The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-03-24
JUSTICES OF SUPREME COURT.
Gen. Cutcheon Reviews That Tribunal
for Number of Years Past

have noticed in recent issue of a
weekly paper, printed in this city, an
article entitled Life Appointments.
and commencing as follows: THE
nomination of Justice Grant for a
second term on the supreme court
bench makes dangerous precedent
which should be resented at the polls
An old man of GO years, who for 10
years has drawn 81, 900 year from the
state should have been willing to
have passed his allotted years in private
| life"
BY referring to the last Michigan
manual find that Justice Grant was
born October g. 1885, and is therefore
| 60 years old. But the slight discrep-
ancy of three years is not material, it
simply shows want of care and &C
curacy. 1t is of the dangerous pre-
cedent" that wish to speak.
There was time when the supreme
| court of Michigan stood at the very
head of state courts of last resort of the
United States, for the great weight and
authority of its adjudications. 1t was
during the incumbency of what became
known among Michigan lawyers and
judges as the "big four'-Justices
Campbell, Christiancy, Cooley and
Graves. Those were the really great
days of Michigan Jurisprudence. What
made them so? 1t was the result of
keeping good judges in office from term
to term.
Judge j. v. Campbell came to the
supreme court bench January l, 1858,
and continued until his death, $780,
period of 82 years. No man of greater
learning, stronger sense of equity and
right or purer life ever adorned any
bench. He was four times elected, and
then frightened by the precedent of re-
electing a judge.
Justice Christiancy took his seat at
the same time with Campbell, in 1853,
and was reelected in 1866 and 1874,
and resigned February, 1875, to accept
the United States senatorship
Judge Cooley came to the bench
January L. 1855 succeeding Justice
Manning, deceased), was reelected in
1859 and 1877, and served until 1885,
when he resigned, The term was then
but eight years, and he served 20 years.
Justice B. f. Graves was elected 1867,
e.elected in 1875, and served until 1888.
1t did not seem to occur to anyone that
it was dangerous precedent" to elect
a good Judge.
assume that what the people of the
state of Michigan want is an independ-
ent, just, fearless and upright Judge
Judge Grant has shown himself to be
all these. He has had about 10 years
experience on the bench, including his
service on the circuit. His opinions
show no signs of declining powers; on
the contrary they never exhibited
greater evidence of strength and clear
ness than now. His opinions are not
delivered with his ear to the street to
mark what the crowd is saying, nor
vet does he ask how they will affect the
great corporations. The one question
is What is the law"
Permit a personal word, / have
known Judge Grant for AZ years. We
were college mates i'm the university
from 81 to $50 We served almest three
years as brother officers of the old
Twentieth Michigan regiment during
the war. We were associated for six
years on the board of regents of the
university. Judge Grant is man of
the people He came to Ann Arbor as
poor boy and worked his way through
the university. As a soldier he was
without fear and without reproach.
There is no man dearer today to the
veterans of the old Twentieth than Col.
Grant He was an officer who shared
all their hardships and perils. He
never misses one of their reunions and
Is always hailed with applause when
ever he appears He is democratic in
the best sense in all his instincts and
habits.
But he believes in law. He believes
that good laws are made to be enforced;
and they are presumed to be good until
they are repealed. That ought to be
very greatly to his credit with all good
people
Those citizens who believe in faith
ful and impartial judiciary, who believe
thav mature experience will increase
wisdom, who consider 1t at least no dis.
qua LITIGATION to have been a patriotic
soldier, should favor the reelection of
Justice Grant.
B. M. CUTCHEoN.
Grand Rapids, Mich, March 10.