The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1899-10-28
TOR ELECTION or JUDGES.
4 PLEA FOR THE ELECTIVE JuDIcI-
AIRY AMENDMENT,
BY Hon. e. +. Noel, Author Of
The Resolution.

Hon. Il. f. Noel, Of Lexing-
ton, Holmes county, who intro.
duced the resolution submitting
amendments to the constitution
providing for the election Of
judges and chancellors, pub
fishes the following in support Of
the same, which should be care
fully read by voters all over the
state:
On each official ballot, at our
approaching election, will appear
constitutional amendment, pro-
posing to make judges elective,
after date TO be fixed by the
legislature. Votes for a consti-
tutional amendment can only be
cast by putting an X opposite the
word "For, 7" following the
amendment.
For about twenty five years
past, the opponents Of the elec.
tive judiciary principle defeated
the submission Of the question TO
a direct vote Of the people, by so
dividing up its supporters in the
legislature, that they could not
obtain the necessary thirds
majority, in each branch, on
three separate days. They pre-
dicted that. in judicial districts
whore negroes had immense ma
jorities, they would at times con-
troll the election OF judges, thus
exciting the opposition Of enough
legislators from such districts 10
defeat the measure, with their
help. The pending amendment
avoided all such opposition by
giving TO each district, in its own
way, with no outside interference
the power to nominate its own
judicial candidate who was to be
placed on state ticket 80 that
the white voters all over the state
could come to the relief cf their
white brethren in districts other
wise doubtful. This does not
compel any man TO vote for any
Judge, outside Of his own dis.
trict. 1t merely gives him an
option Of exercising his full suf-
frage, if he so chooses, in way
that will absolutely secure white
political supremacy in every ju-
dicial district, and will make ev-
cry Democratic nomination equi-
yalent to an election, and with
out the judicial candidate ever
being required 10 leave his own
district. 1t is this feature which
caused Populist politicians to
condemn the amendment in their
platform. There was no such
condemnation in the Democratic
state platform which declared the
people had the intelligence and
virtue to judiciously select all
public officials, including judges,
OF course. The platform was
promulgated by a convention
and a committee OF resolutions
presided over by pronounced
friends Of the pending elective
judiciary amendment, and is an
Endorsement Of the principle,
without any qualification.
Before the pending amendment
was adopted by the legislature,
it was submitted to the three su-
pFeme judges, two Of whom
ayowedly favored an elective ju-
dietary, and suggestions and
eriticisms we're invited. They
saw no constitutional objection
to il then, nor did the able Law
yers who debated the proposition
in the senate and house, for and
against. After full discussion,
il was adopted by the house and
senate, by votes Of about FIVE to
one, on three separate days, in
each house, and was thus sub
mitted to the people for ratifica-
ton. Constitutional amendments
embracing more numerous and
divergent changes we're ratified,
in one amendment, in Louisiana,
Wisconsin and one or two other
states, having similar provisions
to our constitution relating to