Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1914-06-25
ADDRESS TOTHE PEOPLE
FROM JUDGE SAM c. WILLIAMS,
CANDIDATE FOR THE ST.
PREME BENCH
FER UnsxpIred Term Now Filled by Him.
Election August 9th.

! Nashville. Tenn.-Judge Sam Z. VIII
Jams, candidate for the Supreme Bench
at the election August 9th, on the free
and independent platform, has issued the
following address,
TO THE PEOPLE OF TENNESSEE:
1t is now apparent that the jackson
term Of the Supreme Court. for the West
ern Division, Will not be concluded until
late date in Junei and that this TACT
will make 1t impossible for me to canvass
| the State and personally solicit support
| in behalf of my candidacy to election TO
| the place / now hold on the supreme
bench. About forty days only VIII re-
main before the date OF the election IN
| August.
This leaves me the alternative of ad-
dressing the people in this manner.
have declined to visit the counties OF
the State for that purpose during term
| time, and the Court has been in almost
continuous session since Sept. Sth last
| felt that ltigants and lawyers had
| right to expect that my time should be
devoted to the hearing, investigation and
| decision of their cases. The result is
that l have been able to visit only six
OF the towns of the State those visited
! being in Middle Tennessee during the one
week of vacation that interviewed between
| the Nashville term and the jackson term.
In January last l issued an announce
| ment of my purpose to ask for an fndofse-
| ment of my record at the August cleo
| ton, 1914, and in that announcement
|
| tions. My hope was that by faithful and
unremitting effort there might be made
a record that would deserve and receive
| Endorsement; a record sufficiently accept
able to the people of the State to justify
all parties and factions in according me
the remnant -four years. left of the un-
expired term Of Judge John K. Shields, my
predecessor.
The record of service rendered during
the year and half of my incumbency is
before the bar and the citizenship in the
published law reports official and unof-
fetal, and by that l am willing to be
tried. Whatever lack there may be does
not come from want of a sincere desire
and purpose to give to the office the best
Of my capacity.
Before going on the bench had never
been in public life; had never sought or
held office My appointment to the bench
was due, as / conceive, to the fact tho
i was not politician: because of this
the recommendation for appointment was
well-nigh unanimous from the bar of the
First Congressional District, In which
have resided for the last Twenty-Five
years. All elements OF all political parties
and factions In that faction-torn district
combined in that Endorsement.
1t is submitted that, in fairness, 1t can
not be charged that since my appointment
] have mixed in political affairs even by
attendance at any one Of those meetings.
of State Executive Committees or at any
one of the three State Conventions that
have had to deal with the succession to
the seat l now occupy
Two State Conventions have given my
record and candidacy their Endorsement
but my appeal is yet to the people at
large, who, 1t is believed, have a desire
to Save their highest judicial office from
political and. most of all, factional
scramble, and who are unwilling to pro-
scribe judge because his political views
do not exactly square with their own
opinions.
In 1912 my associate in service, Judge
Arthur $. Buchanan. who had been ele-
waited to the bench by Governor Patterson
as regular democrat stood for indorse-
ment by election. The republicans and 1
Independent democrats alike accorded hir'
the race without opposition. gladly sup-
ported him on his record. Now, after the
lapse of but two years, II the situation
be fairly the same as to service rendered,
1 can but think that there are thousands
of regular democrats so fair-minded az
not to withhold reciprocal treatment.
Is II argued that l have not the nomi-,
nation of a democratic convention? NY
predecessor, Judge Shields. was elected
without such nomination Despite adj
verse nominations by that party. he and
seat hold was. as I conceive, thus dedI-
Gated by the people to Independence ana
freedom from partisan test for eight years,
not four. At whose instance, and for
what reason, is the position to be forced
BACK INTO politics in mid-term7 ! ask |
for the fragment 6f tilat term as a nom
partisan candidate Will it not be time
enough to apply partisan test after the
period OF dedication is passed?
The democrats Of Tennessee approved |
and applauded the acts OF republican
presidents when Harrison appointed How
ell E. Jackson, of this State. to the bench |
Of the Supreme Court of the United |
States, and when Taft raised Judge Lur-
ton, a Tennessee democrat, to the same
bench. Tennessee democrats, least of all, |
have reason to decry non-partisan
standard for the Judiciary. Will they APP
ply a stricter. purely factional test and
dsrobe State Judge who has been
. lifelong democrat on the ground that |
be - not their particular sort of demo- |
believe that a vast number of them will |
decline to depart from the Buchanan
precedent; that they have no desire to |
take and not give, to ask and not yield |
in return. To them ] appeal
To those who have been in the ranks |
OF the independent democrats, whether |
they he at this time thermometers or not, |
call attention to the fact that the indie |
pendent democratic movement originated |
In the campaign of 1910, the fundamental |
of which was that Judges Of the |
Higher Courts should not be made or un- |
made at the dictation or behest of the |
and that the Supreme Bench |
above all should be freed from the de- !
moralizing influence of the domination |
of any faction or boss.
Upon republicans my chief claim for |
to be- kept that II am honored by the |
people in an Endorsement of my record I |
shall devote my best energies to the office |
as a servant of no party. but of the whole |
people, intent only on its duties and on |
seeing that as little as possible OF the |
politician shall appear in the Judge.
Eighteen months absence from home In |
the service of the State serves to dissi- |
pate ones professional practice and to |
give q wrench to ones private affairs. as !
my brethren of the bar readily under |
stand. /
Any injustice that. might be done to the |
by refusal to so indorse would |
be insignificant, however. as compared |
with the harm that would be inflicted on |
the judiciary II the Buchanan precedent |
should now be reversed, and another es-
that puts on apoplntees to the |
Appellate benches the expenses and strain
Of a campaign during and following
year of grinding court service. Many |
lawyers would hesitate to accept an ap-
pointment under such conditions. In all |
should any Judge, II he has done |
his duty. be thus subjected?
1t Is for the bar and the people to |
decide. 1t Is submitted to their arbitrc-