The Savannah morning news., 1903-04-12
CHIEF JUSTICE FULLER
LIKES HIS POSITION.
He Has no Idea OF Retiring at This
Juncture.
BY R. NJ. Larner.


Washington, April 1.-THE chron-
iclers who have been prophesying the
early retirement from the Supreme
Bench of Chief Justice Fuller, appoint
ed from Illinois by President Cleve-
land, and a native of Augusta, where
he goes almost every summer on his
way to and from Bar Harbor, have
not been taking into account the chief
Justices own intentions regarding that
matter. 1t is known authoritatively
that Chief Justice Fuller has no pres
ent intention of retiring, but it is one
of the standing rules of Supreme Court
justices never to affirm or deny print
ed reports about their court.
AS a matter of fact, Chief Justice
Fuller regards himself as but little
past the prime of life. 1t is true he
is past TO- and therefore eligible to
retirement on a full salary of $13,500
annually for the remainder of his life,
but there are many reasons, cogent
with him, why he should remain on
the bench for many years yet One
of these is that he is a Democrat and
was appointed as such. At present
there are only three of the nine judges
of that political faith, the other two
being Justice Peckham and Justice
land. If the chief justice should re-
tire, President Roosevelt would I'M
doubtedly appoint some Republican to
be chief justice. While politics is not
reckoned in the decisions of the court
and often cut no figure whatever new
ertheless it is a fact that on great
questions, which have a political in
terest before the country, the justices
are apt to divide somewhat on political
lines.
Therefore, Chief Justice Fuller, it is
known, thinks it is encumbent upon
him as a Democrat to hold his place
for some years yet, as he believes
that in the course of time there will be
a Democratic President and his sue
cessor then could be a Democrat. Fur
thermore, he enjoys keenly the duties
of. his high Office and has no present
inclination to yield either it's tasks or
its emoluments. Mrs. Fuller and their
family are exceedingly fond of social
enjoyments here in Washington. AS
an official hostess Mrs. Fuller is Sec
ond in Washington only to Mrs. Roose-
welt, the Presidents wife. The chief
justice also enjoys social pleasures
and they afford him no little relaxa-
ton from his legal work. He comes
of a long lived race, his uncle, Rev.
DIR. Weston, having recently died at
the advanced age of almost 80 years.
AS long as the chief justice prefers
to remain upon the bench no power
within the government can disturb
him. He is secure there and cannot
even be transferred from the chief
justiceship to one of the associate JUS
ticeships. Some Republicans have
cast longing eyes upon his place as an
emolument for Gov. Taft, now in the
Philippines, but unless the chief JUS
tees health fails there is no imme-
date prospect of Gov. Taft having mis-
place. Nobody realizes more than
the Fuller family that ex-office hold
ers cut no figure in the official life of
Washington. A chief justice is pow
erful man, looked up to and widely
sought, but an ex-chief justice would
be quickly forgotten. Mrs. Fuller
would no longer be at the head of the
social judicial set, once her husband
had stepped from active duty on the
bench. Therefore, in every particular
the rumors that the chief justice con-
templates retiring within a few months
are entirely unfounded.