Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-09

| owns and manages two farms In other
parts of the state. He is credited with d.
recting the details of the work on these
farms and prides himself upon being able
to do everything that comes within the
scope of the working farmers duties.
Judge Parker likes coed horses. He has
given a good deal OF attention to stock rails
ing and reads all sorts of books about
farming interests.
He is man who enjoys good living and
gives due attention to all the CONVENTIONAL
| ties of society. His associates are generally
men of wealth and culture. While he is
temperate. he occasionally takes a glass OF
wine and is a moderate smoker. He has
such good health, it is said. that he has
never been detained by sickness from Il
single session of the court.
Of Revolutionary Stock.
Judge Parker's grandfather was an off,
Ger in the revolutionary army. and after
| the closed became a farmer In Cort-
land county, New York. His father still
| lives at that old home. in which he and
| his son were born. Daniel S. Lamont was
| born In the same neighborhood year
| before the birth of Judge Parker and they
were boys together.
When seventeen years of age young
Parker obtained position as school teach
| err in Ulster county In order to pay his way
| through college but he was never able TO
secure college education.
Parker was teaching at Napatoch when
| he secured place In the law office or
| Shoemaker & Hardenberg. where he served
as janitor. errand boy. clerk and copyist
| and read law under Mr.. Shoomaker's SUI
pervision. His employers later assisted
| him to attend lectures at the law school in
| Albany. and in that city in 1872 he was
| admitted to the bar. The next year he
married Miss Mary L. Shoemaker daughter
| of his former employer. and he settled
| down to practice law in Kingston.
There have been two children OF this
| marriage. The son died in infancy and the
| daughter became the wife of Rev. Charles
| Mercer Hall, rector of the Episcopal Church
of Kingston.
There are many people who today be-
| lieve that Judge Parker might have been
governor of New York state or United
States senator from that commonwealth
| had he cared to do Those who are
| familiar with the events of 1881 and 1892
say that there is no question about his
| success along those lines had he consented
\ to leave the bench. But he was consistent
! In declining any preferment that would IN
| terfere with his continuance on the bench.
In the summer of 1891 the democrats OF
New York were casting about for candi-
| date for the governorship. The prospects
| for victory for the party were of the bright
| est. The Cleveland forces were then in con-
| troll of the New York democracy, and they
| turned to Judge Parker. Some years before
| he had been unanimously elected to he
| bench of the supreme court. the republicans
putting up no candidate against him. and
| when the democracy wished a man to run
| for the governorship those in control of tho
party machinery went to Judge Parker and
offered him the nomination. 1t was tender
| ed voluntarily. and 1t promised that
the honor should be his without subjectng
| him to the burden of a primary fight. To
this proffer Judge Parker made response
that he had chosen the judiciary for his
career and that no tender of the governor
| ship could induce him to leave the bench.
From that decision he could not be swerved.
and the party eventually nominated and
| elected the late Roswell II. Flower. Alton
| II al
| when he turned his back upon the governor
! ship of this great commonwealth. The fact
that. having determined to carve his career
| out of the judiciary. he had the mental
| strength and resolution to resist the bian-
dishments of the politicians stamped him
at once most extraordinary man. for
| the splendid office he refused is very sell
dom offered to one so young. But that was
| not the supreme test of Judge Parker's
| will-power and constancy of purpose.
Declined a Senatorship.
| In January. 1892, the New York legsla-
| ture met to elect a United States senator.
| The body was democratic by a safe major
| ity, and David B. Hill was In control.
| Everybody supposed that Mr.. Hin had but
one ambition-to go to the Senate Such
| was not, however, the case. Mr.. Hill was
| looking to the democratic presidential nomi-
nation later in that same year and he be-
| lieved that 1t would seriously interfere with
| the chances for his nomination should no
L
| was In a Quandary to what he should do
| that he sent for Judge Parker, and to that
gentleman offered the United States sena-
| torship agreeing II the jurist would con-
sent to accept the place to deliver the votes
| to elect him for full term of six years.
Once again Judge Parker made reply,
Nothing can induce me to leave the
bench" his refusal of the United States
senatorship being as positive and unalter-
| able as had been his refusal Just few
| months before of the governorship.
| Between the day he was thirty-nine and
| the day when he turned his fortieth year
| he put behind him two of the highest Of
fees to which any man can aspire. His re-
fusal of the proffer of these places was I'M
hesitating. He had resolved that there WAS
an opening for him upon the bench.
Some Noted Legal Opinions.
Many of the opinions rendered by Chief
Judge Parker, and he assumes his full
share of the duty of writing opinions.
notable such as will stand for years as
classics among decisions
Of these the most important involve the
right of employees to strike. and the right
of the executive of state to remove an
elective official from office In the first
case taken up the appeal of labor
union against employer. Judge Parker
wrote complete history of the relations
between employer and employed In TINS
country and the doctrines governing those
relations. showing conclusively that the
principle has been established that EN-
the redress of grievances. for higher wages,
shorter hours. an improvement of the con-
ditons of employment, the employment or
competent workmen and for their own pro-
lection against the recklessness of employ
ers.
The second case was one of particular
importance to New York, and in deciding
ut Judge Parker demonstrated his complete
grasp of the many intricacies of constitu-
tional law In these opinions the turist
does not content himself with merely de-
Gliding a case. If the point involved Is In
the least bit new he delves into his books.
sets himself to study and is only satisfied
when he has embodied In his opinion an
exhaustive review, legal and historical, OF
the whole subject, producing paper which
will be a guide to other judges for all time
to come.
An incident of the thoroughness with which
he handles his subject is shown In his course
in preparing the paper on Due Process or
Law recently read by him before the
Bar Association of Georgia. The work on
that paper occupied nearly a years time,
In reading writing and revising. In read
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