The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-13
DEMOCRAT ON
SUPREME BENCH
The President May APP
point Judge Horace
H. Lurton.
SUPERVISE MARKING
SOLDIERS GRAVES
-
Understood Col. William Elliott
Will Be Appointed Free
Distribution Of Seeds.
The Jamestown
Exposition

(Erom Our Regular Correspondent)
WASHINGTON, ID. c., March Pit is
reported to-day on excellent authority
that the President will appoint Judge
Horace II. Lurton, of Nashville to the
vacancy on the Supreme bench, should
Secretary Taft finally decline to accept
the appointment. 1t Is believed Secretary
Taft will decide to remain In tho Cabinet
until conditions in the Philippines ara
improved and the work of digging the
Panama canal is further advanced In
fact Judge Taft could hardly do other
wise. In view of the castigatioh which
lie gave Chief Engineer Wallace for re-
signing hts position on tho 1sthmus last
summer, 1t would be the height OF incon-
sistency for the Secretary himself to re-
sign while the work is barely in Its inl-
tial stages.
Judge Llirton has been en- the Federal
circuit bench for years he and Secretary
Taft being associates in the Cincinnati
and Nashville districts before the ap-
pointmcnt of the former to the governor
gcneralship of the Philippines by Prest-
dent Mckinley. Secretary TAFT is "a
warm friend of Judge Llrton. and 1t Is
said that IL the appointment is made by
the President it will be largely due to the
influence of the Secretary of War. Sec
retary Taft spoke to The Times Dispatch
correspondent some time ago IN terms
OF heart admiration of Judge Lurton, who
was a Confederate soldier, and has been
q Democrat all his life.
The secretary mentioned. however, that
he himself was more of States rights
man than were either of his associates,
both of whom had fought in the Con-
federate army. Judge Lurton is a lawyer
OF fine ability, and 1t Is said by those
most familiar with his character and 'abil-
itics that he would grace place on the
supreme bench.
But One President.
/ do not recall that but one Republican
President has appointed a Democrat to
the Supreme Court. That was President
Harrison. who. in 1892, appointed judge
Howell f. Jackson to fill the vacancy
created by the death of Associate JUS
tice l.. q. G. Lamar, who was appointed
by Mr.. Cleveland. But Mr.. Harrison
made the appointment only a few days
prior to his retirement from the prest-
dency and public life. 1t Is coincidence
that Mr.. Justice Jackson should have
come from Nashville. the home of Judge
Lurton. and that he should have been
one of the judges of the same circuit
over which Judge Lurtou presdes. Inc
only Democrat who ever served in the
Cabinet of n Republican President was
also a Tcnnessean, David NJ. Key, post
master-Eeneral under Mr.. Hayes
To Mark Confederate Graves.
1t is also learned to-day that the
President has recommended to the Sec
| retary of War that Colonel William Ell
| liott, of Beaufort. S. c.. be appointed
| to the position OF commissioner to super
| wise the work of marking the graves OF
| Confederate soldiers who We're buried at
| Northern prisons. The recommendation
| of the President Is regarded as belnE
| equivalent to appointment. The position
| will pay $500 annually.
| Colonel Elliott was a valiant soldier,
and came out of the war with tho rank
| of colonel having seen II great deal OF
| hard service on the staff of Lientenant-
| General Stephen d. Lee. The President
| has always said he wanted to see good
| soldier appointed, and that he never had
an idea of having any man in the pos
| tion save n Confederate soldier. 1t is
| probable that the selection of Colonel
Elliott for the place is largely due to the
| fact that his son, was member Of the
| Rough Riders, President RooSeyelts regf-
| mont III the Spanish war. One of tho
| strongest claims n n,aft can preseN to
\ the President when applyirg for place
| in tho administration is that ho served
| in the Rough Riders.
May Stop Free Seeds.
1t develops that the belief of the Com
| mittee on Agriculture that the House
| would restore the item of Il quarter o e a
| million to tho agricultural appropriation
\ bill said item representing the amount
i needed to defray the cost of free seeds
for farmers, which was omitted by tina
\ committee. is not entirely we'll founded
4 The action of tho committee in
I omitting the item had the effect of call
ing the attention OF the country to the
1 FREQ seed proposition, and the press. al
most unanimously, without the slightest
regard to politics, or section. congrat-
4 ulated the Committee on Agriculture in
] cutting of the appropriation.
Representative 'Tawney, chairman OF
the Committee on Appropriations. is
| bitterly opposed to continuing tho dis
tribution of free seeds. and when the
agricultural bin Is before the House he
! will have at his disposal a mass of ya1- 3
uablc data on the subject, which he Will
use should an attempt be made, as there
i undoubtedly will DO, TO override the ra-
/ commendaton of tho committees. Speaker
I Cannon Is also strongly opposed to the
| free seed feature and Is urging that the
i Recommendation OF tho majority OF the
| Committee on Agriculaure bc adopted by
| tho House,
How the System Grew
Secretary Wilson. OF the Department.
| of Agriculture has written Mr. Tawney
on the subject. reviewing the history OF
the appropriations for free seeds 1t
| appears that tho first appropriation or
/ this character was made IN 1888, whom
the commissioner OF patents Was author-
4 isod to expond $1,000 III collecting asri-
4 cultural statistics, "and the PURCHASE OF
1 seeds OF new and rare ya rieties Of plan ts.s.
This appropriation kept growing yc,pr
by year, until In 1865 s6Ia,124 had bcsn
I expended In collecting agricultural sta-3l
tistics and distributing seeds, Tho nn-