The Monticellonian., 1908-03-19
JUDGE CARROLL ). WOOD.
Judge w. N. Norton of Forrest City, ono of the Ablest Lawyers of the State, Gives Strong Endorse nent of Judge Wood for
 Associate Justice.


 Is bad. But if nave d bad Supreme Court, God help us!
 If the governor or the legislature do | wrong, the Supreme Court can extend over us the shield of the Constitution. But if the Supreme Court does wrong, there is no redress. IL is the final arbiter of our lives, our liberties and l our fortunes.
 We may experiment with the other offices. We may even turn them over to demagogues and still get along. But for the Supreme Court we must choose only tried men, men who we know are | fitted for the place
 Anybody with good education, up- l right character and fair intelligence | can discharge the duties of the other l offices. But a Supreme Judge must have peculiar qualifications He must be learned in the law. He must be impartial He must have the ju dicial temper: that is. the power to free himself from all personal feelings toward litigants and counsel and to | look only to law and justice. It is not everyone learned in the law that makes a good judge Many | lawyers have gone on the bench with great reputation and left il discredit- ed. A man must be born for the of | fee. And then he must hold it long enough to become proficient in the dis charge of the duties.
 You cannot make a good judge in day. The longer he stays on the l bench the better judge he will be. if he is made of the right stuff. Our people have been wise enough to see | that, and among us the tenure of judi cial office has always been practically during good behavior.
 This is especially important on the supreme bench. A Supreme Judge should be very learned in the law. If he makes a mistake there is no remedy And there is no law school to compare with a place in that court. The ablest lawyers of the State are all the time pouring out their learn ing before it and showing it every view in which a question can be consid cred. Unless man is hopelessly dull. he will grow in learning every year that he is there
 Whom shall we support in the pres ent race? We have judge who has made his record. It is down in black | and white for all men to read.
 A good judge must be not only learned in the law, he also must be honest, fearless, impartial, industrious Which of these qualities does Judge Carroll D. Wood lack? If he is not | learned in the law, who wrote the long series of able opinions that appear in | his name? That he is honest is ap- parent. Deciding the most important cases where corruption would mean l wealth. he is almost as poor as when he worked his way through our State | University, getting an education under | disadvantages that would have appall- ed most men. That he is fearless is evident in his opinions, where he de- | cides always according to what he be- lieves to be the law, regardless of popular clamor on the one hand or cor porate greed on the other. That is impartial. knowing neither friend nor foe when on the bench, every law yer practicing before him will admit. That he is industrious the vast array of his opinions demonstrates beyond question
 His opponent says he has held office too long When did it become dis grace that mans fellow-citizens should continue to honor him with their confidence? And, except during the few years that he was prosecuting attorney his service has been all upon the bench and therefore preparation for his present duties.
 His opponent talks about the salary he has received. Al no time has his salary been half what he could have earned at the bar. He has given his labor to the State for less than half the compensation that private persons would have given him had he worked for them.
 His training for the position has been ideal He was prosecuting at- torney for four years, and thus drill- ed in the criminal law. He was circuit judge for six years, and thus learned the practical administration of jus tice in the trial courts Since he re- tired as circuit judge he has been on the supreme bench. the best law school in the world Everywhere he has displayed ability and integrity. Though his judicial experience has been so great he is only fifty years old. and in the vigor of his manhood. We know that if he is reelected we shall have an able, an upright and an efficient judge. Can we afford to cast him aside for an untried man?
 As Judge Woods opinions fill a large part of twenty-six volumes of our re- ports. it is impossible to review his work in detail; but if anyone has doubts either of his learning or of his reasoning powers, I should ask him to read the opinions in Vaughan V. State, 5S Ark, 353: State V. Mar tin, 50 Ark, 343: Rogers V. Galloway Female College, GA Ark, 627; DosteP V Manistee National Bank, 67 Ark. 325; and By. V. Pitcoek S2 Ark, Al. Not that these are exceptional He maintains throughout the same high level But these come readily to my mind. and I do not think that anyone can read them without perceiving that their author is a man bosh of learning and power.
 Judge U. M. Rose, speaking of some of the opinions rendered by Judge Wood. said:
 They are really models of clearness. and in that respect, as well as iuz CTS, they will compare fayorably wth the best and most carefully prepared opinions in our reports
 \. W. NORTON