The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-18
TAFT IS TO co ON
BENCH IN &C 0B j
Meanwhile He Will Stick to His
Desk-Not After the g
Presidency. a.
BY w. w. Jermane..

Washington, March lit is be-
lieved in Washington that when Octo-
Der comes around, Secretary Taft will
accept the position on the supreme
bench to which the president has indi-
Gated desire to appoint him. Mean
while, he holds it important that he
stick to his desk in the war department
in order that he may carry somewhat
further along the administration poll
cies relating to the Philippines and Pan
anna.
The anan who scolded Chief Engi'
neer Wallace for "Yumping his yob !"
at Panama, could hardly fail to see the
Importance of himself 'staying out. -
By fall it is believed that the ques-
tion regarding outbreaks In China Will
be out of the way, and that isthmian
affairs will be far enough along to per-
nit a. new secretary Of war to take
hold. Taft can then go on the bench,
which is his ambition.
Not After Presidency.
All talk of him for the presidency
is without authority and based on mis-
information. He doesn't want the
nomination. and at no time has indi-
Gated that he did. Taft was for years
one of the, best federal judges this
country had, and his decisions were
frank and fearless. It fell to his lot
y to make decisions which marked epochs
in the earlier disputes between labor
and capital, and several of those de.
eisions earned him the malicious illwill
Of the labor leaders. IN Cincinnati
this situation is thoroly understood, and
nobody there, in the press or out Of it,
has been talking him for the presi-
dency.
AS the presidential nominee of either
= great party, these labor decisions,
which are now generally regarded Us
stating the law with exact fairness,
would come back to plague him, and he
said as long ago as last spring that he
could not consent to run for the presi.
dency, knowing that organized labor
would probably be against him. He
felt that he could not afford to
bring the republican party such 4
handicap.
-. Prefers the Bench.
The president understands this
thoroly and it is noticeable that the
talk Of Taft for the presidency has re-
ceived no encouragement at the White
House. On the contrary, Mr.. Roosevelt,
in indicating a desire to put Taft on
the supreme bench, has let it be known
that he does not expect him to run for
the presidency.
Besides all this, Taft IS mind is judi
scial in leaning, and he wants to return
to the bench. The president has taken
up the matter of his appointment with
Chief Justice Fuller and all the asso-
ciate justices, and they have said that
they would be delighted to have. Taft
of their number. The proposal that the
appointment be deferred until fall
came as the result of a talk between
Taft and theNpresident, in which it de-
veloped that Taft could do much good
as secretary of war during the sum
mer and early fall, and that the su
preme court during that time would
be on annual vacation.
Fuller's Retirement.
The president has endeavored to get
from Chief Justice Fuller some idea
as to when Fuller intends to retire, bu
thus far without results. He rathe
intimated, however, that he may retir'
before the expiration of the Roosevelt
term. Should he do SO, Taft will sue
ceed him. Fuller will certainly retir
in time to permit Roosevelt to nam
his successor, if it should develop il
1908 that the radical democrats an
socialists, led on by some such man a
Bryan or Hearst, have captured tn
presidency. Such catastrophe woul
also lead to the retirement, also befor
Roosevelt goes out of office, Of ever
other justice then of retiring age. TIL
dislike Of the supreme court for tn
radical tendencies Of American polite
ia most pronounced.