Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-28
Mr.. 1EsLIEs QUALIFICATIONS


OMAHA, Sept. 26, 1sO5.-To the Editor of
The Bee; In the evening issue Of The Bee
on Monday, the 18th inst, you printed an
editorial entitled Mr.. Leslie Should with
draw" in which you undertook to present
your reasons for his withdrawal
The only objection to Mr.. Leslie presented
by you is his qualification as a lawyer.
You have little or no personal acquaintance
with Mr.. Leslie and can form no personal
opinion concerning his qualifications. 1
have known him intimately for about ten
years last past. A portion Of this time Mr..
Leslie was associated with me in the prac-
tice OF the law and 1 know from that re-
lationship, and a continued acquaintance
thereafter, that he is fully qualified as
lawyer to discharge the duties OF county
judge on behalf of the people of Douglas
county. II is not the so-called leaders OF
the bar who make the best judges. They
are usually too aggressive.
AS chief clerk Of the county court Mr..
Leslie's duties have been such as to make
him peculiarly we'll qualified to become
county judge. BY reason of his clerkship
he has made a special study OF the law re-
lating to the administration of the estates
OF deceased persons and trust estates. He
Is especially well qualified to administer
these estates. Nearly ell the business of
the county court comes within this branch
OF the law.
You say that Mr.. Leslie "presumes al
together too much on party fealty and
popular Indifference" As party measure
Mr.. Leslie has been nominated according
to the Dodge primary law. He is therefore
entitled to the vote Of the people in the
coming election. According to the law, the
public has not been indifferent, but has
chosen Mr.. Leslie as the representative of
his party for the position of county Judge
have no hesitancy in saying that Mr..
Leslie is as we'll qualified to discharge the
duties of county judge as any man who has
entered into that honorable office within
the past twenty years, and in the matter
of the administration OF estates 1 am con-
fdent that he is better qualified.
l write this letter as a matter OF in
formation to you and through your paper
to the public, II you will kindly print it. and
In no manner as a criticism upon you
BYRON G. BURBANK.
The Bee cheerfully accords to- Mr.. Les
lie place in its editorial columns for the
appeal made in his behalf by Byron G.
Burbank, but it regrets that it cannot
concur. The most ardent admirer of
Mr.. Leslie will not contend that a man
is qualified to be judge unless he has
been engaged in the practice Of law for
a reasonable period. To say that Mr..
Leslie is as well qualified to discharge
the duties of county judge as any man
who has entered into that honorable
Office within the past twenty years is
a most uncharitable reflection upon
Judge Vinsonhaler and his predecessors
in Office, each of whom was a practicing
lawyer of at least several years stand
ing before he presented himself as a
candidate for judicial honors.
Mr.. Leslie's law practice with Mr..
Burbank was chiefly confined to clerical
work and the collection of rents. II
Mr.. Leslie had really been an attorney
he certainly would not have given up
his practice to serve two or three years
in the position of bailiff, or court mes
senger, at $75 a month, and six years as
chief clerk of the county court for 500
a month.
Mr. Leslle's familiarity with the
probate business of the county court may
count for something in his favor, but 1t
also constitutes a drawback. The peo-
pie of Omaha, we believe, want a radi-
cal change of probate court methods,
which can be effected only by an in
cumbent who is free from all entangle-
meut with the present county judge.