The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-08-17
JUSTICE BREWER
On the Situation and the Prospects
of the Two Parties.


Brewer to strict technical response
bility for his opinions issued infor-
mally as to political questions not
presented to his study in any specific
case arising in the supreme court.
These opinions are essentially in the
nature of obiter dieta But the JUS
tice is a man of ripe years, he has
been seventeen years on the supreme
bench, he has by native adaptability
and long training the gift of impartial
Judgment, and what he has TO say of
current politics and political person
alities is, inevitably, INTERESTING.
Therefore, we note a few remarks re
Gently made by him to a correspon-
dent of The World in Kansas City.
In the first place. he gives full credit
to the entire good faith of Mr. Roose-
welt in announcing that he will not
again stand for the Office of presi-
dent
MI. Roosevelt will not run again
from a standpoint of honor He be-
Heyes in the Washington principle
that a president should have but two
terms, though technically Mr.. Roose-
welt has had but one. But he has
stated through various mediums that
he win not again be a candidate, and
any man who knows Mr.. Roosevelt
knows that he means what he says,
and does not say what he does not
mean. I should be most wonderfully
astounded to see him enter the race
again"
That is the view one would expect
Judge to take of a pledge voluntar-
lily given and publicly repeated. In
these circumstances, Justice Brewer
says: Il think, though not speaking
as one with authority, that MIR. Roose-
welt is pushing forward Secretary
Taft as his successor" and he adds
HE is honest, sincere, fearless,
just as much so as Roosevelt. Again
he is a popular man with the people
He does things, but he does them in
q somewhat different way. He, if
president, would have less friction.
He is not quite so impulsive and as
decisive as Roosevelt But he would
make a great president. He is a re-
markable man. He is a man of the
people"
Coming from a man in Justice
Brewers position, deeply interested,
of course, in the possibility of Mr..
Taft going on the supreme bench,
and presumably unusually Informed
as to that possibility, these words in
dictate, as we have already pointed
out, that the aspirants for the repub-
lican nomination will have to keep an
eye on the secretary of war 1t is
true that he will have trouble in Sc
curing the delegation from his own
state and that failure in that is ira
ditionally fatal But the tradition is
not infallible. Cleveland won in
spite of it in 1892, and Mr. Taft, with
mis- likeness to Mr.. Roosevelt in many
ways, and with the influence of Mr..
Roosevelt really behind him, might
defy it with safety. Certainly the par
t. could go further and fare worse.
Justice Brewer has a certain word
to say about the prospects of the coun-
try as shown in its possible or prob
able candidates for the presidency.
to the democratic side, he re-
marks:
Bryan is honest, innately so. The
people believe him sincere, whether
or not they differ from him on polit-
ical issues. His long standing with
his party at the head place which he
occupies, proves that fact conclusive
ly If Bryan were chosen president
there would be no need of fearing
white house scandal He would asso-
ciate about him in Office just such
men as has Roosevelt-men in whom
he believes, men he thinks square and
honest. This kind Of talk is silly.
One has to stop but a moment and
think of the men who are at the fore
front in party leadership on both sides.
There is slight intimation here
that honest leaders are somewhat
more rare in American political con-
tests than in reality our history shows
hem to have been, but the optimism
IS sound enough. 1t is likely. more
over, that the fear of the country go
ng to the bowbows" is not sincerely
'elt by many citizens, and is encour-
lged chiefly by a few who have a
patent for preventing such a catas-
rophe New York Times
rnAN AnAtr1 nH--t