Show AN APPOINTIVE JUDICIARY The general trend of public sentiment is not in favor of an appointive judiciary Only seven stateMassachusetts Maine l > ev Hampshire Delaware New Jersey Mississippi and LouisIanahave that system sys-tem In Massachusetts New Hampshir and Delaware only do the judges hold office during good behavior Six other states Connecticut Rhode Island Vermont Ver-mont Virginia South Carolina and Georgialet the legislature choose the judges In all other states embracing an overwhelming majority of the people the judges are elected as other state and county officers are Abuses have sometimes attended popu Jar elections of judges There have been indecent campaigns by candidates for the bench and there have been shameful prostitutions ot the power of judges for the purpose of winning votes But on the whole the elective plan must have worked acceptably else it would not have steadily grown in popular favor The Springfield Republican admitting that the elective system has not proven as bad as might have been expected says thatThe reason for this has been a genera recognition of the great importance of having an impartial tribunal composed of men of high character and learning Purely partisan considerations have not begun to control the nomination and election of judges to the extent obtaining In the filing of other officers We have lately had striking examples of this fact as In New York But notwithstanding this the people of Massachusetts would ana should hesitate hesi-tate a good while before changing the appointive ap-pointive for the elective system Not one of the states where choice is made by popular vote can point to the possession of a judiciary of such uniformly high character and ability as this state has been able to keep In Its service since its foundation It will be a long time no doubt before the people of Massachusetts venture to follow the great majority of the state in creating an elective judiciary The lawyers of other states often express ex-press their high apr clation of tho re suits which our system has shown Cheerfully conceding all that is claimed for the judiciary of tho Bay State we find it somewhat surprising that the emigrants from Massachusetts Maine and New Hampshire who moved west and became the dominating element In new states did not reproduce and retain the appoint ivo system they foundedWashlngton Post |