The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-01-04
RUSSELL AND THE
CHIEF JUSTICESHIP.
Continued from First Page.)

condoned, but did not endorse it, In
North Carolina. where the people arc
less influenced by big men than in
Georgia, tn" tricky scheme would not
have been condoned or palliated. But,
if it could be forgiven in political
office, does anybody, with due re-
spect for the bench. suppose that any
lawyer, who gave the matter serious
consideration, could advocate such a
method in elevating a lawyer to the
Chief Justiceship of this great State?
There has always prevailed an idea
that what might be tolerated in men
ambitious for congressional honorS
could not be condoned in an aspiration
for judicial preferment May that
idea meyer 90 into ''innocuous desue-
tude" iW North Carolina!
The Post, in its issue of yesterday.
tells us what is in the Governors mind
now, what was in his mind some days
ago, and otherwise shows that it
speaks by the card" as behooyes an
organ. 1t says:
Governor Russell will in all probable
ity be the next Chief Justice of North
Carolina.
Letters and petitions from lawyers,
were received at the Executive office yes
terday urging the Governor to resign
in order to serve the unexpired term of
the late Chief Justice w. T. Faircloth.
Several judges of high standing have
written the Governor urging him to take
this course.
ut was the first impulse on the part
of the Governor to tender the appoint
ment to Colonel Charles A. Cooke of
Warren, but the action of members of
the bar in expressing the desire that
he resign as Governor in order to re-
ceive the appointment of Chief Justice,
has put different aspect on the situa-
ton. The Executive office was filled
with visitors the greater part of the
day yesterday and many of them went
to urge him to resign.
Governor Russell now has the subject
of his resignation under consideration.
His friends assert that he is governed
entirely by the action of the bar of the
State"
But the Fost only publishes the
names of two Democratic lawyers in
active practice who are urging the
Governor to resign in order to serve
the unexpired term" That is not a
very urgent" and unanimous voice
of the bar
Bullet us come back 10 the mo
tive" for your corporation politicians
do nothing without motive. Why
does the Southern Railway wish Rus
sell to be Chief Justice? Less than
four years ago he was denouncing the
chief officer of that corporation in
lul,id language. He came into office
like a lion in his roars against cor
poration denomination, but at GER
tain time (for day and date and full
particulars see the files of the News
and Observer) Russell put on the yoke
of the Southern Railways chief, and
has since rendered ''villien service" as
is required of all vassals. He is as
much under the domination of Vice
President Andrews when needed as
any hired eD'ploye could be. On the
bench, he would see that no harm
came to his dear friend, the Southern
manager. And Vice President An
drews knows it,
Thereby hangs a tale of surprising
interest. But that's another story
The railroads that are i'll politics al
ways keep their eyes on the courts.
They don't forget the executive and
Legislative departments of govern
ment--not much But Of late years
they have been paying particular at
tention to the courts. There are not
three Federal Circuit Court Judges
(they were all created a few years
ago)-who are not known by the rail
roads to be, as they put it, reliable.
Simonton is good sample. They
are now turning their attention to the
State courts. In the main, these
Judges in North Carolina have been
honest, holding the scales of justice
evenly, and owing no obligation to po-
litical corporations. But the political
corporations are not satisfied with
this. They want the courts composed
either of their plant attorneys or Of
men, like Russell, who rant against
them one year and the next year do
their bidding. They fear that Russell
suitable man for Supreme Court
Judge-far from it--but he might not
go to the political railroad law shops
for all his opinions. They prefer a
man like Russell who, after his ''ca-
vorting' is now docile and pulls stead
lily in the railroad harness. That's
wishes Russell to be Chief Justice.
Is there any special, specific reason
at this time?
There may be one that is not on the
surface. Here is what pretty well
informed Raleigh man said yesterday:
THE Southern Railway wishes to buy
the North Carolina Railroad. AS Russell
is on record so strongly against the lease,
they think it better to have Reynolds
to engineer the sale of the road than
Russell. In Reynolds they have a man
who never antagonizes a railroad PROPOSE
ton. The directors of the North Caro-
lima Railroad meet next week. The pres
ent plan is to have Russell resign before
that meeting and for Reynolds to get the
directors to sell the road out-and- out to
the Southern They have schemes on
foot which makes the ownership of the