The Alaska socialist., 1913-11-15
the American hand.

Washington did, Jefferson did, Lin coln did, Roosevelt did And the fame of their great worth and works rests largely i'll the fact that they were exem- plary opponents of the best of our com posite American life and thought The American judge should go and do like wise.
 Isn't it little peculiar that men who admit the people are qualified to nom- mate their own judges, who are quail flied to elect their own judges, most of them largely unknown, many of them, wholly untried, that these same people should not be qualified after the judge has had fair and reasonable opportun- ity to make good, to pass in judgment upon him and to wisely remove him for good sdasuficient cause when he fails to efficiently and justly administer his trust. When we nominate him we pass in judgment upon his qualifications, and that is all that we do wien We vote to remove him 1t is almighty strange that the sovereign citizen has his lucid intervals only when he nominates and when he elects Thereafter he becomes the part of the mob when he criticises and censures the court, or when he asks by petition to vote to remove the judge,
 The old theory of elective officers as first provided for in the various state constitutions, especially i'll staid old New England, was for short official terms. Why? So,that if the officer proved in- capable, inefficient, corrupt or unrep- resentative of the best thought and life of the people that when lie came up for reelection lie could be defeated Ere quent elections are but frequent oppor- tunities to recall the judge Judge Ken r field, one of the most eminent jurists that ever sat on q bench in the state of Nermont or any other state, was elected a Il d reelected annually for twenty-five consecutive times It did not impair his usefulness, his efficiency, his proper in- dependence or distinguished service up- on the supreme court of the state of Vermont
 What was the reason of the fixing of the short term i'll the election of presid- Gnt of the United States but to provide the people the right to recall him if, at the end of four years, lis official service was unsatisfactory The same with our governors, the same with our legislators and every other line of official service
 You could not organize in Chicago to- day million dollar corporation for the manufacture of any staple article no matter what the prospects of profits might be to stockholders, if you were to provide i'll the charter that the president general manager, board of directors, foremen, subforemen and every empIoye should be employed for term of four years to six years without right of re- moval for inefficiency, misconduct, in attention to business, disloyalty or any serious dereliction of duty No one would care to invest dollar in such an enterprise. If the private corporation needs the right to remove all it's officers for it's protection. the public needs the same right for its protection.
 It would seem eminently fair that the men W h 10 select th e judge, he III ell whom the judge is to serve, the men who pay tue judge, should be the men to remove him for misconduct i'll office.
 But you say the people will make mis- takes. AS the legislatures of the sev- eral states may be justly faulted for the nonuse of the power so the people will 1~x,F AN1 q AL