Newspaper Page Text
VOL. XXXV
“JUDGE REAGAN
AND POLITICS.”
‘‘Griffin Daily Herald Editorially Attacks Judge E. J.
Reagan Officially,
JUDGE REAGAN REPLIES AND THE HERALD WILL NOT
PUBLISH HIS REPLY.
Under the above heading, as
contained in quotation marks, the
following appeared as an editorial
in last Sunday’s issue of The Grif
fin Daily Herald, the capital letters
of the last paragraph being copied
just as The Herald has them:
“Judge E. J. Reagan, the pres
ent judge-of the Flint circuit su
perior court, and whose home is
in McDonough and who is not a
candidate for re-election to the
place Jie now fills, is placing him
self in a position to be severely
criticised by his constituents, es
pecially by those who differ with
him as to who shall be his suc
cessor.
“Judge Reagan is not only
making a personal campaign for
his choice for the judgeship, but
he is occupying the time that
should be exerted in clearing the
jails of their inmates. In his prac
tice he is taking from every pris
oner, whose trial is fixed on the
court calendar, a right to an eariy
hearing.
“He also denies the bar the
right to hear and give argument
in the cases they represent. He
burdens the county with the
expense necessarily incurred when
prisoners are detained in the jail,
when, in many cases, if they were
given a hearing, would be removed
from the county's care.
“Is it right for a presiding judge,
or any other judicial officer, to de
ny his constituents of those things
for which they pay him? In the
minds of ail level-headed, con
servative and business-like men,
Mr. Reagan is going beyond the
bounds of his rights. He should,
if only thru courtesy for those
who supported him for the office,
mend his ways and refrain from
the unjust methods he is using to
place his choice in his seat on the
bench. The dignity of the office
is enough to make any man re
spect it; and if Judge Reagan is
as walling and ready to perform
the duties imposed upon him as
he was when he was asking the
voters t o support him for the
place, surely he would not use
such unjust tactics in fighting
those whom he would not like to
see filling his place.
“There are no laws forbidding a
judge taking a decided stand in
political affairs, but there are such
duties attached to the office that
make it compulsory that he should
give the amount of time to the
court’s duty as his salary repre
sents.
“WE DON’T BELIEVE JUDGE
REAGAN IS RESPECTING THE
DIGNITY OF THE OFFICE HE
NOW HOLDS.”
JUDGE REAGAN'S REPLY.
McDonough, Ga., Aug. 11, 1910.
Editor of The Henry County
Weekly:
Please publish the enclosed re
ply to a recemt editorial in the
Griffin Daily Herald in reference
to myself.
io
I at once sent a copy of this re
ply to the editors of the Griffin
Herald and requested that it be
published in the next issue of that
paper. There have been two is
sues of the paper since and it has
not appeared. I therefore con
clude that they do not intend to
publish it, or at least to delay its
publication to suit their conven
ience.
I am determined that the people
of Henry county shall know what
disreputable methods this paper is
willing to resort to to further the
interest of its candidate for judge,
and let them say whether or not
such candidate is worthy of sup
port.
Very respectfully,
E. J. Reagan.
McDonough, Ga., Aug. 8,1910.
Editors Griffin Daily Herald,
Griffin, Ga.
Dear Sirs: —
I notice the. attack made upon
me in an editorial in your paper
of yesterday, and really cannot ac
count for it except upon the idea
that your partisan interest in Grif
fin’s Candidate for Judge has
warped your judgment. You say
that I am not only making a per
sonal campaign for my choice for
the Judgeship, but am occupying
time that should be exerted in
clearing jails of their inmates. You
also say that I “deny the right to
hear and give argument in the
cases they represent.”
These charges directly involve
my official conduct, and I think I
have the right to demand bill of
particulars.
When and where • have I neg
lected my duties in clearing
the jails, or denied any prisoner
the right to an early hearing?
When and where have I burdened
the county or counties with the
jail expenses of prisoners? You
speak of this as my practice, seek
ing to leave the impression that I
am in the habit of doing these
things throughout the circuit.
This will indeed be news to the
people of the circuit, for they
know that I have done everything
possible at every term of the
courts, not only to clear the jails,
but also to bring to trial persons
who are out on bond. I must in
sist that you specify the times and
places when I did any of these
things that you complain of.
