St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1915-07-24
JUSTICE MONROE's LETTER.

lear 61f.-xu0 loAUlU& SUAsOA AdA
In the Daily States Of today presents,
for the consideration of the public,
question which l have considered
with elaboration and profound con-
Germ. and which has been the sub
1ect Of discussion between myself
and some Of the Oldest and best
friends to whom have had the good
fortune to become attached during
my somewhat extended public life;
that is to say, whether it IL my duty
to discharge as best may the obi
cation which have assumed as MEM
Der land presiding o1icer) OF the
court of last resort In this State or
should assume the obligation which
will devolve upon each Of our citizens
who may be ,honored by call to par
ticipate in the framing anew OF our
organic law.
MY own conviction, from which
find 1t impossible to escape, is, that
II owe to judicial positions which
have held, and the high position
which now have the honor to hold,
to the confidence Of my fellOw-citl-
Gems in the community in which I
live, that would, to the best OF my
ability faithfully and honestly, dis
charge the duties devolving upon me
in those positions, and that it was
not within their contemplation that
/ would turn aside from the dis
charge Of that obligation in order to
assume another, the discharge OF
which would prevent the perform
ance Of the duty already imposed and
accepted.
There are many persons, Of all
classes, the rich, and the poor alike
who are more deeply concerned with
the dispatch of the business pending
in the Supreme Court of the State
than even with framing OF q new
Constitution, who are under no call
or obligation of duty to the litigants
before the Supreme Court. am
differently situated. l have under
consideration and am endeav0ring to
prepare opinions, important to those
whom they may affect, in q number
of cases which came as my share OF
the business of the Court, and which
l was unable to report during the
past session. They have already
been, necessarily, delayed and feel
that / must report them when the
Court re-assembles on the first Mon
day In October The Convention Of
which it il suggested that l shall
become q member will assemble.
about the middle Of September, and
continue its session, certainly, for
sixty days, during which period my
associates in the Court, already taxed
to the limit of human capacity, will
be compelled to take upon themselves
the burden which should bear, and
am unable to reconcile myself to
the idea that l should be instrument
tai In bring about that condition,
even though In declining to do so,
I must (but for the moment, as !
sincerely hope and believe) find my
self in disagreement with those fo4
whose opinions ! have thu highest
regard.
No greater honor has been con-
ferred upon me than the call which
II have received. and no cal; has ever
been made upon me to which would
more gladly respond. as duty and
q pleasure. were it possible for me
(as l see it, to betray the faith
which has placed me where I am.
am profoundly grateful tor the con-
fidence and good will of my friends
in the Second Ward Of this city,
where l have made my home for q
generation, and where my children
have been born and married; and ]
ain sure that they will appreciate
and sympathize with the reasons
which, on this occasion, prevent me
from acceding to their request that
| I IN tn renreaent them IA I had the
honor to do upon like occasion In
the years gone by.
With sincere thanks, Mr.. Editor,
for the kind expressions contained
In your editori al, remain,
Respectfully yours,
FRANK A. MONROE,
Chief Justice.
MISS STELLA ALLAN.
Miss Stella Allan. aged ~ years,
daughter Of the late Amadie Allan
l and V3rv3niA ,noiaspa diod Mt her homo