Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-10-07

Washington, d. c., Oct. 6.-The SUI
preme Court of the United States will
convene next Monday at noon for one
of the most important sessions in. its
-hirtory. During the coming eight
months it will have to pass upon cas-
cs profoundly involving the Industrial
and business life of the nation, and
this fact adds Importance to the pend
ing changes in the personnel Of the
great court occasioned by the death of
Chief Justice Fuller and Associate
Justice Brewer, and the retirement of
Associate Justice Moody. Gov.
Charles F. Hughes Of New York has
been confirmed in the place of Justice
Brewer and there appears excellent
reason to expect that he will be
named in place of the Chief Justice,
although Associate Justice Harlan, the
senior surviving member of the court,
has been much spoken of for promo
ton to the chief justiceship In any
event, including Justice Hughes, there
Will be three new men on this bench
during the coming session. -...!
President Taft has said that he will
make no recess appointments to !he
court; this means that the chiefjus-
ticeship and the place OF Justice Moo
dy probably will remain vacant until
the regular session of Congress begins
in December
1t also means undoubtedly that the
three great corpora tons eases, upon
which the expectancy Of the business
world is centercd, will not come up
for reargument at least until afte- he
Christmas recess OF the court. OF
these cases two. the Standard Oil ,'ase
and the so-called Tobacco Trust case,
were set for re-arSument on Novc1n-
Der IA. The series of cOrporation-,ax
cases were merely restored to thc cal
endar for re-argumcnt. In ordinary
this would throw them
over for a year or more. The general
expectation is that none of the three
cases will be taken up until all the
vacancies in the court have been filled
and that then the corporation tax cas-
es will be advanced, and with the 9TH
er two cases mentioned, will be set for
dates relatively early, in 1911.
Enormous Grist to Grind,
Aside from these celebrated causes.
a tremendous amount of work awaits
the court at the beginning of it's ses-
sion. Upward of forty cases. many
of large import. have been assigned
for argument next Tuesday, or as
soon thereafter as possible. Ordinar-
lily. each justice delivers about 80
opinions during a year; hence if one
member were to undertake to cover
all of next Tuesdays docket, he would
not be through with it until far into
1912
Unbrolien custom reserves the first
day, Monday, theoretically at least, to
paying the respects of the Court to
the President of the United States.
Before the time of Cleveland, it is
said, the court had practically never
failed to adjourn Immediately upon
converting on the second Monday in
October, to go in a body to the White
House. Once or twice Cleveland was
away from the city, and Roosevelt
even more frequently. Nevertheless
the call of the docket. of cases to be
the opening day. Even if the Presi-
dent is not in town, the court adj
journs after receiving motions, until
the following day. This year, Presi-
dent Taft will be at Beverly; the fact
will. be announced by Justice Harlan
and the court will adjourn.
Largely on account of there not being
a full bench last term, many impor-
tant cases We're set for argument, out
of their turn. for Tuesday. The con-
tinuing vacancies may cause the fur
Their ppstponement of several of them.
The death of Solicitor General Bow
ers may also result in the postpone
ment of number of government cases.
First Big Case to Argue.
The first big case set for argument