The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-03


Judge Williams was at the Copeland
at the time the appointment was made.
When informed that he had been ap-
pointed he called on the governor in
company with a number of Reno cOun-
ty men, secured his commission, and
Immediately afterwards took the oath
of office before Justice Green of the
supreme court. whose home is in that
judicial district
The appointment of Mr.. Williams
ends a spirited contest which has been
waging for two or three weeks. Each
of the three counties in the Ninth dis
triet had a candidate for the appoint
ment. Harvey county was for Senator
G. T.. Branine, Reno county got behind
Mr.. Williams. and Mcpherson county
supported Representative p. J. Gale
of that county
Each Of the candidates had strong
support. All factions in Reno county
lined up behind Williams, and while
there was at first trouble in Harvey
county on account of the nomination
of the county ticket two weeks ago, it
was ironed out and the Republican
dorsed Senator Branine. Mcpherson
county got behind Mr.. Gale in the
senator Branine. and Mr.. Gale were
both here Wednesday, but they went
to Newton that night to attend the
senatorial convention in that district,
which was scheduled to nominate j.
H Hughes, of Mcpherson county, for
state senator. The floods last night
marooned them there
Mr.. Williams was here this morning,
accompanied by w. Y. Morgan, sam
F,orsha J. u Brown, J. E. COnklin, and
7 q. o. Morse, ali Of Reno county,
J. NJ. Simpson, of Mcpherson, made a
hard fight for Gale, but the fact that
Mcpherson county has had the judge
ship for the past ten years worked
against Mr.. Gales candidacy, although
he is a warm supporter of the COVER
nor. A Newton delegation was looked
tor this morning but did not get here
on account Of high water
Mr. Simpson says the reason he was
outdone was because he went to bar
Der shop this morning with Morgan ana
Morse and they got shaved first While
he was in the chair he says they gave
the barber quarter to keep him for
while and the barber took an hour oil
to hone his razor. In the meantime
Simpson says Morgan and Morse slip
ped over to the governors once ana
spiked Williams appointment
AS soon as the appointment was
announced the Reno county crowd
CONGRATULATED Governor Bailey on his
excellent choice, and as soon as the
new Judges commission was made out
they marched him up to Justice
Greene's Office to be sworn in. JUS
tfce Greene congratulated Judge VIII
lfarns on his appointment. talked a lit
tie about the grave responslDl1ues OF
the bench, and expressed his conn
dence in Mr.. Williams ability TO con-
duct the office in an able manner In
cidentally he referred to the late
Judge Simpson and said his decisions
We're rarely reversed by the supreme
court
Judge Williams and his delegation
left for home this afternoon He will
begin his first session of court at Nc
Ph erson next Tuesday
1t is possible that there will now be
a contest for the nomination. The 1u-
dfciaI convention has not yet been
called in that district. and it may not
be held for some time There is talk
of a fight but it may blow over by the
time the convention is held.
Judge VILLA mas is not politician.
In fact he has not been active in poll
tics beyond attending n county con-
vention occasionally since 1897. In
that year he was a Democrat and ran
for district judge on the Populist
ticket in, a three-cornered race. He
had come from Missouri and settled
: in Hutchinson in 1897, and had not
then got rid of his Democracy. The
Republicans got into a deadlock in
their judicial convention and failed to
nominate a candidate for judge. The
POpulistS expected to fuse with the
Democrats. and named Mr. Williams
Charles Bucher. Of Newton, thought
there was a good chance for the
election of a Democrat, and he Sc
cured the Democratic nomination.
Then the Republicans got together a
short time before the election and
nominated F. L. Martin, of Hutchin-
son, and elected him. Williams re-
fused to have anything more to do
with politics as a candidate. and soon
afterwards became a Republican. He
has been voting the Republican ticket
for the past twelve years. As a lawyer