The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-11-30
HUGHES AS CHIEF JUSTICE, MA.
GEL OF MISSOURI AND SWAzE
OF NEWARK, N. J.
AS TO ROOTS CHANCES
Taft Will Send His Appointments to
the Senate One Week From Mon
dany-The Selections Are a Secret.
Hughes Is Pleased.

washington, NOV. Z9.-IWO weeks
from today the second Monday of the
coming session of congress, Mr.. Taft
will send to the senate the names Of
three men who will constitute one
third of the supreme bench of the
United States. Those men are now
selected and callers at the white
house today received a definite i'm
preston that Justice Hughes, former
ly governor of New York, would be
advanced to the chief justiceship,
that Judge Swaze of the supreme
court of New Jersey will succeed
Justice Moody, who has resigned, and
that Charles Nagel, secretary of
commerce and labor, will take the
place now held by Justice Hughes.
All these vacancies have existed
for a long time, with the exception
of that to be caused by the promo
ton of Justice Hughes and the presi-
dent has given the greatest care to
selecting the men who are to fill
them. Having been a judge himself,
Mr.. Taft naturally has the keenest
interest in the judiciary, while his
long legal and judicial experience
has given him a wide knowledge of
men who may be considered for the
post Expressions made by Mr.. Taft
before his Inauguration indicated
clearly that he considered the pro
posed selection of justice of the SUI
preme court one of the most import
ant of the duties of the presidential
office.
1t is no slur on the men he has
at last selected to say that many
others have been considered and that
to some-a very few-the positions
have been offered and declined. 1t
has been repeatedly said that Mr..
Root has been given opportunity to
resign from the senate and take his
seat either as chief justice or as AN
associate justice. That report, how
ever, was discredited on the face of
it by the fact that Mr.. Root is from
New York, which also claims Justice
Hughes, and still more flatly denied
by the fact that the resignation of
Mr.. Root at this juncture would
mean the election of a democratic
senator to succeed him.
There is more reason to believe
that Philander c. Knox, secretary of
state, has declined one of the JUS
ticeships. AS attorney general un-
der Mr.. Roosevelt, the Pennsylvan-
ian acquired knowledge that would
be invaluable on the supreme bench
while his reputation as private
practitioner of law was such as to en-
title him to consideration for any
judicial post. But it can be said def
initely that he will not go on the
bench, and with almost equal certain
" ludt ne COuiu nave SOllt iIltlt litiu
he seen fit to accept the presidents
offer.
The ultimate choice of Mr.. Hughes
for the chief justiceship has been re-
garded as inevitable for a long time,
although until today there have been
conflicting reports. The New York
governors acceptance of the post of
associate justice caused surprise to
those who had come to consider him
the most powerful presidential candi-
date in sight; but, on second thought,
it was believed that even at that ear
" date he had been given to under
stand that as soon as the chief JUS
ticeship became vacant he would be
advanced 10 fill it.
Francis Joseph SwaZe still is
young man. He was born in Newton,
n. j.. only forty-nine years ago. He
received the degrees of a. B. and a.
NJ. from Harvard and studied law at
the Harvard Law School. He was
admitted to the bar in 1882 and prac-