Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-03-23
STORIES OF PHELPS.
CAME NEAR BEING CHIEF JUSTICE OF
SUPREME COURT.

Cleveland to withhold Appoiutment-An
Anecdote Illustrating Hts Love of sport
He Was n Collector of Curios.
Edward j Phelps, whose distinguish
ed life ended in New Haven, came
D,easurably near being chief Justice of
the United States. His appointment to
the place of minister at the court of st.
was the result of Mr.. Cleveland's desire
to send to London one of the most ac-
complished men In the country to succeed
James Russell Lowell, who had made
remarkable impression in England by
his addresses on public occasions and by
his great literary achievements and
personal charm. 1t would have been a
difficult task for most men TO succeed
Mr.. Lowell in London. MIR. Phelps not
only duplicated Mr.. Lowell's literary
and oratorcal success, but became the
most popular American England had
ever seen. Such was his distinction of
manner and his genuine liking for Eng
lish ways and English ideas, SAYS the
Hartford Comm Times, that he came
to be looked upon bv the upper classes
as one of themselves But it was his
misfortune that whi'e he was strengthen
ing and cementing the ties that bind
cultivated English people and cultivated
Americans of English descent to each
other, Parnell was winning his victories
in the house of commons, and the Eng
fish people were dividing on the question
of home rule in Ireland.
Pdrnell reached the height of his innu-
ence and his success in 1887. when he
forced the London Times to pay $4,000
damages for its publication of the Pgott
libels. That event was midway in Mr..
Phelps term as minister to England. In
becoming persona grata to the English
aristocracy Mr.. Phelps had become per-
soma non grata to large part of the
Democratic party in the United States.
On March %, 1883, Morrison Il. Waite
chief Justice of the United States, died in
| Washington. 1t became the duty of
| President Cleveland 10 fill the vacancy at
once, and the choice was not an easy
one. Justice Field of California felt
/ that the place belonged to him, but he
had got on so poorly with the president
J
/ his appointment. There Is a good deal
/ of untold political and personal history
connected with that episode. senator
Edmunds of Vermont. who had the credit
of having brought Mr.. Phelps TO Mr..
! Clcveland's attention in 1885, intercst'1
himself to have him named for chief
Justice of the supreme court. and Mr..
Cleveland received the idea with favor,
MIR. Phelps hurried over from England
in order that the matter might he talked
over between him and the president. 1t
was commonly reported in Washington
that he would he appointed.
\ day or two after Mr.. Phelps arrived
in Washington, Congressman Patrick
Collins of Boston found himself in the
presidents library, and he seldom went
there in those days except by Invitation.
ident Cleveland hsd heard something
that Mr.. Collins was reported to have
said about the possible fleets of the APP
pOntment of Phelps to Judge Waite :
place. lie asked the Massachusetts man
about it and he got his reply: swell.
Mr.. President, if you make that appoint
ment. don't think it will he necessary
to hold any democratic convention in st.
Louis" The convention that was "a
renOminate Mr.. Cleveland was already
called to meet in hat city on the 9TH OF
June and Mr.. Collins was to be the
presiding officer. Mr.. Cleveland asked
him to give his reasons for such re-
mark. Then Mr.. Collins proceeded to
tell him so bitter was the telling of The
Irish American voters toward Mr. Phelps
that, to make him chief justice of the
supreme court of the United States
would render it utterly impossible fol
Mr.. CT, velard to be re elected. Ergo
he might as well not be renominatfd
The president was surprised. He had
not realized the strength Of the anti
English sentiment in this country. L
was evidently a thing to be taken into
account by anybody who wanted The
support of united Democratic party.
The story may be shortened at thii
point. Coming out of the White House
Mr.. Collins met the Hon. Edward j
Phelps going in. 1t was the morning
when he was to have been informed o
his appointment rs chief justice. Blu
to London to remain as minister another
year. After some further delay, The
Hon. Melville W. Fuller of Chicago wa,
made chief justice of the United States.
Mr. Phelps was a great lover of nature
and an ardent and successful sportsman
This trait led him to become a warn
friend of Mr.. Archibald Taylor of Bur
lingtOn, for many years superintendent
of Col. Cannon's Vermont Stock farm il
Shelburne and now manager of DIR
Webb's Shelburue farms. Mr.. Taylo
recOunted some "reminiscences of Mr.
Phelps's younger days, when Mr.. Phelps
was as enthusiastic on the subject @
fishing and shooting as he had sire
been in iweightier affairs or state an'
nation.