The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-08
POLITICS DELAYS
|. DECISION BY TAFT
Greatly Embarrassed
in Selecting Supreme
Court Justices.
HARD TO PLEASE
ALL CONCERNED
Republicans, Regular and Insur-
gent, and Democrats Threaten
To Hold Up Appointments
if Nominees Do Not Suit
Thenl-Lists Have Been
Reopened.

washington, December An unfor-
tunate and, to President Taft. an en-
.i,arrassing situation has arisen in con-
nec.ion with the Supreme Court ap-
pointments.
The plain, unvarnished fact is that
politics has entered into the matter.
despite the desire and efforts OF the
President to put these Important places
Upon a nonpartisan basis.
The Insurgent Republican Senator's
nave virtually served notice that they
will oppose the confirmation of any
man or set OF men whose political lean
ings, judicial decisions while oil the
bench. or corporation connections as
attorneys are such as to be unsatis-
factory to this element of the party.
The Democrats OF the senate. through
Senator Bailey, have served notice tha.
they will fight the continuation of the
nominations II Democrat is not
named to zone of tile vacancies
Senator'S of the re1>ilas wing OF the
party are beginning to complain that
IL the Insurgents are to dominate the
nominations to the Supreme Court or
the Court of Commerce. they Will get
into the game by holding UP nomina-
tions.
President Changes Mind.
Under these circumstances the Pres
ident has changed his mind IN several
instances.
The authoritative statement was
made to-day that the President has
now determined that he will consider
for the Supreme Court the names OIL
come of the circuit judges of the Elghth
Circuit. who passed upon the stanoara
oil case. Several months ago he told
nd n
that he did not think 1t would be ap-
propriate to nominate as a justice OF
the Supreme Court man who had
passed upon any one OF the big cases
pending in the Supreme Court and who
would go upon that bench with his
mind already ds-hsmined.
The Kansas delegation in Con Sress,
badly spit int", factions, had unani-
mousiy indorssd Judge William z.
Hook. Of that State. for justice of tho
Supreme Court at the time of the death
of Justice Brewer. The President de-
cidad upon the nomination of Governor
Hughes 10 fill this vacancy. at the time
concluding that II would be inadvisabie
TO name one of the circuit judges whS
had decided the Standard case.
Upon the death of Chief Justice Full
LEI, and the retirement from the court
of Justice Moody, the Kansas delega-
uon stood ready to again recommend
Judge Hook. The President. however.
1t was stated to-day. repeated his for
mer declaration against any of the
Eirhth circuit Judges. Senator Curtis
thereupon indorsed Judge Pollock. of
the Federal District Court of Kansas,
and a number of the other Kansas rep
resantatives followed suit. Senator
Bristow, lnsufgent, and the representa-
tjves allied with him held off from
Judg. Pollock, protesting his nomina-
tion, and declared that Judge Hook
should be named, in spite of his decis-
ions as a circuit court Judge.
The Presidents announcement now
that he will open his list of eltgibles TO
phase to the contest and one which. 1t
is stated is likely to stir the Regulars
of the Senate more than anything else.
The four circuit judges of the Eighth
Circuit are Walter H. Sanborn, OF st.
Paul. Mimi. Willis Van Devanter, of
Cheyenne, wyo.; William C. Hook. OF
Leavenworth and Elmer B. Adams. OF
St. Louis. The three first named have
been urged for the Supreme Court
Judge Sanborn was here last week,
was the personal guest Of the Presl-.
dent at the White House and discussed
the nominations with the President,
He is an able man, but his age is
against him. 1t is not likely that he
will be appointed. Judges Van Devan-
ter and Hook are the other two to be
considered, with the Kansas men back
of Hook and Senator Bristow making
hot fight for him. Judge Van Devanter
has -tyong backing and may be the man
finalIy selected. The Kansas men claim
that they ought TO have the place be-
cause the late Justice Brewer, OF the
| their Stafo
The Democratic Position.
The position of the Democrats is
that while they have faith In the good
Intentions Of the President to select
only able, non bipartisan men for the
bench, he can find impartial men of this
class among the Democrats, and that
there should be maintained the time.
honored division of at least one-thFd
Of the court Of one party. They want
three members OF the court.
Chief Justice Fuller was Democrat,
anpointed by President Cleveland.
When he was living there We're three
Democrats on the Supreme hench--Ful-
Ier, White and Lurton, 1t was In re-
cornition of the fair division of the
court that the President appointed Jus
tice Lurton, a Tennessean. There are
now only two Democrats on the
bench-WIhite and Lurton. There are
nine members of the bench, including
the Chief Justice. If Democrat is
not named there will be seven Repub-
ltcans and two Democrats,
The President Is said to concede the
fairness of the request OF the Demo-
Gratis and 1t Is almost sure that one
Of the vacancies VIII De hlled py man
from the South.
1t is the Insurgents who are pick
ing to pieces the records of nearly
every man whose name Is before tho
President. 1t Is declared that they
will not be satisfied unless one of the
men named has leanings suitable to
them.
Insurgents openly assert that all
their efforts toward progress with
their policies Will have been lost II tne
tho Supreme Court becomes filed with
men OF procorporation coloring Rather
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