Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1901-03-28
s'.s * * *:
The County Judgeship.

ton called and then so manipulated il
+. as to secure a nomination at its hands:
in the face of the fact that his first act
5 in office was TO provide birth for
very Jealous party worker by appoint
ing Jimmie McBrien his register in
probate; in the face of his record as an
intense and uncompromising Partisan,
Judge Goodsell urges that the Repub
licans of Grant did very wrong in
meeting on March 9Th and putting up
Hon. Ed NJ. Lowry as a candidatefor
county Judge.
Now there is no doubt that Mr.
Lowry will not make a partisan
Judge; but he has declined to stultify
himself by coming out as a "non-par-
tisan' candidate. A man who calls
himself mon partisan" thereby holds
out that he does not belong to any
political party, and has no political
convictions. No man, actually mon
partisan, is worth considering for any
office
Is Mr. GoodseI actually "non-par-
tisan?" Has he really lost his former
Democratic ardor. and has he abiured
Democratic principles? Is he as
much Republican as Democrat? Does
he desire his Democratic friends to
think so? Is he now working through
Democratic leaders and pulling Demo
cratic strings. Is this mon partisan
ship accompanied by a sly wink to
Democrats and is it intended purely
for Republican consumption?
These are pertinent inquiries, and
we are not prepared to answer them
all: but it does seem to us that either
Mr.. Goodsell has forsworn Democratic
allegiance or he has adopted a ques-
tionable method of attempting to Sc
cure Republican votes Upon either
assumption neither the Democracy nor
the Republican party is apt to be
pleased. Neither deceit nor lack OF
political conviction is likely to appeal
to anyone. The spectacle of man
straddle fence is not edifying and SO
callous is the human heart that we
cannot even extend our sympathy.
We do not approve partisan judic-
larry. and surely there is no danger Of
our having one. But we do like to see
man come ont and sail under his own
colors.
Iii defence Of this mon partisan"
business, the Goodsen managers have
had inserted in couple of friendly
papers editorials calling the attention
Of voters to the fact that it is usual
for candidates for judicial office TO lan
as mon partisans They cite the fact
that Judge Clementson has been re-
elected several times as a "non-par-
tisan.'
The comparison is silly for many
reasons. among them the following:
l The office of county Judge is, in
sense. local, and throughout the state
contests for it are the rule, not the ex
ception. County judges are to be
elected on April 2nd in all of the
counties of the state and in almost all
of them party conventions have been
held and party candidates nominated.
, While it is true that Judge Glenn
entson has been an Independent can
didate for reelection several times, it
is also true that at no time have the
Democrats of the circuit been strong
enough to feel justified in putting up
candidate. He was elected as a
Republican. but since then, there
being no opposition, the barest court
esy required that he should recognize
the absence of opposition and compli-
ment his united support by so run
ming But in the present case Judge
Goodsell has known ever since his
election that there would be Repub-
blican convention and candidate
against him this spring. He knew the
convention was under way long before
he began to circulate his nomination
papers.
There is great deal of difference
between running independent when
there is no opposition, and running as
a "non-partisan" when the other party
has called convention and put up a
candidate. The first is required by
common decency; the latter is stultify
ing and bears every evidence of an at
temp to deceive.
To return for moment TO the sub
iect of conv entions, let US compare
the two methods of getting on the
ticket. and see which secures the
opinion OF tie larger number Of voters
and whether the method by nomina-
ton papers Is NOS calculatedto inspire
more distrust than nomination. by con
vention
The law Of this state provides two
WAYS 81 making nominations. One Is
hv convention. and the other by NOM