Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-04-19
affrighted with the shadow of famine.
This Is world condition. You are
farming for the human race this sea-
BLAMED NEAR IT.

After reading various comments on
the repeal of the nonpartsan judiciary
law one finds only two counts in the
indictment against it. The main objec-
ton Is that thru it politician got
himself elected to the supreme bench.
A secondary one is that under the pro-
visions of the law more than half the
voters failed to vote for judges at
all. For these reasons one newspaper
condemns the law as infamous" -
Sioux City Journal.
The Journal objects to the term "in-
famous" Properly. The non partisan
law was not an infamous" law. II 1t
had been it would not have passed the
legislature Apparently 1t was way
to avoid partisanship in the selection
of judges of the supreme court. The
weakness OF the law awaited trial and
trial Immediately uncovered It's fatal
weakness A very short time was re-
quired also to unearth the coterie that
conceived it and the purpose they had
in view.
The supreme judge ticket was given
slight attention by voters in the cleo
ton booths. The smallness of that
vote was not due to the placing Of he
ticket but to the fact that he average
voer fails to study and conclude upon
candidates for governor had been listed
where the non partisan judicial ticket
was placed on the ballot the vote on
governor would not be affected to any
appreciate degree. The fact is that
the voter with his mind full of the
seemingly more important offices dis
missed the judicial ticket as minor
The non partisan law Immediately
brought out as candidates a number
Of those who ought not to be elected.
At least one of these got by thru con-
centration of a comparatively negli-
gible number Of votes. The non par
tisan law Immediately became to hope
of weakness and mediocrity and the
sheet anchor or the practical poll
tician." 1t placed the higher types Of
candidates in a position where a jurist
must sacrifice dignity and much more
and get down to the methods of ward
politicians If he We're to hope for sue
cessful competition with antithetical
candidates.. II made a penny scramble |
out OF supreme judgeship campaign. |
and interests lnimical to human well |
fare were solicited into a fighting and |
;oting force concentrated upon the gu
preme bench. The law OF which many |
hoped great things became a vehicle
'or unsalutory ambitions and a promise !
Of unsalutary success.
Outside of that there wasn't much |
wrong with II. 1t an utter failure as
concerns the hope that 1t would elm |
mate the 1udgeships from politics. Per-
haps to a certain extent it did elm
mate party politics but II replaced all |
It eliminated with infinitely worse con- |
Where the nominations made !
in convention had the tang Of partisan
ship the self made nominations Of the |
non partisan law and the methods Of |
self made nominees lowered the cleo
ton OF supreme judges to the level Of
a city war election.
The law was passed in hope and |
perhaps in sincerity by the majority |
who voted for it in assembly. In prin
cipe and passage it was not infamous:
but advantage taken of ii and methods
that attached themselves about it fell |
not far short of the qualifying adjec-
tive to which the Journal offers objec-
ton.