The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-01-04


as a rule are honest-just as honest
as preachers. doctors or newspaper
men-and prefer trying cases before
a judge VINO is willing and able to
give all parties a square deal. No
good lawyer eve appeals merely to
get more money out of his client.
Amy lawyer likes to win fairly thru
skill and knowledge of the law-but
only the pettifogger and the scoun-
drel tries to win by deceiving the
court or bribing the jury.
Many cases can be finally settled
il a justice or police judges court,
at a great saving to litigants as well
as taxpayers generally, if the man
trying the cases is competent. The
precinct as now constituted will pay
the justice of the peace, who may al
so act as police judge, fees enough
to justify a good man giving his
time to the office. With a compe-
tent and square man as justice of
this precinct, the district court will
be relieved of the burden of hearing
appeals in petty cases, and lawyers
and clients will be saved vexatious
delays and needless expense.
III Record believes that lawyers
generally are better judges of hum
an nature, especially it's frailties,
than the men of any other profession
or calling. They are thrown into
closer contact with men than other
people, and knowledge of human ma
ture is almost as important to the
practlc1ng lawyer as the knowledge
of law-sometimes more important.
The editor of this paper, if he we're
innocent, would rather be tried for
his life before an honest and compe-
tent lawyer than before the average
jury. h lawyer would not only re-
member the evidence better, but
would know how to weigh the facts
and the law together. This may ap-
pear irrelevant. but ~concedi1g that
all the candidates are honest and
possessed of the average intelligence,
still would it not be best to choose
a man specially qualified by exper-
! fence or legal knowledge for trying
cases in which both law and facts
are important?
1t is alleged that a certain element,
which always works together for the
"~wide-open" policy, has united on
one candidate of the eight, and with
seven other candidates dividing the
vote of the better element, perhaps
one hundred and fifty votes out of
six or seven hundred will elect him.
If this be true, then is it not time
for hauling down some of the
stray" candidates, whose participa-
ton in the race is said to be only
for the purpose of forcing the cleo
ton of a man whom a great MAORI
ty OF the people do not want elected.
n saying that a lawyer should be
preferred in the office of justice of
the peace and police judge in Ros-
we'll, We mean no reflection on any
candidate wio is not a lawyer, but
declare the same principle the Joyce
Pruit Co. would pursue in employing
a dry goods clerk. Experience in a
drug store would not be much OF a
recommendation for the applicant. A
lawyer probably would be a failure
as county or city physician, and a
jeweler would hardly prove a suc-
cess as city engineer. If special
technical experience is necessary,
and the Office is not merely a politi-
cal p~rize-package, but a position re-
quiri1g the performance of a valua-
BILE public service, other things being
equal, the man best qualified should
be chosen. Certain it is that all the
candidates cannot be elected.
This article is only the individual
view of a newspaper man, who mas
only n vote like other people. 9th
ers have as much right to express