In regard to the charge of denying
the attorneys the right to argue
their cases, I have never had any
of them to complain of being de
prived of this privilege. I am per
haps too lenient in this respect.
Your candidate for Judge evi
dently thinks too much time is
given attorneys to argue thqir
cases for he is insisting that he
can run the courts faster than any
other Judge has ever done and to
do this would necessarily require
a shortening of the time allowed
counsel for argument.
You differ so widely
McDonough, Georgia, Friday august 121910.
Mr. J. B. Mayo Marries.
Wednesday afternoon, August
3rd, Miss Maggie Bell Studdard
was married to Mr. James Byron
Mayo at the home of the bride’s
mother, Mrs. Studdard, in Monroe,
Ga. The Rev. L. E. Roberts was
the officiating minister.
The bride is one of Monroe’s
most popular young ladies.
Mr. Mayo is a former Henry
county man and has many friends
here who are rejoicing in his good
fortune in finding such a charm
ing help-mate. v
from your candidate on this
subject that I would suggest
that you and he hold a conference
and agree on this question, so that
in the future as you are conduct
ing his campaign by abusing those
who differ with you in the col
umns of your paper, and he is
seeking to woo the voters by
whispering sweet promises into
their ears, there may be no dis
cord between you.
Now, frankly, is it not true that
all this talk of yours in reference
to my neglect of official duty arises
from the fact that the August Term
of Spalding Superior Court was
not held on the Ist Monday in Au
gust? Honestly now, have you
any other complaint of my official
conduct? If so, please specify it,
giving the time, place and county
in which it occurred. Now as to
the August Term of your court,
you will doubtless be surprised to
learn that the reason why it was
not held at the usual time and all
cases, civil and criminal, called
and tried in the usual order was
on account of a petition sent by
the lawyers and officers of Court
of Spalding county.
It is true that they
only asked that the civil cases
be not tried, and the business of
the Court confined to the trial of
criminal cases where the parties
were in jail. I suppose you will
be fair enough to admit that the
Judge was not obiiged to split up
the business in this way.
The first man that asked
me not to try any civil cases was
your candidate for Judge. Me did
not want to kept at Griffin a week
when he was needed so badly in
the field in the interest of his can
didacy. I agreed not to try any
civil cases, and thought I was do
ing him a favor, and he thought
so too. To have held the court for
jail cases only would have re
quired his attendance, if he repre
sented any of them. The law re
quires me to give leave of absence
to lawyers who are also members
of the legislature. This would
have taken Mr. Boyd out, and jail
cases represented by him would
have gone over six months.
Under all of these circumstances,
I decided it was best to adjourn
the court over to a time when
there wouid be no elections on
hand to interfere with the busi
ness of the court, and when all
the lawyers could be present, and
I think so yet. Those who sent
me the petition were perfectly
satisfied with the arrangement, at
least they expressed no dissent. I
thought I was doing the Griffin
attorneys, who were candidates, a
real kindness in not having any
court until the election was over,
and I believe they will acknowl
edge that this is true.
Stockbridge Circuit Quarterly
Conference.
The third quarterly conference
for the Stockbridge circuit will be
held at Union church, Saturday,
August 20th. Rev. Dr. J. H.
Eakes will preside and preach.
Preaching at 11 a. in., and con
ference at 2 p. m., with basket
dinner at 12 o’clock.
W. O. Butler, Pastor.
Now if you should answer that
this one official act is all you have
to complain about, and I think
you must so answer, then I re
spectfully insist that you withdraw
the charge that it is my practice
as Judge to do all those terrible
things to criminals, the attorneys
and the counties that you mention
in your article.
Now in regard to the campaign
for I admit that 1 am sup
porting Judge Dupree earnestly
and ardently for Judge. I have a
right to do this. You admit as
much, provided I do not in doing
so neglect any of my official du
ties. I deny that I have neglected
any of them and call on you for
specifications.
My opinion is that you
will have very little sympathy
from the people of the circuit in
this charge. In fact during a
period of nearly twelve years on
the bench no such insinuations
has ever been made by any one,
except the Griffin papers.
