Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-23
The Associate Justice Suggested as
a Presidential Candidate.
His FORMER CAREER as 4 POLITICIAN
Object of His Recent Speech Be-
fore the Supreme Court.
GROUNDS FOR HIS CANDIDACY

| A new presidential boom is row cropping
out and is likely to cause much talk and
| receive considerable attention among GER
| tain elements of both the democratic and
| republican parties, chiefly located in the
| south and west The new presidential can
| didate is Associate Justice Harlan of the
| Supreme Court, whose dissenting opinion
on the income tax case created such
scene at the Capitol
! Object of His Speech.
| The gossip regarding MIR. Harlans sup
| posed candidacy for the office of President
| has, up to the present time, been chiefly
confined to the members of the Supreme
Court itself. Those who believe that Mr..
Harlan is preparing to loom up for pres-
Dental honcrs say that he is by nature as
| much a politician he is Il great, honored
| and powerful jurist They say that his
| speech before the Supreme Court evidently
| had in view purpose outside of that court
and that purpose was no less, they assert,
| than to attract to himself the great body
| OF discontented and restless people in both
| the democratic and republican parties as
Wen as among the populists, who believe
| that great changes are in store in the gov
| ernmental system of the country and that
| legislation for many years has tended to
| further enrich the wealthy and to more
| greatly impoverish the poor
| His Record as n Politician.
In order to show the reasonableness of
the course that Justice Harlan is supposed
| to be taking, his record politician and
as man of affairs in close touch with
| the people is cited. Justice Harlan COM
manded a Kentucky regiment in the Union
army during the war, afterward becoming
| joint leader of the republican party in
| Kentucky with Mr.. Bristow. After Bris-
| tow's removal to New York Harlan was
the acknowledged leader of the Kentucky
| republicans for many Years. He was ap-
pointed by President Hayes one of the
commissioners to settle the political situa-
| ton in Louisiana, and two years later
was nominated to his present high office on
| the Supreme bench. Justice Harlan al
| ways showed great ability as a political
| leader and as a diviner of political move
| mentS. He had a great love for a. stirring
! campaign, and was one of the most cap
| tivating speakers the country has ever
| known. He was great favorite as a cam
paiSn orator during his entire active politi-
| cal life. He was a candidate for governor
| of Kentucky in two elections.
Not "a New Idea.
The idea Of having member of the
| Supreme Court before the country as a
| presidential candidate is not at all iew
| Many years ago Justice Mclean, who fig
| ured as a leading jurist the Supreme
bench, was talked Of for the presidency
| In fact from the formation of the govern
ment members of the Supreme bench have
| the nomination for the presidency, al
| though it has never occurred that one of
| them has stepped from the bench to the
White House. In 1883 1t was thought that
| Chief Justice Fuller might become an
available candidate for the presidency. and
his name was occasionally suggested at the
convention at St. Louis and again at the
Chicago convention in 1892.
Grounds for His Candidacy.
The believers in Justice Harlan's candi-
|
publican party will have the greatest diff
Guilty in selecting some man to lead it to
victory. He regards the uprising on the
| part of populsts and free silver men as I'M
| precedented in its extent and as showing
| dissatisfaction and unrest that have never
| before been known in this country. 1t is
| said that he believes that no party can
| ceed in the next presidential campaign I'M
| less it makes concessions to this great fac
| ton of unrest by having man popular
with them at the head of the ticket. On
| the other hand, Justice Haran's record
| a Union soldier, his great reputation as
| learned jurist and the conservatism which
a member of the Supreme Court would
naturally entertain are all supposed to
| make him popular in the north and east
| and among the well-to-do middle classes
everywhere.
Would Satisfy the West.
| Being from the west, he would satisfy
| the demands of that section for the NOM
| inatiOn of some one not under the influence
of eastern capitalists. Above all, his STIR
ring speech before the Supreme Court is
| regarded powerful campaign material 10
| be circulated broadcast throughout the
south and west, where the income tax law
| has its greatest admirers. Those who be-
| lieve that Mr.. Harlan will seek the
| ination think that he will make no effort
| to push himself forward during the early
| stages of the campaign, but that he will he
| in readiness to come forward should there
| be deadlock in the convention and should
| the old political leaders of the republican
| party find it impossible to decide upon one
| of their own number to head the ticket.