The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1908-10-29
SKILLED N THE Law
Success Of Mr.. Taft as Solicitor
General.
WON MANY NOTABLE SUITS.

Victorious In the Celebrated Alaskan
Seal Fisheries ControVsrsy-tis De
tense Of the Mckinley 6ill--Refused
Golden Offers For a Seat on the
Federal Bench.
Mr.. Taft's eight years Of history
making utility upon the bench Of the
Sixth federal circuit, during most of
which period he was presiding judge,
were prefaced by three years OF high
accomplishment as solicitor general of
the United States President Harri-
son picked him 10 be the legal repre-
sentative Of the United States In ac-
tive litigation in 1890, when he was
only thirty three years old and still bad
three years Of his elective term upon
the superior court bench In Ohio TO
serve. Solicitor general Of the United
States at thirty three. Scarcely more
than boy In years as ripened matu-
rity is reckoned and already doing
deeds Of national moment--deeds Of
interna tlonQl moment to be exact, for
inside Of owo weeks Of taking the
oath he I'D put up to him the defense
OF the NDVernment in the Alaska seal
ash0G1S controversy at which tn"
coa11D and the diplomats Of three eOun-
@ns-the United States, England and
Canada--had been dinging for fourteen
years.
Briefly the sum and substance OF Il
was this: We had captured and con-
deInned to be sold the Canadian
schooner Sayward for Illegal sealing Ia
Alaska waters. England and Canada
supported the claim OF the owner for
damages, which we rejected. Pend
ing arbitration the case was brought
Unexpectedly before the supreme court
1t was clever tactics on the other fel-
lows part. and it put US In rather a
pickle While Canada would not be
bound by an adverse decision II. the
case went against her--that tlSt She
would not be compelled to accept the
decision as hnal--sbOuid we lose the
fact OF our losing In our own court
would count against us.
The new solicitor general sailed in
He read the documents. He clutched
and held fast. When he emerged from
the murk OF Internal ional law, treaties,
precedent and kindred clarifies he had
300 page brief ready to present TO
the court. 1t won for him and for the
United States against two OF the best
lawyers in the land-JOseph II. Choate
and CalderOn Carlisle, Jr
Then II fell to him TO defend the
Mckinley bill in AN action brought by
an importing firm who objected to
paying higher duties imposed by the
bill and pleaded that Speaker Reed
way Of counting quorum, by which
tactics the bill had passed the house
OF representatives, was uneOnstiiution-
al The importers urged that enough
members present In the house, al
though constituting a numerical quo
rum, could break a quorum by not
voting
"If voting and not present Is neces-
sSry TO make a quorum, why is the
speaker empowered To employ the ser.
Bedhl AT hIiuS OF the mousse 10 coulpel
absentees TO attend with the object Of
making a quorum queried Mr.. So
licitor General Taft. The Mckinley
bill was saved
The young solicitor general won.
won, won and kept on winning for the
government for the two years he was
IN Office. Then President Harrison
set him upon what Mr.. Taft felt would
be the track leading TO his real ambi-
tion-the supreme court bench. He
named him as circuit judge. Judge
Taft accepted unhesilatlngly He did
Il In face Of the well meant advice of
friends who wanted him to be a money
maker Attractive partnerships were
proposed 10 him by big law firms. part
nerships that meant $4,000, $4,000
and 100000 a year The emoluments
or the bench were only $4,000 annual
10y. Irige Ia shot, lis head "Tlwre