The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1921-10-28
owENsBORO DEMOCRAT
ENDORSES JUDGE SLACK


beg to submit some suggestions with
referea,e 10 the pending contest for
the Of IS circuit iudge of 'his dis
trict In view of the ardent appeal
made by party leaders II is especial
" desirable at this time, that the
voters should keep In mind the Inn
portance of electing judges without
reference to their political affllia-
tions. No thoughtful or sincere per-
son, | believe, will dispute the sound
ness of this principle. II is accepted
by the best thought of both parties.
On this subject the Louisville
Courier-J Journal. in an able editorial,
entitled Guard the Bench, in its is
sue of October 20, 1921, says:
so important is the circuit bench
that no voter who is awake to the
duties of citizenship will vote to re-
move a Judge unless he believes the
removal would improve the bench.
"The voter who would remove a
date not his superior is friend of po-
litical jobbery and an enemy of gov
eminent"
The writer then proceeds to COM
pare the candidates for the various
positions on the circuit bench of JEFF
ferson county, with which we. In this
district. are not concerned. Recurring
10 the general principle that judges
should be out of politics, the writer
proceeds:
ANY voter can move toward keep.
ing Judges out OF politics by declin-
ing to vote for any candidate for a
iudgeship because he is a Republican
or Democrat; by declining to vote to
remove any Judge whose record Is
good and who is opposed by candi-
date who Is not his superior"
And again:
The sincere voter will not be gov
serned by politics in making his deci-
sions as to the circuit bench"
The writer then says:
1.-The late A. It. Hert was the most
farseeing Republican in Kentucky. He
said three years before his death, in
an open letter advocating nonpar-
tisan judiciary: The Republican or
ganization asks the cooperation OF
the public and all forward-looking
Democrats and Independents who be-
lieve that our judges should be out
of politics.
These utterances accord with the
position taken by the Owensboro
Messenger in an editorial OF June H.
1921. Speaking OF the recent cleo
ton in the state of Illinois in when
Democratic judges were elected IN
strictly Republican districts. the Mes
senger quotes with approval from the
Chicago Tribune (Republican) thus:
This is a clean cut victory for the
principle OF nonpartisanship In the
judiciary and for the principles OF re-
warding and retaining demonstrated
fitness and experience in the courts
"There is no other way to suetain
and insure the integrity and inde-
pendence OF courts. The intelligent
people OF Cook county and the Fourth
judicial district have shown hey have
no doubt OF this and propose TO make
cartcin that party. politics shall he
kept out OF the administration OF JUS
tee There IL no more encouraging
evidence of civil intellign; and NOR
ale than this"
No one will deny that the Courier
Journal and the Greensboro Messen-
ger. are Two of the leading Demo-
cratic papers in the state OF Kentucky
nor will their loyalty to their party
be questioned. They are led to ad-
vocate this principle simply by It's
obvious soundness and Importance.
1t should be noted here that the prin-
ciple of nonpartisanship in judicial
elections does not require that judges
shall be. without political opinions or
affiliations. but that as these opin-
ions or affiliations ought not proper
~ affect judges in the discharge oil
their duties, so they ought not afrect
voters In their choice of candidates.
Now Kentucky is not any less en-
frightened than Illinois, for in our
neighboring Ninth judicial district'
which is Republican, Judge Layman,
Democrat, after serving portion Oh
term by appointment, was elected py
the people; and in this present cam
paign he had no opposition, having
been endorsed by the Republicans. In
Louisville two Democratic judges
have been endorsed by Republicans
in convention. II has been said that
a community is well served that Is
best served by it's Judiciary. anu
/ believe, it was Shakespeare speak
ing Of thoroughly independent ana
- ..oc,,s iudQa who said. lie was |