The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-11-03
PUBLIC. OPINION
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Continue the kon-partisan Judgeship.
To the Editor OF The Gate City,
From the time OF the establishment
4 OF Lee county as a separate judicial
] district OF Iowa, known as the first
judicial district, the cases on the
I docket have been accommodating to
such an extent that it has become inn.
possible for one judge TO clean unthe
l docket.
During the thirty-fourth general
assembly of Iowa an effort was made
(! By the attorneys OF Lee county with
the assistance OF interested voters. to
secure the passage of law increas-
ing the number OF judges from one to
two In said district. which effort sue
cessfulIy resulted In the enactment of
a law. increasing the number OF
/ judges from one to two, During the
period however. that this bill was be-
I fore the committees on judicial dis
/ tricts. OF both the house and senate
/ it was required by these committees
that Lee county show By statistics,
the demand for an additional judge.
and suggested the bar also convince
the committees OF the probability OF
I, Lee county having what is usually
termed non partisan judiciary. by
having one democratic and one re-
publican judge To accomplish this
end meetings of the Lee county bar
we're called and finally on the 14th
day Of February 1911 a committee.
consisting OF representative of the
Keokuk and Fit Madison bars. OF
which committee the writer was a
member, met, selected Mr.. 0. c. Her
minghausen as chairman of the meet
/ ing and among other things submitted
the following resolution:
Resolved, That it is the sense of
the Lee county bar that il provision
of law is made giving an additional
district judge to the first judicial dis
! trict of Iowa, it is possible and highly
desirable to make the judiciary of
! said district nonpartisan and we here
by unequiYocally commit ourselves to
/ the accomplishment of such end, and
We hereby pledge our undivided and
continuous efforts to establishing and
maintaining a non-partisan judiciary
| in said district. Upon the objection OF
Mr.. Herminghausen, the following
words were struck out "and we here
! by pledge our undivided and ccntinu-
GUS efforts to establishing and main
tanning non partisan Judiciary In
said district, and the resolution as
adopted unanimously read as fol-
lows: Resolved. That it is the sense
iof the Lee county bar that if a pro
vision of law is made giving an addi-
tional district Judge to the first
judicial district of Iowa it is possible
and highly desirable to make the Judi
ciary of said district non-partisan and
we. hereby unequiyocally commit our
selves to the accomplishment of such
end This resolution was forwarded
/ with other statistics to the commit
/ tees on judicial districts OF the house
and senate at Des Moines and ma
terially assisted in securing the pass
age OF the act creating two district
judges for the first judicial district OF
Iowa, which act was duly approved
and published as required by law and
thus became a law.
Soon after this act became a law
Hon. ". S. Hamilton of Fit. Madison.
a republican in politics. was appointed
I by the governor to carry out the CON
ditions upon which the act was pass
ed and this appointment making,
with Judge Henry Bank. democrat, as
non-partisan judiciary as is possible.
( The voters of Lee county are called
upon this year to answer the question
OF whether or not the cand dacy of
Mr.. O. c. Herminghausen shows any
desire on his part to live up to the ex-
pressed agreement of substantially
the whole bar OF Lee county himself
more especially included because the
{ resolution was changed to suit his
/ objections and ne as well as the bar
unequivocaly became committed to
lthe establishment of q non partisan
! judiciary; that resolution was a bind.
ing agreement among the members OF
the bar that no attorney would offer
himself, or permit his name TO be
Offered before any convention as
candidate for the office of district
Judge, SO as to violate the terms of
the resolution or agreement and dis.
turb the non-partisan character of the
bench The voters of Lee county
cannot afford to endorse the candl
dacy OF Mr.. Herminghausen under
standing the terms Of the resolution
and the necessity and conditions I'M.
der which it was adopted, because
they would thereby encourage the
ambitions OF one man at the expense
OF his pledged word az well as the
pledged word OF the whole bar. and
at the same time discredit Lee coun-
ty. in the eyes of the legislature be-
cause the resolution as adopted was
instrumental in securing the passage
of the Law referred to.
The argument advanced BY tbs
friends of Mr. Herminghausen that
Reokuk being nominally republican