The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-09
WILLIAM L GRUB


care rap about that He had his own
way Of doing things. and nothing
pleased him better than to do things
which were decidedly provoking 70 the
lawmakers on capitol hill. He pur-
posely waited. II is charged. until Just
after Congress had adjourned. and IL
Ii no secret that the program entirely
accorded with the desires of Hundiey
and his hackers. They remembered
only too well. that the Senate would
have none Of him for District Attor-
ney when he was nominated for that
ONCE.
Opposed by r. C. Knox.
While Mr.. Knox was Attorney Gen.
eral he advised President Roosevelt
that Hundiey was not a at man for
District Attorney. II was common talk
In Washington az the time. But Roose-
Welt would not listen to the head Of
the Department of Justice, who was
supposed to be the man for his place
and knew whereof he spoke. He APP
pointed Hundley anyway. and 1t re-
NAMED for sub-committee OF the Sem
ate judiciary COMMITTEES to report
against him. That subcommittee was
composed OF two Republicans and one
emocrat-Diilingham OF Vermont and
Kfttredge of South Dakota. Republic
cans, and Pettus of Alabama. Demo-
crat Senators Kittredge and Pettus
were against Hundley and his nomina-
ton was therefore held up.
The late General Pettus In q singing
report set forth the reasons why Humid
ley was not a At man for District At
torney, and the substance Of that re-
port was given several months ago In
The Advertiser.
When Hundley was nominated for
Judge Mr.. Knox had left the Depart
ment OF Justice and was in the Senate.
While Senator Knox did not take an
open stand against HundIey he quietly
wards preventing the confirmation Of
the Huntsville man.
Opposition to tie confirmation of
Hundiey as Judge commenced soon af-
ter he was named for Judge. but the
movement really did not gain great
force until last fall. A majority of
the best lawyers In the judicial district
made. and that is why the Birmingham
bar rose up in Its might and withdrew
the endorsements that 30 many had
given Hundley.
President Taft heard most patiently
all OF these delegations. As Is 80 well
known they were for and against
Hundley. Stacks OF papers were filed
In the case. 1t Is doubtful II ever be-
fore were so many laid before Pres
nomination for district Judge.
The six Democratic Representatives
from Alabama who went cunning for
Hundley early In the action put up
about the liveliest fight that could pos
sibiy have been made. They never let
UP a moment. At times 1t looked az
If there was not the slightest chance
of knocking Hundley out But they
persevered until finally public senti-
ment was aroused In Alabama and they
got a backing that gave them fresh
hope.
Were Many Candidates.
The news that the Senate judiciary
last session had decided not to report
any moro nominations had the effect of
bringing out q number of candidates
for the overwhelmingly would
since II seemed certain that Hundley
was to be held up. Indeed the candi-
dates began to look up the very day
after II was known that the Hundley
nomination had been sent back to the
committee and that fresh hearings had
been ordered.
from information believed to be entire
ly reliable. had narrowed the candI-
dates practically down to two--Shelby
Peasants OF Huntsville and Amos
Soodhue OF Gadsden. The latter was
the last OF the candidates, to be looked
ever by the President ana the Attof-
% ThssaprgwfbuB dky he
was at tho White House and the De-
partment OF Justice. He I, came to
Washington shortly after Mr.. Taft was
sworn in, but very few people, then
thought he wasiin the running except
In the also ran" class. as they say
IN the race track. But II seems that
Mr.. Goodhue was making a sort of
''pussy-foot" attempt to land In Humid
ley's place. He had considerable back
ing among friends Ct Gadsden and at
other points In Alabama, but none of
the congressman from the state had
talked OF, him.
All the while he had a particular
friend and champion out In the city
of Cincinnati who was doing his ut
most to get In his work 1r him. The
gentleman out there Is Nj. Colson, and
he ig a member OF the law Arm OF
which Governor Harmon OF Ohio has
been the head for q number of years.
Mr.. Colson Is also known to be an In
innate personal friend of President
Taft. 1t has been recently learned on
the best OF authority that Mr.. colson
wrote a number OF very strong letters
In favor of Mr. Goodhue. and these
were backed up with other indorse-
ments that caused President Taft to-
wards the end OF the contest to ex-
press a desire to have Mr., Goodhue
come to Washington In order that he
might talk with him.
Just before that the President also
had requested that certain information
should be sent him from Alabama as
to Mr.. Goodhue's standing as a lawyer
and q citizen. A dozen or more lengthy
statements were sent the President.
and It is only fair to Mr.. Goodhue to
say that they were uniformly so fav-
orable that they greatly Impressed
Mr.. Taft
on the eventful GARD Of April the
President at one hour of the day Is
said to have about made up his mind
to appoint Mr.. Goodhue. Then he got
ia thinking again. so the Information
goes. very seriously about the fine re-
commentator that had been flled with
him in behalf of Mr.. Peasants. The
day before he let drop remarks which
indicated beyond any doubt that Street.
Smith and Dryer had been dropped out
nf the calculation along with Humid
ley.
II is known beyond any doubt here
that Mr.. Taft was not impressed with
the idea that any one of the three
would suit him. There was nothing
specially against them. but somehow,
from what has leaked out. the Presl-
dent had fixed upon his own sort of
man as being proper judicial timber
Senators Bankhead and Johnston and
Representative Underwood, who tried
to induce the President to appoint q
Democrat for Judge. have insisted right
along to The Advertiser correspondent
that the President was hard to please
because he had indicated that he was
going to pick Republican for the