Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-10-11
A FAITHFUL OFFICER
JUDGE BURNETT HAS ALWAYS
BEEN PEOPLES FRIEND.
Charge That He Has Favored Corpor-
ations Shown to Be Utterly
False and Malicious.

of Hon. George II. Burnett, OF SaleIn,
for the Supreme Bench of this State.
In the first place, 1 want to say that
/ was not one of the famous one
hundred and six that sat in judgment
in Portland, Oregon, prior to the re-
cent primaries, upon the different
candidates having Supreme Court am
bitions. Probably, there are at least
fourteen hundred other lawyers in this
state who can well say the same thing.
These one-hundred and six attorneys,
composed principally of Democrats and
Chamberlain Bourne Republicans G),
undertook to tell the people of this
state who should and who should not
represent them in the highest court in
this state But behind the whole thing,
lay the proposition that the procedure
they were taking was probably the
only way in which the Democratic
candidates now sitting upon the Su-
preme Bench could be returned to that
most honored position. In order to re-
turn these men-who were the result
of Chamberlain manipulation, and not
the result of a vote of the people
these self-styled saviors of the dignity
of the Bench, were compelled to name
also for reelection Messrs. Moore and
Mcbride, both most able men and
judges. They had to do this in order
to give their meeting the stamp of
partisan, instead of the stamp of
democracy. 1t would have been dis
astrous for the Democrats, as Demo-
Gratis, to hold an Assembly. But in the
guise of non-partisans, this self-select-
ed, self-appointed assemblage, in order
to down as great and good man as
N gskf fnE
the Supreme Bench Mr.. Slater and Mr..
King, two most loyal Democrats. Re-
publican voters were also to be de-
ceived by this action; but very few of
them actually were deceived.
Now. since this assembly of lawyers.
the cry has gone out over the state
that Judge Burnett was named in the
greater Republican Assembly as can
didate for the Supreme Bench by cor
poration lawyers and corporation men.
Such nonsense! They even claim that
Judge Burnett is a corporation judge.
Again, / say, what nonsense! You,
who know Judge Burnett, know just
how much that man could be corrupt
ed or bought OFF. I have yet to see
the man who has ever had a ten-min-
ute conversation with Judge Burnett,
know whether that man could be
bought or not One only has to shake
the hand of Judge Burnett to get the
feeling that he has at last met man
"a real man; one who will perform
his duty, be 1t what 1t may. The as
sembly that named Judge Burnett was
composed OF farmers, merchants,
bankers, physicians, and lawyers, and
ne, all he Of fn ha
lawyers in that assembly were not
corporation lawyers, any more than
the lawyers that compose the so-called
non partisan assembly-and, might
remark here, that If the truth were
told, we would learn that at least rs
per cent of the lawyers in that nom
partisan assembly were lawyers re-
tanned by one or more corporations
If you think Judge Burnett Is a
corporation man, why not examine in
to his record as a Circuit Judge and
see how he has stood in matters where
in corporation was interested. lie has
not always decided against the cor
poration there are times, when even
the corporation can be in the right.
But his record will sustain me in the
statement that in all cases of doubt,
either way, where the question had
never been before the Courts before,
the corporation generally came off
with its colors trailing in the dust
Let me refer to his decisions in the
J. Thornburn Ross case, the case of
the State against the Wells Fargo Co.,
and the Standard oil Company to coll
lect the gross earnings tax, and the
case of the State against the Corvallis
e. Eastern r, II. Co All of these cases
are OF recent date, and his decisions
upon each of them is fresh in the
minds of every one. All these cases in
volved questions that were in Court for
the first time In this State, and were
argued with all the skill that able cor
poratlon attorneys could command. |
Being new questions, IL Judge Burnett
was the individual that the opposition
paints him, he could easily have yield |
ed to the arguments against the laws
In question and let them go to the Su- |
preme Court for final decision, but he |
did not. Judge Burnett has always sus |
tanned the VIII of the people as eX-
pressed in the laws enacted by the In
itlative process. In many cases decld- !
ed by the Supreme Court upon these
new questions, Judge Burnett was the
pioneer who made the first decision on
the questions involved.
This whole disturbance about Judge |
Burnett being a corporation judge and
one opposed to the will of the people,
Is a demagogcal attack upon him I'm
the interest OF the Democratic candi- |
dates masquerading under the gulse of
-partisans; else why do they not |
attack Judge Moore and Judge Me-
Bride. who were named by the Repub-
licans for the Supreme Bench, in the |
same breath as was Judge Burnett2
Don't be misled, voters OF Oregon, by
this doctrine. IL Is quite true that
Judge Burnett, along with Messrs
Moore and Mcbride were named by
the Republican Assembly as Republic
can candidates for the Supreme Bench;
but this recommendation came 10 them
unsolicited. But the assembly Is n
thing OF the past; a matter that will
probably never come between Republi-
can voters In the future; 40 why not
bury the hatchet, and walk TO the polls
In November In solid formation. and
elect the Republican ticket from top to
bottom as nominated? Even n you do
not feel this way In regard to the whole
ticket. still there Is no reason In the
world why you should vote for Messrs.
Slater and King in preference 90 the
other candidates for the Supreme
Bench. Each and every candidate for
this position has been named by an
assembly. The only difference Is that
Messrs. slater and King are carrying
water upon both shouiders-trying 20
ride the Democratic mule. and az the
same time. carry the weapon furnish
ed them by a scif-styled lawyers non
partisan assembly. A man can't be two
things He Is either one or the other
Judge Burnett has been upon the
Circuit Bench for many years. In all
that time, he has performed his duties
IN an able manner. he has saved 90 the
taxpayers Of his district many thous-
ands Of dollars. by avoiding many use /
less court expenses. he has been the
friend Of The people at all times He !
has never shhirked his duty in any
way whatsoever. He is a bright and !
able man, and one that would Be a
credit % the highest court IN this
STATE He has served the people faith
fully and vel for the number Of years
he has been upon the Circuit Bench.
He now asks FOR a higher honor. the
highest 5udiciai honor the people can
heetow upon him. In view of his mast