The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-03-17
THE NEW DISTRICT COURT


itablished primarily to give a few
worthy gentlemen good offices and
they are disposed to find fault be-
ca1se these officers al come from
among the friends of those who sug-
,gest the appointments. At first
.nhe fuss was about Congressman
johnson being named Judge of the
new district. One or two papers
did not much approve of this Sc
lection (having candidates nearer
lhorne) and were disposed to say
that the new judge would not
measure up to the standard set by
. some of the distinguished federal
Judges who have presided in this
state. Some went so far as to say
that Mr.. Johnson had never had
case in the supreme court of the
state, and that he had never been
admitted to practice in the United
States Supreme Court, and that he
was therefore not qualified to fill
the Office. The lawyer who made
the first statement only argued HIM
self ignorant; he has not read his
L oxn supreme court reports. AS
to the second statement, we care
little. The lawyers who practice
g.. In the country towns of the up
-. country, have had no occasion to
practice in the federal court. The
judge has always resided in Char
aeston, as far away from the up
country as Washington and Rich
mond, as the train runs. The re-
suit is that lawyers in Charleston
and Columbia have had a monopoly
of the business in the federal court,
and when a lawyer in this part of
the state did have a case in that
court, he was compelled on ac-
count of the great expense in ira
yelling, and the waste of time, and
Inconvenience incident, to turn the
case over to some lawyer nearer the
scene of conflict. The same has
been true with lawyers as to prac-
;hcing before the supreme court of
the United States, they have been
necessarily confined in their prac-
lice to litigation in the state courts,
and have had no occasion to prac-
,tice anywhere else. We dare say
that there are not dozen lawyers
in the up-country who have had six
ceases before the supreme court of
the United States in a lifetime of
practice, and we have many lawyers
fully competent to sit as judge in al
most any court.
In fact it was to get rid of these
intolerable conditions that the new
district court was created. With
the multiplication of federal stat
utes affecting every line of business,
and with the constant and growing
litigation in the federal courts, it
WIS imperative that the court be
brought nearer to the people of the
np-country, so that we might at
least transact such business as we
, have in the court, and not be forced
to make a weeks journey to hear
Z little appeal in bankruptcy case,
or a motion for an order of refer
ence, or some other trivial matter
pending therein.
But the opposition to Judge John
rson has about petered out. Those
men who thought he was not of the
full measure of lawyer, judge and
man, have made themselves so ridi-
,culous to those who know to the
contrary that they have about taken
In their horns. The lawyers in a
nearby city, called to protest
against the appointment, suddenly
, came to their right senses, and en-
'.dorsed him, because they knew he
was competent and in every way
worthy to sit as judge of the district.
When they can no longer find
fault with the judge, however, the
guns are turned on other federal
appointments made necessary by the
formation of the new court machin-
cry. The clerk of the court is to
be appointed by the Judge; the as
sistant district attorney by the dis