The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1908-04-02
ATTRIBUTE TO BARNES.

J
ael Kirwan, had the following letter IN
last weeks issue of the Chiffon Times;
Every voter in Calumet county
should be sure and cast a judicial bal
lot at the coming election. 1t Is II
small, separate ballot, and many voters,
unless their attention is called thereto,
forget to vote it. Every board at each
voting precinct should call each voter
attention to the judicial ballot, and see
that he votes it.
No other public act of any citizen Is
of so much Importance AZ his exercise
of the right of franchise in voting for
Judge. A Judge not only deals with the
rights of property and person, bat of life
and liberty, in his official capacity, and
it therefore is vital concern to each
voter that in choosing Judge he con
siders the matter well, and selects that
man best fitted for the sacred trust.
A lust Judge is an ideal man worthy
of the high regard Of every honest clti-
zen. He should be fair, honest, fearless,
possessed of youth, health, bodily vigor,
energy, n student, well versed in law
and of judicial temperament, not lazy,
with application and consuming de
sire to know and rightly apply the law
~ it exists to all cases before him, with
out fear or favor, having no favorites TO
lean to nor enemies TO punish, holding
the scales Of equal and exact justice TO
all, rich or poor, alike.
John Barnes possesses all OF these de
sirable qualifications, and is the peer OF
any lawyer in his knowledge Of law, has
judicial fitness and temperament of a
high order which was amply tested and
exhibited az chairman of the Wisconsin
Railroad Commission. He has youth,
application, ambition to know and be
right, wonderful capacity for work, the
power to trace and grasp principle of
law and understand its history, philoso-
ply and application to the questions
and case before him, of sterling honesty.
He has no favOrites in either litigants or
lawyers, is unassuming,a man OF the
common people, easily approachable
socially above suspicion, loved and adj
mired warmly by all who know him.
lie was born and raised in an adjoining
county, Manitowoc, unaided by power,
full pame or influential friends, poor
boy, he carved his own way and won
his own fame and fortune, until he
stands in the front rank of the leading
lawyers of Wisconsin today.
His judicial decisions AZ chairman OF
the rate commission of Wisconsin, are
clear lucid learned, based on principles
and data clearly set forth and capable
of being understood by the lay mind;
and to him and his laborious work the
people of Wisconsin are indebted for
the procedure, forms, correctness and
expediency with which the work of the
commission was done 1t was the labor
of giant, much OF IT performed when
others slept by use of the lamp; he, the
only lawyer on the commission, to meet
and curb and hold in check for the peo
Pile the great corporations and their
great and brilliant lawyers, highly paid,
on hearings before the commission in
volving large interests and deep and far
reaching questions for present and fu,
ture adjudication. And this young law
yer from your neighboring county, un-
fetterd by anything except the high re
solve to be right alone met those men
and difficulties fearlessly, and by his
fairness, learning and judicial equipoise,
pleased even the party he defeated, by
the clearness aud business of his opinions
and judgments. No man nor clique of
men, nor corporation party, or faction
of party, ever owned, or will own John
Barnes He il independent and manly
as II man ever was, and always will be,
and at his time of life, with his youth,
health, vigor and application, if elected
as he surely should be, will give the
people Of Wisconsin n long and honor
able service rs judge Oh its highest
tribunal, which will add luster to its
reputation and integrity; and luCidity
TO its opinions and respect for its judg
ments. Mr. Barnes il the choice Of the
people, he was called out for the
position, he did not seek nor ask
it, the people and position sought him
because Of bis eminent fitness therefor
and il elected, The wisdom Of the choice
will be amply demonstrated in the work
be will do on the bench.
The writer has known John Barnes
from infancy. He was pupil of mine,
and ~ boy he showed these traits Of
character and manhood, and that in.
tellectual brightness which have mark
ed his later career as man in his
personal and professional life, and
which have won for him renown IA well
H the high regard Of all worthy persons
who know him Learned generous,
sympathetic, kindly, with keen sense Of