Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-28
Entitled to Three Judges.

hIitiSu " uTe6 Judges.
Attorney j. ]. Darlington.-''It does seem
that the District is entitled to at least two
local men on its Supreme Court bench The
custom has been to have three of the six
justices District appointees Justice Bar
nard is the only member at present who
can be fairly regarded as a local man. 1t
is bad principle to go outside for our
judges and | hope the President will nor
do so in this instance"
Mr.. Jesse II. Wilson said: 81 am intensely
opposed to the appointment of other than
bona fide District man to the vacant
JudSeShip caused by the death of Jutipa An
drew c. Bradley
James Il. Archer jr.-"The talk of an
pointing an outsider to the Supreme Court
bench is bitterly Disappointing to District
piI,opie. i,p Many OF the younger attorneys.
IKE myself, have seen all avenues of sue
cess gradually closed to them by this nm
Just appropriation of District offices purely
-ocdi; uhtli those of us who expect to spend
our nFes mere feel that ambtion-laudable
tonians'
Mr.. Joseph Shillington said: First Of al,
iaNor District man. l can conceive of
no no reason Tor going outside the local bar
We all have our preferences but We oro
united so far as place of residence is con-
cerned. The old excuse for taking an ONT
siuer ooesn exist now. There are no fac
tioial differences. The bar is practic lIlv
| united on three or four men any ono Cr
Whom would be acceptable. Leighton Du-
van and Gould are well qualified, and tho
ippU.n't,leit ipg,,ra e OF either one of them would
insure LOT TINS community an upright and
apie administration of the office I have
TAXED with many lawyers about the iudgs-
snip, ana while each one may have his
preference, L have yet to hear the first saw
that the appointment of either Leightnn
Duvaii or Gould would not be entirely ac,
ceptable.'' "
Strong Reasons
attorney Wharton E. Lester-"The Dis
trlct OF Columbia and the United States
each pay one-half the salaries of the ius
tlces of the Supreme Court of the District
or Columbia Heretofore one-half the ius
ticeS OF that court have been residents Of
the District at the time of their annoip+
ments, the other half non-residents This
mas been considered a fair distribution be-
cause IN ADDITION to paying half the sala-
RES OF the Justices the United States has
much business before our courts tbough
or course, not the larger part We now
nave three justices from outside Chief
Justice Bingham from Ohio Justices Uag
Her ana Clabaush, both from MARYLAND
justice Bradley was a resident of the Dis-
trict, and unless there is to be a depart,Iro
from the practice long considered lust and
proper District man will be appointed ia
succeed him.
Attorney Leon Tobriner-"An associate
Justice OF the Supreme Court of the District
OF Columbla selected from jurisdiction in
winch the common law practice has nor
been in vogue would compel the bar to edu-
cate the appointee. The practice here is
unique. and it would require several years
OF active work to break in judge ap-
pointed from another jurisdiction.
Il nave all along insisted that the friends
of the leading local candidates should pre-
sent the names of Messrs Gould Leighton
ana Duvail, with the Information to the
President that the selection of any one of
the trio would be acceptable. This would
have indicated united bar and would not
have given the President the opportunity,
because of a disagreed bar to go outside
the District for judge
Mr.. A ID. Prince of R. Harris & Cot
regard 1t as entirely wrong to go outside
the District in appointing a judge for the
District Supreme Court President Roose-
welt has been resident of the District of
Columbia sufficiently long to warrant the
expectation that he would name local man
to succeed Justice Bradley. We have men
of ability here. and what is more impor-
tant, men who are thoroughly familiar with
our laws and practice. The selection should
by all means be from among them
Attorney c. l.. Frailey of Worthington
Heald & Frailey-"Local conditions require
that the man appointed to succeed Justice
Bradley as associate justice of the Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia should be
thoroughly familiar with the local practice
which is unique. BY all means a District
man should be selected for the existing va
cancy.'
Local Men for Local Offices.
81 feel strongly about the matter as
Mr.. Roosevelt any other New Yorker
would feel if it were proposed to appoint
Washingtonian mayor of New York city"
The speaker was Mr.. Henry Evans, the
druggist, and he was very evidently in
earnest. washington is a municipality.
1t has decided municipal interests which in
no sense involve the interests of the nation,
except as the interests of st. Louis or
Philadelphia involve national interests. And
the people of Washington want Washing
tonians in Washington positions. BY this
| do not mean to indorse any change in the
government of the District. But Washing
ton produces lawyers fully as capable as
those reared and educated in New York or
any other state, and the District bench of
ferS them perfectly reasonable field of
promotion. To take this away from them
is both unfair to the District bar and nom
conducive to the best interests of Washing
ton as a municipality.
Il think the idea of an outsider on the
bench of the District of Columbia Supreme
Court is preposterous,' said Mr.. James Z.
Henderson. 1T is ridiculous. Whenever |
think OF Ii as possibility | want to go out
and fight somebody. Why should these
methods prevail here any more than in
Baltimore or New York? PENNSYLVANIA
would soon be up in arms if the governor
of that state contemplated appointing New
Yorker to the Pennsylvania state supreme
court. Yet that is exactly a parallel case
The President is the governor of the Dis
trict. The District Supreme Court is our
our bench is much out of pace as an
outsider would be the bench of any
other state supreme court. Justice Bradley
is an example of what District of Column
bia training and ability can do for a bench
and L will warrant as good selection could
be made from the District bar to fill his
place as the President could make from the
bar of any other commonwealth in the
country"
Mr.. w. H. Veerhoff was strongly opposed
to the suggested appointment of any one
but District man. Our bar is made up
of good lawyers" he said. Justice Brad
ley would have ornamented any bench in
the country, and he was not only a native
of the District, but identified with District
interests all his life He became a Justice
as a District man, already acquainted with
District law and District conditions / be-
lieve he was a more valuable Judge from
the start because he did know District con-
ditions so well. There are certainly other
men here who would serve the community
just as faithfully-at least as faithfully as
any stranger from New York or anywhere
else. Mr.. Roosevelt ought to recognize this
if any one could. He has been a student
ali his life. and has now become a re-
nowned publicist. If he will look into the
matter al all he will soon see what an in
justice the appointment of Representative
Sherman or any outsider would be-"