The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-31
MISTAKE MADE
BY PRESIDENT
Amounted a Football Player
Instead Of a Jurist to the
Hawaiian Bench.
SENATE WOULD NOT AGREE
CAREER OF WOODRUFF INNER
TED FROM ROOSEVELT.
SENATE WOULD NOT AGREE
.sn..IaI to No HeraIdl


u-sebinrton. May 3O.-"Too much of
s,otbaU player and not enough Of
,...rsrr is the sealed verdict of the
ate judiciary committee in the case
10 George ". Woodruff, nominated
rreaks ago as federal judge for
,t--.,ff I'm consequence OF this YER
nc, +bs committee has declined to re-
NV trs nomination of Mr.. Woodruff
,ba nomination remains pigeon
eL5 AM the committee room. Unless
49, is a change Of sentiment among
--.1,bars of the committee, the nomina-
I'm Is not likely to be reported. and
..t---ofore Woodruff is not likely to be
confirmed.
a. Woodruff is little known as a
rsgyer. he has a wide reputation as
s-,,bsl1 PLAYER and coach. A graduate
~ fbe University of Pennsylvania, Mr.,
woodruff is written down one OF the
tar plqvprs of that institution, and
.- ,c5oh of the Pennsylvania football
team I'm later years he is even more
f,mous. He produced a crack team
I'D moreover he originated some of the
,,ost effective of modern plays known
d, tho football world. But it is solely
IN his football record that Mr.. Wood
RIFFS fame depends
Unknown as Lawyer.
Asa LAWYER he is practically unknown
oUtside Of Washington city. For a num-
her Of years he was chief legal advisor
~ clifford Pinchot. chief of the forest
service and, though not famous. he
should be famous for having expounded
the doctrine that any government Of
fetal is empowered 20 do anything
which ne is not specified 'ly forbidden TO
do by the federal statutes. IL was on
such advice from Woodruff that the
forest service reached out and under
took 10 do by regulation what any other
dpnartment would not have dared to DO
without sanction of law.
When President Roosevelt made Mr..
Garfield secretary Of the interior. MIR.
Pinchot secured the appointment OF
Woodruff as assistant attorney general
for the interior department-this Off
Ger being the chief legal advisor of the
secretary OF the interior. In that Of
flee Mr.. Woodruff remained only as
long as Secretary Garfield, and then
he resigned. II was a wise and timely
resignation. however. for IL IS well
known in official circles in Washing
ton that on questions Of law. and par.
ticularly public land law. there is a
vast difference between the interpreta-
tion Of the statutes by George W.
Woodruff and the Interpretation by r.
A. BaIinger Naturally a man as well
versed I'm law as Secretary Ballinger
would not desire as legal advisor a man
whose ideas were at such striking vari-
ance with his own.
No Court Practice.
The judiciary committee. that has
charge Of Woodruffs nomination. has
gone carefully into the record of Mr.
Woodruff and in addition to the fore
going facts has found that Mr. Wood
ruff since his admission to the bar
has had no court practice. Members
Of that committee. all OF them expert
enced lawyers, hold the Anticipated no
ton that no lawyer Is competent to sit
upon the bench unless he has had con-
siderable experience in court. In view
of these facts, their verdict Is appar.
emily i'm accordance with the evidence
and In the near future President Taft
wiz be confronted with the facts. in
the expectation that he will name an
other man. The understanding is that
Noodruffs appointment was merely a
fuifillment of a promise made by Pres
ideut Roosevelt to Messrs. Garfield and
Pinchot
10 is also reported that the people of
Hawaii are anything but pleased with
the appointment of Woodruff. and their
protest is likely 10 be presented along
with the finding Of the judiciary com
mittee.