The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-01-05
W|GGLE WAGGLE
FOR JUDGESH|P
Adams, Skinner and
Others on Anxious Bench
THE WASHINGTON VIEW
Reported That President Roosevelt
Will Not Go Out of the District,
e and This is Considered as Good
News for Col. Skinner.

and This is Considered as Good
News for Col. Skinner.
The wiggle-waggling in the merry
game of getting a cineh on the vacant
$4,000 Federal judgeship in the East
ern District of North Carolina goes on
witheu halt or stop.
Among the Republicans in Raleigh
one can find those who swear that
Col. Harry Skinner, the United States
District Attorney, will get the plum,
while others are equally certain that
it will be Spencer b. Adams and are
aggrieved if you doubt their prophe-
cies.
A knowing Republican here said
yesterday that there was method in
Carl Duncan's support of Spencer b.
Adams, though many thought it
strange that he should direct his
friends in the Eastern District to sup
port a Western District man for an
Eastern District job. Said he, Carl
Duncan is now the Republican Ma
tional Committeeman, and he wants
to be the Republican State Chairman
also. With these two political high
places he will be the real thing as
the Republican king-Bee in North
Carolina. His idea is thai if he lands
Adams as judge he will fall heir to
Adams place as State Chairman. Be
sides this, he has it in for Skinner,
who was with the forces that opposed
him as National Republican Commit
teeman four years ago, and he wants
10 keep Skinner from getting too
strong in politics. These are reasons
for Carl Duncan's course"
The news which drifts through from
Washington is that President Roose-
Welt thinks the judge should be a man
from this district, and on this the
friends of Skinner are banking high.
They say that if the President holds
to this view no other man mentioned
can get the best of Skinner. who
stands high in the esteem of Roose-
welt.
As Seen in Washington.
How the wiggle-waggle for the va
cant judgeship looks from the Wash
ington viewpoint is told by H. E. c.
Bryant in the Charlotte Observer as
follows:
Shall the President go out of the
district to get a successor to the late
Judge Thomas r. Purnell?" is the
ALA bSOrbing question in eastern
North Carolina at this particular time.
National Committeeman E. c. Duncan
has declared himself for Judge
Spencer p. Adams. of Greensboro,
which is in the western district. and
is lighting for him with all the zeal
0AN AZ H.. ooSo ~ Oily
II to whom he gives his, support.
President Roosevelt must decide upon
"a man. Col Harry Skinner, of
G~reenville. has been here and seen
the President. He las the support
of many of the leading Democratic
lawyers of the east. where he has
practiced for many years. In this
contest Mr.. Duncan is at a diSadVant-
age, not being a lawyer; and it is
claimed that he is going a little too
fly ~ on oonyJ " 49, al; l.
cal reasons. He. it is argued. is
taking a great risk-for in the east
there are the following-named Repub-
licanS who stand we'll at the bar: T.
T. Hicks, of Henderson,; E. w. Tim
berlake, of Wake Forest: j. B. Schulz
ken, of Whiteville: II. f. SeaweiI, of
Carthage; George E. Butler. of Samp-
son; danes r. Gaskill. of Tarboro,
and others Why then. it is asked,
should a western man be appointed?
[ was told today hat President
Roosevelt said he would not go out
of the district for a man unless he
could not get a good one ithou do
ing so. If this be true-and l have
cause to believe that it is-the end
is not yet.
The men mentioned in The foregoing
paragraph are well known. T.. T.
Hicks is considered q lawyer. of fine
ability and a citizen of sturdy char
acter and judicial temperament. He
was q Democrat in his early days. but
a numbe of years ago he became "a
POpulist and, later, a Republican. E.
w. Timberlake and w. S. OBJ. Robin
son were on the Superior Court bench
during the fusion regime. j. b. Schulz
ken has been endorsed for the judge
ship by the, bar of his county. He is
reputed an excellent lawyer. He was
a Taft electOr in his district. Fl. +.
Seawell is 2 loval Republican. His
friends GOV fhof ho ,,oa1nro fiyrcf n 1 :, &c
solicitor durin1 the Republican-Popu-
list days. George E. Butler stands
we'll in his county He was a Taft
electOr. The romc Of Iredell Meares
has been mentioned.
Why Is Duncan Supporting Adams?
Therefore, it will be seen that Mr..
Duncan is at a very delicate task. He
is an eastern man n a fellow Repub-
lica1i of the gentleman named here;
yet he is trying to have a western man
appointed to a place which rightfully
belongs to his own section. Some are
asking: why is Duncan doing this ?"
Mr.. Duncan has said hat from his
standpoint he felt sur hat Mr.. Adams
is the right man. Being a clever, sue
cessful politician, Mr.. Duncan looks
at most appointments as Dick Croker.
Charlie Murphy, Frank Hitchcock, or
other practical leaders would. Some
who do not like to see Carl Duncan
~ tSiAN III IN en-
i%nSinuate that his cup is not yet full;
but, in addition to being : national
committeeman for North Carolina, in
a political way, and receiver for the
Seaboard Air Line. in a business capa-
city; he Would like to be State chair
man of his Darty. The offices of ma
tional committeeman and State chair
man would sound large at the White
House.
The fight is Just beginning. A new
Richmond may enter the field. 1t
is being said here that Senator Over
man, who is a member of the Senate
Judiciary Committee. was friendly to
Judge Adams, and that there would
be no danger of a hold-ap in the
Senate by him if the appointment
were made. 1t is safe to say, how
ever, that Mr.. Overinan has not given
the matter more than a passing
thought. The Senate judiciary is
composed as follows: Republicans
Clark, of Wyoming; Nelson, Mime
sofa; Depew, New York: Foraker,
Ohio: Dillingham;. Vermont; Kittridga,