Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1910-11-04
ELECTIVE JUDICIARY.

y
splendid editorial advocating your
side of the question on the cleo
tive judiciary, and l am some
what loathe to break lances with
you.
But l am firmly convinced that
it will be to the best interest OF
the people to have this amend
ment adopted. In the first place
| believe we will get just as good
judges by having the people to
elect them as if they were ap-
pointed. This was the custom of
our state until the Republican
party foisted the appointive plan
us. And since that time we have
been unable to chage this. Be-
fore thewar Mississippi was noted
for the high standard Of her
judges. Alabama has the cleo
tive judiciary system and no state
in my opinion, has better judges,
and the district in which our
neighboring county of Pickens is
in, has had the same judge |
nearly ever since the war. Ten
nessee has the elective judiciary,
and had this system not been in
vogue up there the independent
lawyers, who were elected judges
in that state recently, never could
have had this position. Then too,
have served in two legislatures,
and have seen the evil effect of
the governor having this appoin-
tive power. 1t is not confined to
any one governor, but we all
know that Judge Truly decided
against Gov, Vardaman in the
Sandy Bayou case, and Judge
Mayes decided in favor of Varda-
man. Truly walked the plank
and Mayes was made judge of
the Supreme court. And we all
know that had we had the cleo
tive judiciary, Truly would not
have had to leave his office to
have been elected judge. l do
not believe we ever had a more
able Judge than Truly. Then we
all know that if Judge Anderson
had led the Vardaman forces dur
ing the late caucus, however co n
petent he might have been land
| don't think there is a finer man
in the state) he never would have
been on the supreme bench.
So it is not confined as | said,
to any one man, and have no crit
icism to make on these two men
for using their appointive power
to help their friends for we are
all human, and most of us are
like my good friend, Bob Banks,
who said he always believed in
appointing the best men, but it
was mighty hard for him to be-
lieye that his friends were not
the best men. | want to take as
much of the appointive power
away from the governor as posi-
BILE, just as long as he has the ap-
pointment of so many officers, he
car have an undue influence on
the legislation and can generally
control the legislature. Now
Gov. Vardaman did not reap
point Henry manager Of the pen
itentiary though he was a splendid
manager. Capt. Burkitt was
chairman of the committee who
was sent to investigate the Parch-
man farm, but old Burkitt was
honest and he said to me: EN-
NETT, if the boys have got any
graft they were entitled to it, for
never saw better managed in
stitution." But Gov. Vardaman
saw fit to appoint his friend Ney-
land. VIII now Neyland made
good and every one says that the
penitentiary never was in better
shape or never made more mon
ey. But Gov. Noel saw fit to let
him walk the plank and appoint
my good friend DR.. Gathings.
Now no owner Of large planta
tion like this would change mana
gers when everything was so sat-
isfactory, and | hope that my
will see the necessity
of voting to make all judges and
all other officers elective. If the
people are competent to elect the
governor, legislators and other
officers then surely it seems they
could elect the judges. We car
ried this measure once, but the
Supreme Court decided that 1t