Arizona republican., 1910-12-13
PHoENIx. ARIZONA. DEC. 1s, 1910
The Supreme Court Appointments

Of the nine places on the supreme court bench of the United States, President Taft already has had to fill four, counting the nominations of the two new men sent to the senate yes terday. No other president since the beginning of our government has had to make so many appointments to the supreme court, and it is altogether probable that MT. Taft will have to make still other appointments before the end of his term, so that a major ity of the personnel of the greatest court in the world will have been named by him during one admins tration
 Since it falls to the supreme court to decide what laws are constitu- tional, the heaviest responsibility that can be laid upon a president is that of naming men for the bench of that mighty court
 That MT. Taft appreciates to the fullest his great responsibility in this matter nobody doubts, although criti- cism of each appointment may follow. And it so happens that not in the his tory of the republic have there been SO many cases of extraordinary inn portance awaiting the decision of the supreme court. Among these are
 The suit brought by the attorney general of the United States to dis solve the Standard Oil company;
 The suit brought by the attorney general to dissolve the tobacco trust;
 The suit brought by the attorney general to dissolve the sugar trust;
 The suits brought to test the con- stitutionality of the federal corpora tion tax:
 The suits brought to test the con stitutionality of the twenty eight hours law as to the care of livestock in transit;
 The suit involving the validity of the pure food and drug law;
 The suit to test the constitutionalityl of the oregon plan" of Legislation by the initiative and referendum; and,
 Ang appeal from the conviction of Samuel Gompers, John Mitchell, and other-labor leaders of boycotting.
 It is not too much to say that upon the courts decision in these cases the future of the country is hinged to a marked degree.
 In making his first two nomina- tions. those of Judge Lurton of Tenn essee, and Governor Hughes of New York, the president encountered no such perplexities as confronted him in making his choice for yesterdays nominations. Both selections were made without previous announcement of his intentions, and the country quite generally approved them.
 But when it came to filling the va cancies caused by the death of Chief Justice Fuller and the resignation of Mir. Justice Moody, MT. Taft found that nearly every politician in the country wished to advise him. He thought strongly of advancing Mir. Justice Hughes to the chief justice. but somewhat strangely the insurgent wing of the republican party objected vigorously to Hughes, notwithstand ing the fact that Hughes has been one of the most effective reform gover- nors the country has seen in years.
 The president solved that problem by leaving MT. Justice Hughes in his present position and nominating Mir. Justice White to be chief justice. So that, because of republican wrangles. a democrat is made chief justice. Mir Justice White was a democratic sem ator from Louisiana when, in the fall of 1893. President Cleveland appointed him to the supreme benchI Senator Whites nomination was received with i'll grace by a majority of the demo- cratic party. because he has stood steadfastly with Cleveland in the successful effort to repeal the silver purchaSlng act. but the excellent re- cord made by White on the supreme bench has satisfied not only the Jem ocratic party. but the country as a whole.
 Having decided to advance Mir. Justice White to the chief place on the bench. it was still necessary for the president to select two men for the vacancies. and for the places many aspirants were urged. He care fully considered the availability Cf Justice Francis J. Swayze of the su- preme court of New Jersey; Joseph R. Lamar of Augusta. Georgia. for merly a justice of the supreme court of that state; Judge Gordon Russell