The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-20

Speaking Of the United States su
preme court. the late Frederick dc Mar
tens of Russia. recognized the world
over as an authority upon international
law and usage. once said: 'ln my opin'
ion no court of similar jurisdiction,
throughout the entire. legal history OF
man. stands 80 high. Fortunate in its
justices it has hcen markedly so in Its
presiding judges. from the day or John
jay they have been men OF large calibcr
men of great attainments IN law and
Jurisprudence, and (Which is yet more)
they maintained while on the bench.
SO far as | now recall, an attitude OF
splendid integrity, with partisanship as
nearly reduced to u negligible quantity
as is ever to be expected of those who,
after all. are mere mortals.
II would not be easy to formulate
higher praise. for our highest tribunal
and even the least thoughtful must see
in the light of these words. the care
with which President Taft will weigh
the pros and cons of all names proposed
before sending to the senate his nom
ination to fiji the vacancy now existing
at the head of so august court. The
immediate future seems destined TO wit
ness decisions Of the vastest importance
to the whole country emanating from
that chamber, and he who shall sit as
its chief Justice will inevitably play as
primary part of its history making
procedure as has any of the eight who
have presided there during the 120
years that have passed since the court
wss established in 1889.
Mr.. Taft's Views.
No man in the country more keenly
appreciates this than he who is SO soon
to send to the senate chamber his nom
ination for the post. Mr.. Taft's letter
TO Justice Moody. on the recent occa.
sion of his retirement from the bench,
contains passage which shows this be-
yond all question. ''It was the sum-
nit of your ambition wrote the pres
ident, "to become a justice of that
court. and there opened before you near
ly two decades of hard work. it is true,
but work of the very highest good to
the country. Ii would all have been
such a labor Of love. One who has
tasted the sweets of judicial life can
sympathize with you deeply in this. The
of every question for de-
cision with indifference to everv con
except to reach right and
lust conclusion, and TO preserve the fun
damental structure of our government
as our fathers gave it to us, makes the |
functions of the office most precious TO
one who feels in every fiber, as you do,
their sacred Importance
TIE keynote of DR.. de Marten s en-
conium was struck with unmistakable
eIcarness by John Jay, Not long re-
turned to the country, in whose infant |
service he had already done such yeo- |
man service. from a trying post as our
first minister to Spain and then from
the wonderfully successful labors of |
hat special embassy with Franklin and
John Adams) which had drawn the |
peace treaty with Great Britain, Presi- |
dent Washington. had offered him any
position IN his gift which he might pre-
fer. With little hesitation he chose
TO be chief iustice-only "a at the time;
he Youngest of those who have filed |
the cffice-and "when the ermine of the |
ludicia! robe fell on his shoulders" to |
quote the words of Daniel Webster. "it |