The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-09-20
KEEP JUDGES OUT CT POLITICS.

the nerve tonic It takes. Ii ITS
issue Of the 14th it presents on
it's first page Judge D. f. Hydrick
for Chief Justice, in the place OF
Judge Jones who will retire IN
January, and on another page
the name of Judge Thomas Sease
also of Spartanburg Is presented
for Associate Justice, in the place
of Judge Hydrick. should that
gentleman succeed IN manlpuIat
ing the Legislature into elevating
him to the Chief Justiceshlp.
then of course, if Judge Sease
goes upon the supreme bench the
Herald no doubt has some other
friend hitched out for the circuit
iudgeship; Hydrick is from Spar,
tanburg, so is Sease, and 50 will
the other man be. II this is not
s.hogging" the Judgeships, what
is it, We have nothing against
Judge Hydrick, but he has only
recently landed on the supreme
bench, and, we will say in this
connection, the methods resorted
to for his election, would have
compared very favorably to the
alleged methods Of the wards IN
cities. The dignity Of the posi-
ton was lost sight of. there was
as much s:log- rolling and trad
ing for the election of Judge Hy-
dr!ck to the supreme bench, as
we ever saw for the election Of
members of the old state dispen-
sary board; it was a disgusting
sight, made more so by the pres
ence of ministers of his denoml
nation who were actively at work
for him. This was not ali, there
was an active lobby of Spartan
burg politicians. and regular
headquarters with all the acces-
sories usual to such places. A
stranger would have never sus-
pected there was before the Cen
eral Assembly, the high and dig
nifed Office of a supreme court
Judge to be chosen, but rather,
he would have thought from what
he saw that it was a contest
where the machine" was strug
Cling for it's existence. He would
have thought from the sounds of
hilarity which came from certain
quarters at a hotel that there was
a considerable amount of socla.
bility invoked in the interests OF
a candidate. We say that a rep.
etition of such scenes we hope
never to see again, especially,
when one is to be chosen who will
be entrusted with the rights and
liberties of citizens. We do not
want ever again to see the selec-
ton of a Judge brought down to
the level of petty politics: nor DC
we ever want to see a religious
denomination figure in such d
selection, as was the case IN the
contest in which Judge D. E. Hy'
drick was the winner.
Upon the supreme bench there
are other gentlemen of known
ability. and, they are not from
Spartanburg either. therefore, il
is not absolutely necessary that
a man should be from Spartan
tanburg to be qualified to ill such
a high position. Judge E. B.
Gary of Abbeville, has been on
the supreme bench for many
years, that he has the ability is
without saying; in point OF Ser
vice he is the oldest member OF
that court, there is Judge Woods,
Of Marion, a gentleman recogniz
ed for his culture and his profun.
dity: we do not believe either Of
them would condesend to engage
in a political scramble for the
promotion. When Judge Jones
vas promoted over Judge Gary.
some who voted for Judge Jones
felt later that they did Judge
Gary an injustice, but the argu.
ment used at the time, and it had
its effect on some, that Judge
Jones was so much older than
Judge Gary the honor should &C
to the man of years. rather than
to the one who had served the
longest. In our humble opinion.
should the legislature take 4
Young man who has hardly got.
ten accustomed to his seat, and
promote him over the older mem.
bers Of the court, it would be
outrageous.
The next session Of the gener-
al assembly will have, in all prob
ability, another long drawn out
contest over the election Of the
fifth Judge on the supreme court,
this will afford the politicians
another fine field for their opera
tlons, the you give our man
support, and we will give your
man our support" will be their
game, but it should not be, the
gentlemen to be selected for
these distinguished positions
should be as free from political
alliances as possible. at least they
should not be Of the button-holG
ing aud trading stripe, and we
hope every member OF the gene:-
al assembly will refuse to sup
port for a judgeship any man
who is known to be actively seek
ing the position; if the bench OF
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