The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-30
TROUTMAN AT HOME.
Tells of Surprise in Washington
Over Pellock's appointment.

James A. TrOutman returned Sunday
from Washington, where he has been
for some time conducting the fight
against Judge Pollock in the federal
Judgeship matter. He lost. but he was
smiling as usual over the matter, and
IS taking his defeat good naturedly. He
attributes Judge Pollock'S appointment
to a sudden impulse of the president
The appointment came as big sur
prise to everybody said Mr.. Troutman
today. People in Kansas may have
been surprised. but those in Washing
ton were more so, and especially the
kansas delegation. None of the Kan
sas delegation knew that the appoint
ment was to be made. Some at first
beforehand. but 1 am confident that
he did not newspaper man first
told Long after the meeting of the
delegation. Long did not believe it at
nrst, but the reporter insisted that he
had heard the message read nominal
ing Pollock
The seven members of the de1ega-
tlon VINO We're not supporting Pollock
were inclined to be rather indignant
over the appointment If it had been
left with the delegation Pollock would
never have been appointed We had
all seven members pledged against
MN, ard at the next meeting of the
delegation the seven would have been
checking 1t up to Senator Long to take
either Johnston or Loomis At the
close of the delegation meeting on
Wednesday the six Kansas members of
the house had a conference and a greed
to do this. Senator Burton was not
present, but he had agreed to stand
oy whatever the six house members
agreed upon. The plan was for the
seven to make an offer TO Senator Long
70 endorse either Loomis or Johnston.
winch ever one he would choose. Not
one or them would have gone to Pol
lock IN hundred years.
| Inc president had intimated to Mr..
~ hf7
tlon meeting that he wanted to make
an appointment which would be salts
factory to Curtis, and Curtis had told
him that he would never endorse Pol
LOCK, SO We were pretty sure Pollock
could not be appointed. In fact, the
Pollock supporters had held a confer
ence the night before and had about
come to the conclusion they could not
| land their man.
! For that reason we were not inclined
to press the charges against Pollock. |
did not file all the evidence I had with
the attorney general, and as we knew
that Pollock could not get more than
three votes on the delegation, and sup
posing that the appointment would not
be made until the delegation did some
| thing, we had an understanding with
the attorney general that we should
/ nave chance to file the rest in case
there was danger of Pollock's appoint
ment. Two members of the delegation
went to the attorney general and as
sured him that Pollock could not get
more than the three votes on the dele
cation, and they suggested that the at
| torney general report to the president
that the evidence on file with him did
not bear out the charges. They stated
! that Pollock was on the supreme bench
and they wanted to shield him all they
could as long as they did not think
there was any danger of his appoint
ment. It is fact that the evidence or
file with the attorney general did not
entirely bear out the charges. Pollock
had a lot of counter affidavits filed and
| the preponderance of the evidence on
ME with the attorney general was prob
ably against the charges, and we were
content to let it be that way as lone
as we thought we had Pollock beaten
The report of the attorney general tc
! the president was that the evidence or
file with him did not bear out the
charges, and the endorsements of the
legal profession and others whose en-
dorser1ents ought to count in a judic-
ial appointment were mostly for POLLOCK
and Johnston. On receipt of this report
the president appointed Pollock on the
spur of the moment. while the delega.
ton was still balloting
1.-The seven anti-Pollock members O,
the delegation did not like the presi-
dents action, but everybody else ir
Washington seemed to take il as a goo6
joke. All the rest of the members OF
congress 'joshed' the Kansans about it
Many of them had had similar expert
ences with the president themselves
THE State Journals editorial on the
judgeship created more of a sensation
in Washington than anything else thai
occurred during the judgeship. 1t was
unexpected from the source it came ant
a good many marked copies of it showed
up in Washington"
Chief Justice Johnston also returned
from Washington Sunday, but he SAID
he did not care to talk for publication
| Il never felt better in my life he
said with a smile. but I guess I dom
care to talk any. 1 am back at my
desk in the state house and have settled
down to work