to fill the va
cancy created by Judge Terrell
resignation. His success in reward
ing 3 men with one vacancy seems
to have later along, according to our
current history and rumor, have in
spired him with the notion that he
might reward 4 men with one va
cancy. When he appointed Con-
gresham Sullivan to the vacancy
created by the death of Senator
Walthall, straightway it was nnised
abroad that Judge Stevens. was to
run as administration candidate for
congress creating vacancy on the
circuit judgeship; that in the event
of Judge Stevens election to con-
gress it was arranged that Mr..
Roane, the district attorney was to
become his successor as circuit
Judge, and soon as Mr.. Roane was
appointed circuit judge that then
Mr.. Brewer was to be appointed
district attorney. In other words
one vacancy instead of rewarding 8
followers was to reward A. The peo-
pie revolted at this and this scheme
fell through and so much indigna-
ton was aroused throughout Sena-
tor 8 illivan's old district that the
mere mention of this fact was suffi-
Gent to defeat Judge Stevens foi
election.
The governor in his answer te
this charge at Meridian eulogizee
Judge Cooper and repeats really
what / had said before in my speech
at Meridian, giving as his reason
| for not reappointing Judge Cooper
after his letter of acceptance Of his
resignation was returned, that on
| investigation he found that Judge
Cooper was ineligible. There is moi
/ lawyer in Mississippi venture to
assert, that win agree with this con
| stitutional opinion. The constitu
i ton of Mississippi was carefully
/ framed to avoid any such conclu'
/ sions. When Section las Of the con.
] stitution was under discussion in
| the Constitutional convention and
4 in order to avoid any ambiguity il
was expressly framed as it now
reads, SO as not TO deprive the then
i imcumbents on the Supreme bench
| from being ineligible from having
ramoyed from their district. In thu