The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-10-31
YERKES WEAK At home
Candidate for Supreme Court Not
Strong Among His Neighbors.
A MAN OF VIOLENT PReJUDIcEs

Aspire to Reelection to the Com.
mon Pleas Bench In Bucks County
at the Coming Election.
Special correspondence from
Doylestown tells Of the weakness Of
the Democratic candidate for the su-
preme bench, who at the instance Ct
the Wanamaker interest in Philadel.
phia has been placed upon the Union
party ticket.
Judge Harman Yerkes. Of Doyles-
town. the Democratic and anti-Repub.
lican candidate for Judge OF the state
supreme court" says a Doylestown
correspondent, has presided over the
courts Of Bucks county for nearly Is
years. He was first elected Judge by
more than q thousand Democratic ma
Jority. At the close OF his first term
he was renominated and elected by
the bare majority Of about 23O votes.
The prediction has been repeatedly
made in Bucks county lately that he
cannot be reelected to another term
because Of the enemies he has made
In and out of his party. His second
election as Judge Of the Bucks county
courts was only made possible by the
votes Of Republicans who supported
his candidacy.
During his second term he has de-
veloped the attributes OF a car. He
has assumed to regulate and manage
men and affairs in his own county as
only q despotic ruler would do. He
has commanded grand juries to do his
biddingas no other Judge in these days
is known to do. He has gone far out
OF his way to exert his power. and has
lost the esteem Of many OF the best
people of Bucks county.
A MAN OF VIOLENT PREJUDICES
Judge Yerkes is a man Of strong
and violent prejudices. These preju-
dices he carries upon the bench and
allows them to control him in certain
instances. Up to the first nomination
of Bryan he was an intensely bitter
Democrat, but in the first Bryan cam
paign he sunk his partisanship and
opposed Bryan's election. For this he
has never been forgiven by straight.
out Democrats.
During that campaign, as an illus.
tration. Judge Yerkes came to dislike
. certain Democrat in Doylestown who
was enthusiastic in support Of Bryan.
This man headed q company which
later applied to court for q distillery
license. Judge Ysrkes. many believed.
declined to issue the license because
Of his difference with this man on the
Bryan issue. The case was carried to
the supreme court, which directed
Judge Ysrkes to issue the license, all
the conditions OF the law having been
complied with.
nected with the one referred to, Judge
Yerkes took occasion to utter a slur
upon the supreme court such as Is
without parallel in the judicial his.
tory Of this commonwealth. That de.
liverance should be upon record in
the Bucks county courts. and might
have been made the basis of impeach.
ment proceedings had 1t been desired
to proceed in the matter.
THE prejudices Of Judge Yerkes are
many and deep-seated. He is extreme
ly sensitive, and dislikes criticism. He
himself criticises freely. but he does
not want his views or his actions COM
mented upon adversely. He resents
anything Of this sort, and many OF his
opinions are burdened with this re-
sentiment.
During the early years Of his pres.
ent term the Republicans elected as
district attorney the county chairman
Of that party, who directed the fight
against his reelection. That district
attorney had the most trying expert.
ence that has ever befallen a similar
oficial in the county. Judge Yerkes
seemed to take advantage Of every op-
portunity to humiliate him.
Judge Yerkes lacks the judicial
temperament in conspicuous degree.
some intimation Of which has been
given. He can not restrain himself
in his likes and his dislikes. and car.
ries them upon the bench. He never
forgets an enemy and rarely remem-
bers . friend. He is absolutely selfish
and self-opinionated.
There IL another feature Of Judge
Yefkes' unhtness for the supreme
judgeship. and that IL his lack Of ex-
periencs In the higher or more in.
volved law. Almost his entire time -
. Judge has been given to petty crimi.
nal cases. He has rarely been called
upon to pass on questions involving
momentous or even intricate Ques-
lions Of law.
much Of the business Of the Bucks
county courts has been and is Of a
minor character. The business Of the
county IL almost exclusively agricul.
! tural, and that, ~ everybody knows.
does not call for much or important
litigation. Consequently Judge Yerkes'
experience as . lawyer and as Judge
Is with cases OF no great importance.
"Judge Yerkes, realizing, no doubt.
that he can not be reelected to the
position he now holds in his own