The Republican journal., 1911-11-16
CLERK FREDERlcK's DEFEAT.

Much as we regret the defeat of Mr..
rockingham, we do not regard it as
more unfortunate than the defeat of
Walter Frederick for Clerk of the Su-
preme Court of Suffolk County. This is
the sort of thing that is likely to happen
in popular election when the import
ance of such an Office is lost in the dis
cussion of political issues and the heads
of the tickets. In this case Boston gave
a very large majority for Mr.. Foss, and
the rest of his ticket went along at a
pace only slightly reduced; in other
words, ''the tail went with the hide. "
If the voters had consciously declared
that Frederick should be deposed in favor
of Mr.. Cronin, the thing would be much
more unfortunate. AS it is, it is merely
a political accident. The Democratic
voters voted for Mr.. Cronin similarly as
they voted for Mr.. Strecker or Mr..
Thorndike, who were on the ticket.
They did not realize that they were put
ting the Supreme Court of this county
into state of confusion and immensely
handicapping the administration of JUS
tice. Even the most bigoted partisans
would not have taken this step had they
realized what they were doing. But in
spite of the publicity given by advertise
ments to Mr.. Frederick's campaign, the
average voter did not know anything
about it.
All the greater, then, is the RESPONSE
bihty and culpability of the Democratic
politicians who took this nomination out
of -partisanship, where it belongs,
and put it up as political pawn. Some
clerks of this court have been nominated
by both Democrats and Republicans time
and time again just as Mr.. Campbell,
clerk of the Superior Court. was this
year, and it was shock to the bar of
the city to find that the Democratic ring
leaders had decided that this Office was
one from which they could derive some
pelf. Hence the nomination and election
of Cronin.
All this, of course, is an argument in
favor of keeping judicial clerkships out
of politics. Massachusetts is very un-
like other States in that respect. In the
West the Importance of the clerks Of
fee is recognized as even greater than
the judges themselves, particularly the
Importance Of permanent tenure there.
l.
services to the Supreme Judicial Court
of Suffolk County have been fully as
valuable as those of any judge on the
spoke of the relative Importance of the
sur } when he said of the Eastern courts !:
money to the clerk" In some Western
ho n1orl- ap6 ba rorortor Of bo
Supreme Court, and of some lower
courts also, are elected by the Court it.
self or appointed by the governor, al
most always at the suggestion of the
Court, for no governor would dare disre-
gard such a recommendation. In this
State, of course, the clerk of the Su-
preme Court of the Commonwealth is ap-
pointed also.
We are justly proud of our superiority
to other States in our judicial system,
but if we are going to allow such an i'm
portant office as this to remain in poll
tics, we cannot long maintain that super
iority. 1t is certainly a standing dis
grace to the city of Boston that it has
taken this action against the united
voice of the bar, but we repeat, it was
not a conscious act. 1t was not like the
election of Curley as the alderman and
councillor at large, but it is bad enough.
We say this of course, without meaning
to reflect too severely upon the qualifca-
tons of Mr.. Cronin; but even if he were
a man of fine qualities and excellent legal
judgment he could not begin to fill the
duties of this Office, because of his lack
of experience. 1t is very difficult to find
a solution of this trouble except making
this office aDOolnfiyp nv tho oovarpor mr.
by the Supreme Court. How would Mr..
Cronin and his political pals like it if in
the coming of the Republican tide which
is sure to happen in few years, the Re-
publicans should put up some new man
after Mr.. Cronin had become somewhat
used to the affairs of the office, and de-
feat him for reelection. They would be
just as righteously indignant as Mr..
Frederick's friends are now.-Boston
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