The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1914-06-19
ADDRESS TOTHE PEOPLE
FROM JUDGE SAM O. WILLIAMs
CANDIDATE FOR THE su-
PREME BENCH
For unexpIred Term Now Filled by Him.
Election August 9Th.

Nashville. Tenn.-Judge Sam C. WIN
iams Candidate for the Supreme Bench
| at the election, August 9Th, on the free
| and independent platform, has issued the
| lonoWlng aooresS:
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
a late date in Junsi and that this fact
Will make 1t impossible for me to canvasn
| the state ana personally solicit support
| IN behalf OF my candidacy TO election to
the place / now hold on the Supreme
bench. About forty days only Will 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 liligants and lawyers had q
right to expect that my time should be
| devoted to the hearing, investigation and
| decision of their cases. The result IL
that 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 issued an announce
ment OF my purpose to ask for an indorse-
ment Of my record at the August cleo
ton, 1914, and In that announcement !
appealed to men Of all parties and fac
tons. My hope was that by faithful and
unremitting effort there might be made
o record that would deserve and receive
| Endorsement; record sufficiently accept
able to the people of the State to justify
all parties and factions In according me
the remnant flour 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 ID
before the bar and the citizenship in the
| published law reports. official and unof-
! facial, and by that / am willing to be
tried. Whatever lack there may be does
not come from want Of sincere desire
and purpose 70 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. az / conceive, to the fact tina
was not politician: because Of this
well-nig 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 tnosc meetings
Of State Executive Committees or at any
one Of the three State Conventions that
have had to deal with thu succession to
the seat now occupy.
Two State Conventions have given my
record and candidacy their Endorsement;
but my appeal Is yet to the people Mt
large, who. 1t 10 believed, have desire
to save their highest judicial office from
q political and, most Of all, a factional
scramble, and who are unwilling to pro-
a aIdr h L. k4-.1 ..iA
DO not exactly square with their own
opinions.
In 1912 my associate In service. Judge
Arthur s. Buchanan. who had been ele-
as regular democrat, stood for indorse-
ment by election. The republicans ana
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,
can but think that there are thousands
OF regular democrats so fair-minded az
not to withhold reciprocal treatment
Is It argued that ! have not the nomi-
predecessor. Judge Shields. was elected
without such a nomination. Despite adj
verse nominations by that party he and
his four associates were elected. The
Gated by the people to independence and
freedom from partisan test for eight years,
not four. At whose instance, and Tor
what reason. is the position to be forced
back into politics in d-term? ask
for the fragment Of that Term as nom
partisan candidate. VIII 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
ell e. Jackson, Of this State to the bench
OF the Supreme Court Of the United
States. and when Taft raised Judge Lur-
ton, Tennessee democrat. to the same
Dench Tennessee democrats least Of ALL
have reason to decry a non-partisar,
standard for the Judiciary VIII they ap-
ply stricter. purely fractional test and
disrobe. State Judge who has been
he ~ not their particular sort Of a demo-
crat on certain issues? For my part,
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 I appeal
To those who have been In the ranks
Of the independent democrats, whether
they be 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
principal of which was that Judges Of the
Higher Courts should not be made or I'M
made at the dictation or behest Of the
above all should be freed from the de-
moralizing influence Of the domination
Of any faction or boss
Upon republicans my Chief claim for
support lies. repeat, in the pledge, duly
to be kept that II am honored by the
people In an Endorsement of my record /
shall devote my best energies to the office
as 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 a wrench to ones private affairs, az
my brethren Of the bar readily under
stand.
Any injustice that might be done to the
individual 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-
tablished that puts on apopintees to the
Appellate benches the expenses and strain
Of campaign during and following
year Of grinding court service. Many
lawyers would hesitate to accept an ap-
pointment under such conditions. In all
fairness should any J~dge II he has done
HIS duty, be thus subjected?
1t Is for the bar and the people to
decide. 1t is submitted to their arbitra- +,