The San Francisco call., 1910-05-29
The Courts Real Baseball Crank

Mr.. Justice Day. President RoOse-
velt's first selection for the supreme
court. is the baseball fan" par excel
lence of the court. While Justices
White and. McKenna never miss a game
If they can help it. Justice Day is a
real baseball crank" He knows
as much about the rules of the game
as he does about the rules OF the SUI
preme court itself. and he knows prac-
tically all the players in the big league
clubs. not only by name and reputa-
ton. but by sight. When the schedule
of the supreme court comes into con-
aict with the schedule of the Washing
ton ball team Justice Day attends the
performance of the former under dire
protest. II he can possibly arrange to
get away he will shed his judicial
robes without further ado and HE him.
self away to a grandstand seat. where
he can pass judgment on the chaSers
of the baseball rather than on the
merits of arguments OF lawyers en-
gagged in shadowing the constitution.
Physically. Justice Day. who is a
small man. has fooled a lot of the old
timers In Washington, who have been
expecting to see him die every time
they have looked at him Even as far
back as 1898 the late Senator George
Frisbie Hoar of Massachusetts, said.
when he heard OF Days appointment
as secretary of state: IF his health
lasts, he will do" Since that time
Day has gone cheerfuIly on through a
successful career as secretary OF state.
as chairman of the commission which
negotiated the treaty OF peace with
Spain. and as associate justice OF the
supreme court which position he has
held seven years.
The other two fans" Of the bench are
the only members of the court who be-
long to the Catholic church. Through
IT. n.,r
been noted for his courteous yet some
what stir manners. He is always
the perfect gentleman. and his one
vice-if 1t can be called that's his
fondness for the great national game.
He has been singularly free of leaving
a trail of anecdotes along his official
career. The one story that Is told OF
him IN Washington is that when he
was serving as attorney general for
President Mckinley he took especial
pains not to be Interrupted when at
work at his desk. On one occasion a
former attorney general called on him.
and. running the gauntlet of secreta-
ries and messengers. succeeded in get
ting unannounced into the presence OF
McKenna. The mans mere presence
was not so astounding to Mckenna as
the fact that he was on hand without
being duly heralded.
How in the dickens did you get in
nereE Was Mckennd 3 SroSllHS 10 MS
caller
Justice McKenna is the greatest suf-
ferer from the tremendous amount OF
reading that the justices of the su-
preme court have to do. Within very
recent years he has had to wear a
shield for his eyes when sitting on the
bench, .and this is even more useful to
him after the court adjourns. when he
takes up the legal briefs and lawbooks
for minute study Of the case.
Justice McKenna. when he was In
congress. became close friend OF VIII
liam Mckinley. and 1t has long been
understood in Washington that the two
'McK's," like Damon and -PythiaS.
linked their fortunes together and
agreed to look out for each other as
they progressed in public hfe. Whether
this story, Illustrative OF the Justices
humaneness, Is entirely correct or not.
the fact remains that President Me
Kinley made Judge McKenna his attor-
ney general and year later appointed
him on the supreme court bench
Justice White is the one member OF
the court who delivers his opinions off
hand. He possesses this faculty to such