The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-04
- a'ee'. Mr. CARTER SPEAKS.

ed attention.
MIR. CARTER SPEAKS.
Mr. Carter followed Mr.. Withers IN a
forcible and earnest argument against
tho election of judges by the people. He
declared that it would make Judges out
| Of politicians and politicians out OF
| Judges. He made this announcement as
| a candidate and the people approved OF
| his position The people knew little about
| the decisions Of courts, and If they were
| allowed to elect judges they would vote
| for the candidate who gave the children
| the most candy, regardless of his fitness
! to decide an intricate question at law.
President Goode: .Mr. Chairman. lived
| under system of electing judges by the
people Of the State ana cannot slt ieA {,
silent and allow this statement to go
| unchallenged. The evils the speaker re-
| fers to did not exist, and the character
of our Judges then were above reproach
| as now. and their ability and integrity
has never been questioned before. stand
| here to bear living testimony to that tact
and apologize to the speaker Tor TINS
! Interruption.
When Mr. Goode sat down, the hall,
| the lobbies and the galleries broke out
i'll deafening and continued applause, and
| there was an unusual scene Of excitement
and confusion.
| Mr. Carter after the confusion had sub
! sided, resumed his argument. He claimed
| that lawyers who had lost cases fetore
| q Judge woul.! treasure up preJuolce or
hatred against him, and when the time
| for e.eCtion came around would go before
| the people and have him defeated on
Ge1nogaeic appeals to the political pas
| sons CT prejudices of the people. He re-
| ferred to the defeat of the great Judge
| Cooley on account Of a decision he rem
| dered.
CAUSE OF DEFEAT.
Mr.. Withers: 'Was not his defeat due
| to the fact that Judge Long got a Demo-
| cratic majority of thirty or forty thou
sand and is that the reason for the gen.
| tlenaans protest?'
Mr. Carter continued without answering
the question: and said the people at large
could not ascertain the technical ca
pacity Of judge and had no means OF
knowing whether he was fitted for the
position or not
Mr.. Carter urged that the present sys-
tenn was founded on the Democracy of
the fathers. and to attack 1t now was
to conceGe that their system was a fail
ure. He paid 4 high tribute TO the purity
and ability of the present judiciary OF
the State and said their records were as
bright as the stars in heaven.
He said he was warned by gentlemen
from North Carolina and Ohio last sum-
ner not to adopt their system Of eiectins
judges by the people. At the conclusion
of Mr.. Carriers speech he was liberally
applauded.
Mr.: OFlaherty made an able speech In
support OF his amendment he gave q
list of the judges Of Virginia during. the
period Of election by the people, and SIX
eG where in all Virginia history could q
more splendid array of legal talent and
high, incorruptible character be found.
He said the question was submitted d.
rectly to the people of New York as tc
whether the judges should be elected or
appointed, and the people voted by an
Overwhelming majority that they should
! be elected.
READ THE LIST.
He read a long list Of States where
| judges We're elected. He said the courts
of New york, Pennsylvania, Kentucky
and Massachusetts, were quoted ten times
where Virginia was quoted once. ana every
one of those States elected Judges by the
people He asked if it required any more
skillful work of a judge to construe the
CONSTITUTIONS than for members OF this
| convention to create Constitution Ii
so, why were the people ever allowed &c
elect members of this convention?
Pending Mr.. O. F1aherty's argument the
committee att o'clock rose. and the con-
venton adjourned until "Wednesday at
| 3 O'Clock P. N.