The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-01-10
A CARD FROM Mr.. HICKS.


To the Editor:
/ am ashamed to admit that though
| have been taking the News and OBJ
server and paying for it ever since long
before you were connected with 1t /
have not had the courage or thought 1t
worth while to express my dissent from
some of your views until last week;
and after doing so, I felt little bad
that l had not sent it to you direct;
for you must know that apart from
what you think and publish on many
public questions, / can't help but feel
that you are a right clever sort of a
fellow. And 1 felt little blue yester-
day when / saw in your paper no notice
or reference to my criticism of your at
tempt to act as guardian ad Item of
the judiciary and of it's main prop and
support the legal profession. But you
relieve me of that cerulean hue this
morning by giving me almost column
editorial devoted chiefly to how | voted
and did not vote last August. You do
not attempt to answer my criticisms
but rail at me and call me your enc
my.
NY Dear Josephus. / read that ballot
and feel so grateful to you for giving
it a wide publicity that | enclose six
dollars for another years subscription
l did not then even hope that this act of
mine
1.-The kettle to the trumpet would speak
The trumpet to the cannOneer without
The cannons to the heavens the heaven
to earth"
But I do thank God that I had the
courage TO vote according TO the right
as God gave me mot YOU to see the
right, even though it deprived me OF
voting for men who were my lifelong
friends.
You are little late in publishing it
as an item OF news, but then you know
your news if sometimes a little old
when published. If any gentleman of
my acquaintance had not before heard
of my vote, it is your fault that !
have not hitherto enjoyed the regard
and esteem which his knowledge of the
fact entitle me to have and receive
from him, as one who possesses the
courage of mis- convictions. You doubt
less heard of the old fellow up west
who proposed to vote for the amend
ment, and whose Republican neigh
bors kept after him not to do so till be-
coming worried he said: Fellows If
you don't let me alone I'll vote this
whole damn secession ticket or
course it was wrong and wicked for
him TO cuss and call the ticket seces-
sion, but L can't see how one would
Justify himself in voting for part and
not all of it.
My dear sir, you profess to be a
lawyer. and you don't answer the
charge I make by abusing me, or rather
by writing what you consider abuse OF
me- but which / consider creditable to
me. The point / made against you is
this: The church and schools and So
cial instincts and the home with all
their noble teachings and traditions do
not succeed in depressing the bad and
protecting tie good. Government and
law are necessary. Judges are neces-
sary. Com missioned by the voice of
God and a ma ority of the people, sworn
to support, maintain and declare the
law and to do justice between
man and ran their office, is sacred
Many a time have / heard drunk and
rattlebraine1 lawyers and others curse
and abuse judges for their decisions;
but all the good lawyers and wise men
with whom I have come in contact in
reasonably successful practice of just
twenty years, have taught and prac-
ticed that the hands of the judiciary no
matter to what party they belong
should be upheld. 1t is said with great
pride by The English that under their
system Of appointment THE Judgment
of one of their judges can not be in
fiuenced to the extent of a hairs
breadth by any earthly considerations"
In this country judges receive their
appointments from parties and it is but
human and natural that in cases of
grave doubt they should give their
party the benefit of the doubt. All
judges do it ard VIII always do it UNI
der cur system of appointment. l sub
NIT that by your systematic criticisms,
the effect IF your paper instead of
strengthens: the cause oil law and Of
order, is weakening TO it and calcu-
lated to lessen the respect and fear of
the bad for tire only power on this earth
that is set for the redress of griev-
ances. You 20 not mean to get on that
side, but that is where you are. / will
not cite instances or call you names,
] need not till you disproye the two
charges made in my letter in The Post
which / admit was in rather too a sar
castle vein. But it was rather pro-
vOcative Of sarcasm for you to arrogate
| TO yourself the breath of whose nos
tiils is politics, the distinction of as
Stunning the guardianship of the most
| learned and conservative of all profess
sions. and to claim the honor OF having