Year: 1862

LETTER FROM MoNONA COUNTY.


ONAwA, Sept. lst, 1862.


Ed. Register We see by late num-
Der of your paper that john Currier, Esq
is in the field as an Independent Candi.
date for District Judge. We are glad to
know that such is the case. The action of
the Republican District Convention, in
placing in nomination candidate of whose
qualifications for the Office the people had
90 little assurance, augured i'll for our
future prospects-for regret it as we may,
it is undeniable that when regular nom.
'nees of opposing political parties are in
the field, the question of fitness is meas.
ursb'y torgotten and party success the
only consideration. The Republicans hav.
ing considerable majority in the District,
it was fair 10 presume, if the Dem ocrats
should nominate, that it would simply be
party contest and Mr.. Pendleton's elec.
ton almost inevitable. The manner of
Mr.. Carriers coming before the people
entirely rebuts this presumption. He is
not the nominee Of any party, nor the ad.
voca'e or opponent OF any party meas.
ureS the comparison between him and his
competitor is therefore not one Of political
antecedents, but of personal capacity and
fitness for the position. All readily admit
that it is desirable to remove the election
of judicial officers, as much as possible,
from the political arena-that the men
who can most successfully mani pulate
party conventions are not those who will
be most likely to make honest, impartial,
and discriminating Judges of the Law.


1t is plain indeed to the dullest sppre.
hension, that a training in the political
schools, with that trickery aud bluffing,
their trading and bargain and sale" has
tendency to cultivate and develop jus,
the habits of thought, and qualities of
mind and morals that unfit a man for such
u position. In the Convention, legal lear
ming will not teach its possessor how to
secure the votes Of the wire pulling mem
bers, and he sits quietly by trusting to his
merits, while his shrewder neighbor who
knows the ropes and the proper iu}ucc
a'ents to offer, gets the nomination.


Of this, the Convention at Sac City,
was fair plificatiop. Who was
there the successful aspirant- man of
acknowledged legal ability demonstrated
IN every court il which he has appeared
in the Distvict-or the politician? Perhaps
Mr.. Joy could tell us. And setting aside
the chicanery ard trading through which
it is fair to presume q party nomination
is secured, there are other objections to
POLITICAL Judge. Even though his
legal learning and talent be unquestioned
and his quail ica:ons of the highest order
it is above an desirable that an officer of
this kind should enter upon the discharge
OF bis duty untrammeled By any party
ties, and with no temptation to use his
position to secure his future political ad.
vancement


To one who is mere politician such a
temptation must be almost irresistible. To
enc who Ike Mr.. Currier, bases his claims
only on his professional requirements and
personal qualifications, it is not presented
at all; with no political aspirations there
can be no temptation to him to tarnish
his present high reputation by winking at
| injustice or eyading The straight lines Of.
the law to serve political friend. We
repeat that We are glad to know that Mr.,
Currier has responded to the necessities Of
the people of this District by allowing his
name to be used as an Independent Can.
| dldate. Satisfied as all must be who have
attended the Courts Of the District of his
capacity, We cannot but congratulate our
selves upon the prospect of securing so
able successor to Judge Hubbard, and
only regret that any person stimulated
alone by the fact of belonging to the DOM
inant party, should have the presumption
without any other qualification to aspire
to the Office and seek to secure possession
of it through the artifce and trickery of
political convention. But we are con.
strained to believe that the peol lie of this
District, IN electing man to this most
important position, will require to know
something more Of his fitness than that he
votes the Republican ticket, and has been
a successful political manager and in
saying this Mr.. Editor, We speak for more
than one Monona county.


REFuBLlCAN.