Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-05-22
THE TRUE SPIRIT OF NoN-PARTI-
SAN FAIRNESS.


the reelection OF Justice George A.
Cooke TO the Illinois supreme court !
from the fourth district, the press mill
at Judge Griers headquarters at Mon
mouth, after laundering about from
one position to another, is now send
ing out TO the papers of the district
that are supporting Judge Grier, the
discovery that Judge Cooke has prais-
ed the ability and personal worth of
his opponent This is the reason that
has at last been accepted by the Grier
followers as justifiable ground for JUS
tice Cookies defeat by Judge Grier.
Thus, ii may be said, is bestowed a
distinction, unique in character upon
Justice Cooke, which in all the realm
OF politics has probably never before
been laid upon the shoulders of any
candidate for public Office, as an argu-
ment against his reelection Justice
Cooke has been caught in the act of
praising his opponent. But, the press
agents of the Grier headquarters go
on to say, You do not see Justice
Cooke praising Judge Grier so much
now as he did some time ago"-it has
been used so effectively by Judge
Grier's friends, they say boastfully.
The fact of the matter is that JUS
| tice Cooke has never lost an oppor-
tunity to say a good word of his OBJ
ponent in every county in the district,
and he is going right along doing the
same thing, and will continue to do It
to the end of the campaign. II such a
course is to prove detrimental 10 his
|candidacy, he is quite willing that it
should. 1t IS George Cookies nature
10 be frank and TO be fair, to speak
his mind, and to place credit where he
thinks 1t is due. 1t is because he is built
on the broad lines Of fairness and of
fair dealing, even TO those who oppose
him. that he has made an ideal Judge
and a model candidate.
Quite in contrast has his attitude
been in this respect with that of the
Grier press concern, the whole trend
of whose stuff is abuse and SANDER of
Justice Cooke. Having started out
originally on the theory that Judge
Grier should be elected on partisan
ground, and finding this argument re-
sented by the people of the district
who take kindly to the idea of keeping
the supreme court of the state aloof
from politics, the Grier press agents
switched TO the question of uualifica-
ton. Confronted with the fact that
Judge Grier had none the better of
Justice Cooke on this basis of reason
ing, as shown by the position of re-
publican and Independent newspapers
and by the entire bar of the state COM
ing forth in support Of Justice Cookies
reelection because OF the fact that he
has made good in the supreme court.
l.. that he has displayed rare ,Qualifca-
tons and has in addition earned the
, reputation Of being one of the hardest
workers who has ever sat on the
bench, these Grier papers have now
, taken another shoot. They seek refuge
| behind the declaration that Justice
Cooke has not hesitated to acknowl
edge the fitness and worth of his Cd
I ponent. From what those who are
D acquainted with Justice Cooke know
l Of his character, il is safe 10
! say that he will not deny this
) impeachment. In the first place. he is
not in the habit of going about deny.
) ing what he has done or is doing: in
the second place, he believes in being
fair, and in the third place, he feels
that vilification and abuse have nc
place in an election for Judge of the
, supreme court.
/ The final argument which the GrieI
papers have the temerity to advance
now-that Justice Cooke has been SC
gracious and fair as to praise his op
ponent-is probably the last Of the
samples. And these papers have the
full and absolute permission of Jus
r tice Cookies fTiends-and they are le
= gion throughout the district-to use
this final argument as often and as faI
> as they may see fit.
The argument only goes to show
what has all along been claimed BY
/ the supporters of Justice Cooke-tha-
, temperamentally, as we'll as other
wise, he is built up to the ONCE he
holds and should retain. He has shown
the quality of fairness to those who
oppose him. He is big enough 10 be
, Just His ability has been admitted
| by those who have watched his brief
career on the bench, and his worth
, has been established. He is the ideal
/ man to stand on the platform of non
, partisan fairness in supreme court
elections and by his own reelection tc
perpetuate that principle.