Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-08-21
JUDG[SH|P LISTS
GROWING SMALLER.
Army OF Candidates Decreasing
and Race Lies Between Six
Aspirants
gvERYBoDY's FIGHT TO DATE
No Ono Can Pick the Winner or De-
clare Who Leads-Judse McHenry's
Friends Most Active = Brigham
Preparing Copy for Biography of
Senator James Harlan.
,necial to T,mes-Republican.

SSudkOI vduCS uIdttaus
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. Aug. 21.-Instead Of an
army of candidates for the vacancy on
the Iowa supreme bench caused by the
death of Judge Charles A. Bishop, it
is the belief now that the list will
continue to narrow down. A large num-
ber, probably half, of the candidates
race and SO far as is known there are
but six candidates actively in the
race.
These candidates are ex-State Senator
w. Fl. Berry, of Indianola, who is now
member of the state board of parole;
Judge w. FL. McHenry, of Des Moines,
who is judge on the district bench;
Robert Healy, an attorney at Fort
Dodge; Judge A. N. Hobson, of West
Union, judge on the district bench;
Judge w. r. Green, of Audubon, a
Judge on the district bench and Judge
Daniel f. Coyle of Humboldt, judge
on the district bench. Judge Will
liam d. Evans, of Hampton, judge on
the district bench, has been mentioned
for the position but it is understood
that he is absent in Glasgow attend
ing the great Congregational church
gathering and SO far as is known here
bac formal 2nnOl1nce.
ment of his candidacy.
Des Moines politicians are working
very energetically for Judge w. II.
McHenry and some of them are now
spending considerable time out over
the state in his behalf. Lawrence De-
Graft, who is county attorney of Polk
county. has been at Davenport the past
Few days endeavoring to get the sup
port of Scott county for Judge Nc
Henry Mr.. DeGraff was assistant at
torney general under Mr.. Mullan. 1t is
understood that il Judge McHenry Is
successful in getting the position on
the supreme court Mr.. DeGraff, will
be one of several candidates for the
appointment to the vacancy on the dis
trict bench. 1t is understood too that
the other candidates for the supreme
judge position are not inactive and
that while the state is busy with the
United States senatorship and the
state fair and republican conference
and some other matters the candidates
for the place on the supreme bench
are in the field after the support of
their friendS
The county conventions to select del
egates to the state convention will be
held next week Saturday, Aug. 20, and
the state convention will be held Sept.
9. The candidates for the position will
endeavor to get as many counties as
possible to endorse them but the gem
eral belief is that very few of the coun-
ties will endorse outright at their con-
ventions next week and that for the
most part the delegations will be un-
minds which candidate to support af-
ter they have reached Des Moines,
for the state convention.
In the final analysis no one is able
to say which candidate will be the
stronger. The candidates in the SOUTH
ern part of the state are dwelling upon
the fact that one half Of the men,
bers of the court come from the
northern part of the state already and
that by geography the other position
should go to the south half of the
state. This, however, is considered by
others a weak argument and one un-
worthy of consideration for the reason
that it is much more important that
the best qualified person in the state
should go to the supreme court than
that the position should go to one GER
tain locality. They claim that geo.
graphy is an old political scheme for
dividing up the spoils and that In re-
cent years all attempts are toward di-
vorcing the judiciary from politics. The
office was kept off the list Of those the
nomination of which is made by the
primary in order to get the judiciary
as speedily as possible to a non-par-
tisan basis, politics having nothing to
do with the Interpretation of the law.
For that reason some lawyers say
they would be willing to have all the
members Of the court come from one
city if it could be shown that they
were the six ablest and best fitted
lawyers for the position.
The Iowa railroad commission has
been asked to lower the minimum rate
on the poor mans piano, the organ.
The Guest Piano Company Of Bur-
lington, has petitioned the commission
to remove the minimum. The charge
now is SO. The company claims that
the organs are easily handled and sell
dom damaged and that the freight
charge should be determined by their
weight without any minimum attached.
Johnston Brigham, state librarian is
working on the copy for the biography
of the late Senator James Harlan. 1t
will appear in the biography series OF
the iowa Historical Society and will
probably consist of two volumes. In
the biographies of the leading men OF
the early history of the state the writ
ers have been pressed with the great
question of finding enough about them
to fill a book Their lives were full
enough Of incidents but these incidents