Arizona republican., 1912-07-21
An Apology to Judge Sloan

The Washington Times recently printed an apology to Judge Sloan for the republication of an attack upon him by the Arizona Gazette in which the charges against the judge in connection with the exploded Pull man car case in Mohave county were reiterated.
 The Times, one of the Munsey papers is strongly anti-Taft and, of course, is opposed to the confirma- ton of Judge Sloan, but it observes that fairness which characterzes all reputable newspapers. large and small
 Before printing the Arizona edi- torial. the Times endeavcred to ascer- tain that the charges against Judge Sloan were true and in this connec- ton Senator Ashurst is put into bad light The Times submitted statement of the alleged facts to him and he approved it as an accurate summary of the record in the case"
 But the Times apology to Judge Sloan follows:
 IN FAIRNESS TO JUDGE SLOAN
 In the bitterness of partisan con- troversy. very grave charges have been made against Judge Richard E. Sloan, nominated for the federal bench in Arizona There is reason to believe that in some of these charges, at least, Judge Sloan has been done injustice. and the Times. having here tofore given credence to them. feels under obligation of fairness to present the other side of the case
 Before printing it's recent comments on the case the Times submitted a statement of the alleged facts which has been extensively printed. to Sen atOr Ashurst of Arizona, who ap- proved it as an accurate summary of the record in the case. On behalf of Judge Sloan it is stated that this was in truth an unfair and exaggerated msstatement. It dealt with the trial before Judge Sloan of one Thomas. a Pullman porter. charged with attempt ed assault on a woman passenger Judge Sloan sentenced Thomas to ten years in prison and denied a new trial, which later the territorial su- preme court ordered. The case was called in open court before Judge Sloan. Thomas being ready for trial while the prosecution was unable to secure it's witnesses. After effort to get them and toward the end of the term the prosecutor moved to dis miss He pointed out that on the first trial with all witnesses present the case had not been made sufficient to convince the supreme court; there fore. it would be useless to expect a conviction that would be sustained with much of the evidence dropped out. In these circumstances the court granted the motion to dismiss It is declared on the best authority that here was no activity on the part of the roalrOad or Pullman company to secure this determination. that no un- due haste marked the removal of the discharged negro from the state, and that the lawyers on both sides have so certified.
 
 committee after examination of the record of decisions in Southern Pacific railroad cases before Judge Sloan. states that they demonstrate that, far from being a railroad judge" they present Judge Sloan as a very inde- pendent and fair jurist who in vari- ous cases decided against the com pany under circumstances in which railroad judge" could very easily have justified himself in giving the corporation the decision.
 Senator Ashurst it may be added. though he is now bitterly opposing Sloan's confirmation, was a member of the Northern Arizona Bar assOcia- ton committee that in 1909 signed resolutions strongly commenting Judge SIoan's judicial service at the time when he was leaving the bench to become governor of the territory.
 If the Times had followed the pro- ceedings in the judiciary committee in it's consideration of Judge Sloans nomination it would not have been misled in the first instance. It will be remembered that some three months ago Robert E. Morrison of Prescott perhaps the bitterest and most active of the opponents of Judge Sloan. was testifying before the com mittee as to charges which he had preferred. MT. Morrison was asked concerning the Pullman car case He replied that he was thoroughly fla milia with it and he knew that in