Evening star., 1909-03-10
|STANDARDO|[ VICTORY GIVEN A FREE REIN
Judae Orders Jury to Find Attorney General to Ignore
Company Not Guilty. Politics in Appointments.
PROSECUTION A FAIL UREl ONLY MERIT IS TO COUNT
Restored Its
of Pending Indictments Former Importance
DECISION ANDERSON OF IT
the Famous $2e President Secretary Knox
o. Judge Landis wickersham.
Attorney General to Ignore
Politics in Appointments.
ONLY MERIT is TO COUNT
Department to Be Restored to Its
Former Importance.
GREAT THINGS EXPECTED OF IT
Result of Conference Between the
President, Secretary Knox and
Mr. Wickersham.

AS the first step toward his announced
policy OF the reorganization OF the Depart
ment Of Justice President Taft has in
structed the Attorney General, George w
Wickersham, to choose his own assist
ants in that department without consider
alton Of political influence or political
services rendered. Merit alone Is to count
In the personnel Of the men who will aid
Mr.. Wickersham in lifting the Depart
ment of Justice back to the position of
importance 1t occupied before President
Roosevelt weakened It by bringing the
Attorney General too much under his
direct control
The positions Of solicitor general assist
ant attorneys general and special attor-
neys will be filled. under the Taft ad-
ministration. by the men Mr.. Wicker
sham wants. They will be chosen for
those qualifications the Attorney General
desires to have in the men about him.
Their political influence. whether they
nelped elect Taft to the presidency their
standing in Yale alumni circles or even
their remote relationship. either through
blood or business, to J. Pierpont Nor
gan, Will have no weight with Mr.. Wick
ersham II he follows the instructions of
the President.
Told to "Cut Loose.'
Mr.. Taft has told Mr.. Wickersham to
cut loose. The President wants the De-
partment of Justice to amount to some
thing, FOR he expects to do great things
through it. and it is up to Mr.. Wicker
sham to provide a force Of legal talent
that will deliver the goods.
rms policy was decided upon by the
PRESIDENT after conference with Mr..
Wickersham and Secretary Knox. The
Secretary of State was called in be-
chief on questions Of administrative pol
Icy and because he was the most sue
cessful Attorney General President
Roosevelt had. Mr.. Knox agreed that if
Mr. Wickersham is to meet with success
In the conduct of the affairs Of his de-
partment he should have full swing.
he went over some Of the details of the
department work to prove his theory.
The decision on the part of the Pres-
dent to leave the organization of the de-
partment entirely In his hands was graft
flying to Mr.. Wickersham, and he is now
carefully considering the future makeup
OF the department..
No Immediate Selection.
1t is probable. however, that he will not
act Immediately. Henry NJ. Hoyt, the So
licftor general has handed in his resig-
nation, but has been asked to remain
with the department until Mr.. Wicker
sham can get a line on the work. When
he retires Mr.. Hoyt will probably prac-
tice law In Washington. His personal
plans have not yet been arranged.
The office of solicitor general Is the
most imp portant post Mr. Wickersham has
to fill, and there has been a good deal of
speculation as to who Mr.. Hoyt's sue
cessor will be. Prior to the hands Off
dictum of the President Wade H. Ellis of
Ohio. at present assistant to the Attorney
General. loomed up strongly. Mr.. Ellis Is
prominently connected with republican
national politics. He wrote that part of
the republican platform which related to
trusts when that document was prepared
at Chicago last June. But the removal of
the Department of Justice from political
influences forces Mr.. Ellis back with the
rest Of the herd, and he will have to take
his chances without the influence he 9TH
erwise might have exerted at the White
House through his Ohio friends.
To Remove Cause Of Friction.
One of the causes of friction at the
Department Of Justice. which Mr. Wick
ersham will attempt to smooth over, is
the appointment Of special attorneys by
the interstate commerce commission. Per-
haps he cannot straighten this out with
out change in the existing laws, but
IL Is UNDERSTOOD tnat ne VIII make the
attempt. The friction arises at times as
a result of the efforts of the special at
torneys of the commission to carry their
own cases to the courts. They are ap-
pointed by the Attorney General, upon
designation by the commission, to carry
on special work.
They gather their material, but, in
stead of turning it over to the commis-
sion for transmission to the Attorney
General. they frequently go directly to
| the courts.
Under the policy laid down by Presi-
dent Taft 1t is desired to have the COM
missions special attorneys. upon the
completion of their Investigations. turn
| the results over to the Department of
Justice, which through its proper rep
| resentatives, will take the cases to the
| courts.