The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-01-21
time and that the Southern people

Taking up the question OF the judic-
larry the speaker then proceeded: 1.-The
most important function in the econ
omy of this Commonwealth is the ju-
dietary. The power and influence Of
the judge touches and effects every
phase of human society. No law
upon the statute book is worth the
paper 1t Is written upon, until 1t is
pronounced the law by the courts 1t
is within the power and grasp Of the
Judge to undermine the very founda-
ton OF the constitution and to work
change in our system of government
by construction-to save man from
himself-to save families-to make
people happy, to do right and to do
| wrong, to work veal or woe, to de-
stroy or build UP, to be more than hui
man in mercy and yet preserve the
law, than all the lawmakers, the gov
ernor and civil officers in the state
combined. The character of the man
who is to perform the duties of Cir
cult judge is more Importance to the
people Of that district, than the Pres
ident of these United States, or the
Governor of the State. And the char
acter moral and mental of the SUI
preme Judge is of more Importance
still, since his power is ultimate. The
Judge should therefore be a man of
unquestioned probity; of high moral
character, he should be learned in the
law, he should be honest and indepen-
dent To the loftier ideal of right
eousness and justice he should at all
times be true. His only master
should be truth and his only ambition
to do right. If sense of personal OBJ
legation or an emotion of gratitude for
the place and it's emoluments are to
have any weight in shaping his con-
duct while on or off the bench, during
his tenure of Office, that obligation
| should be to the people to whom the
office belongs. The Governor who
appoints him is but their instrument
performing sacred trust l want to
impress upon you my countrymen that
the Governor who would use the ap-
pointive power as his personal prop-
erty-as mere political asset-for
self aggrandizement, fails disappoift-
ingly below the ideal, and defeats the
lofty purpose of the founders of our
government. And the man who would
accept the Office at the hands of the
Governor, who would thus prostitute
this sacred function, and then recog-
nize any sort of personal obligation to
him in the discharge of his official
duty, or the use Of the prestige of his
high station, is not fit for the place,
but on the other hand degrades the err
mine. | want Mississippi to keep up
and maintain the grand old standard
of excellence-I want the judiciary ex-
empt from the pernicious influence OF
political bossism-I want the Judge
who holds a commission from the
| Governor to understand that the only
obligation or debt he owes that Gov
ernor, is to perform fairlessly, fear
lessly, intelligently and justly the
functions of the Office of judge. Let
the political judge-that judicial can
Ger on the body polite, disease of
recent development in Mississippi
let it be extirpated, and as quickly as
that sovereign remedy-the honest in
telligent ballot-can heal the Tester
ing sore, let it become a thing only
of odious memory. The cheap, low,
sordid, dangerous conception that a
Judgeship is the private property or
political asset of the Governor with
which he may purchase and control
the services of a few cheap politicians
| -debauch the bench and the ballot
the very sheet anchor Of our politi-
cal salvation-should be made infa-
nous in the minds of the people. Be-
fore leaving this question permit me
to add I should like to see the salaries
of the Judges increased-that the best
legal talent of the State may be trans.
ferred from the bar to the bench with
out personal pecuniary sacrifice |
believe that parsimony in the salaries
of all public servants is criminal .ex.
travagance'
After this general Introductory Mai
Vardaman entered into a concise and
general summary of his views on the
various public questions likely to
come before the legislature saying
that he would put them in as few
words as the Importance of the sub
ject would allow and leaving the de
tails to some other occasion, if he
should deem it necessary to elaborate
them
He then enumerated what he term