No doubt the people of the cir
cuit will readily see that the great
big axe that they have to grind in
making them is simply the elec
tion of their man for Judge.
You speak of “unjust methods”
and “unjust tactics” employed by
me in the race for Judge. Now,
pray, what do you mean? Be
fair and honest and state to your
readers just what I have done
and let them say whether they
are unjust methods and unjust
tactics or not, and also give me
an opportunity to reply.
I have a perfect right to sup
port Judge Dupree. Just as
much as you have to support your
man. I am supporting Judge
Dupree because I am convinced,
after having both candidates prac
tice before me for nearly twelve
years, that he would make decid
edly the best Judge for all the
people of the circuit and state.
I have also the right to oppose
your candidate for the reason
that I am informed that he is go
ing over the circuit fighting me,
telling the people that lam try
ing to dictate to them for whom
they should vote, and even in my
own county charging that lam
costing the county several thous
and dollars a year useless ex
pense of holding the courts, and
that he can save them all this, and
also making some people whose
names are not in tbe jury box be
lieve that I am responsible for it,
by promising that if he is elected
it will all be changed, when he
knows, or should know, that the
Judge has nothing on earth to do
with whose name is placed in the
jury box, or whose name is left
out of it, but that this is a matter
solely for the jury commissioners.
Some o f these parties asked
Judge Dupree about this, and he,
like the conscientious man he is,
told them that under the law the
judge could have nothing to do
with it.
PAGES
A Letter About Governor Brow n.
The papers are commenting on
the Governor sending troops to
the Durham coal mines.
If the people knew the facts they
wonld not be surprised at all. For
the simple reason that Jim English
owns the Durham Mines, and Jim
English is one of the many bosses
of die Governor.
Our Governor is simply a puppet
in the hands of the corporations
and politicians, in other words we
have no Governor but simply a
figure head.
The friends of the Governor are
trying to scrape up a record for
him. We can give it to them in a
nut shell.
First—lie had a position with
the S. A. L. Railroad, lie was.fired
from the position tor incompe
tency.
Second —Ho was appointed exe
cutor of his father's estate ; he was
removed from that for the same
reason.
Third—He was fired from the of
fice of railroad- commissioner for
incompetency.
Fourth —Ho tailed to advocate
the income tax, which wonld have
placed (in part at least.) the bur
den of taxation on the rich. But
did not fail to sign the hill to tax
the poor man’s dog, thereby adding
a burden to his taxation.
Every one knows our Governor
was “born with a silver spoon in
his mouth” and knows about as
much about the needs of the com
mon people as a ten 7eur old hoy,
notwithstanding the cry of Brown
beef and bread.
The beef and bread were there
as usual—hut they came high.
And while we hear a great deal
about Brown and la Cents cotton
we fail to hear anything about
Brown’s 20 cents beef ai d 25 cents
meat.
Fifth—He will lie fired from the
office of Governor on Aug. 23 for
the same reason, namely incompe
tency.
A Voter, Locust Grove, (hi. R. F.
D. L
In regard to your opinion as to
my respecting the dignity of the
office I hold, I have nothing to
say, as it is a matter of opinion
and you have a right t o your
opinion. I would suggest to jxhi,
however, that there are other
high and honorable positions be
sides that of judge in which prop
er dignity should be observed, and
that it is neither dignified nor fair
for a newspaper to jump on and
abuse any person without just
cause.
The fact that Spalding Superior
Court was to be adjourned over
was well known and published in
Griffin several weeks before the
Ist Monday tn August. Why' did
you not make this attack on me
sooner? Why wait until after the
Ist Monday in August? Were
you afraid that if you did so in
time I might hold the court any
way and keep your candidate
there for a whole week and de
prive him of this much valuable
time that he devoted to his can
vass? You need not have feared
any thing of the kind for I would
have given him leave of absence.
I have nothing against him. In
In fact I like him, but do not think
he should be elected Judge this
time.
I am averse to newspapers
controversies, and regret that
your unprovoked attack upon me
makes it necessary for me to write
this. 1 trust that you will do me
the justice to publish this in the
next issue of your paper. >
Yours very respectfully,
E. J. REAGAN.
$i A Year.
