The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-08-12

modern thought, the late chief justice
well illustrated the purpose of the
bench by listening to the reasonable
arguments OF lawyers better versed
at the outset than he, and before the
end of his judicial career was found
in the Supreme court record revers-
ing the applied principles of law
which he brought with him to Wash
ington. BY many astute lawyers this
Is regarded as one OF the most striking
examples Of the largeness of the judi
cial mind Of the late chief justice.
Combined with these judicial func-
lions great administrative ability is
required OF the chief Justice Of the SUI
preme court. This quality Chief JUS
tice Fuller possessed in great degree.
Few. II any. complaints have ever
been made during his administration
as presiding officer of the court that
the wheels Of Justice Of the highest
tribunal of the land were turning too
slowly or unevenly. Behind the out
ward manifestation Of the courtly gen
tleman and His mild-mannered voice,
which In recent years has been al
most inaudible to those seated on
the edge Of the court room, was ire
mendous force Of character and q
keen sense Of Justice and capability
for hard and persistent work wholly
out Of proportion with his years.
Justice Fuller never pretended to
v1SSdo no cf hv,< ~
self and had no liking for the lime
light. His position In Washington
made 1t possible for him to fix his So
cial status where he willed. He had
no liking whatever for anything
smacking Of ostentatious display. On
and OF the bench he was the persona
fication of judicial dignity. He pos
sessed sense Of humor which he en-
ployed quietly and with effect. The
subjects of his conversation were full
of substance, scholarly and profound
and rich in wisdom.
It was Justice Fuller who practically
settled the fate Of the Roosevelt
propaganda for phonetic spelling. At
the time when congress was daily re-
ceiving messages from the White
House spelled in the new form OF or
biography and when the house Of rep
resentatives was trying to nerve itself
to the point OF putting q Quietus on
this new system Justice Fuller quietly
squelched its use In the Supreme
court. At that time the government
printing Office, under orders from
President Roosevelt, was printing all
documents for the executive depart
ments. including the department Of
Justice. IN phonetic spelling. This In
cluded briefs which were submitted to
the Supreme court In hand case
presented to the court Solicitor Gen
eral Henry NJ. Hoyt offered one Of
these briefs. In glancing through It
hastily Chief Justice Fuller espied
quotation from, an opinion rendered BY
former Associate Justice Bradley. ii
which the word through was spelled
thru.
Did 1 understand you to nay that
this purp0rts to be 4 literal quotation
from the opinion OF Justice Bradley3 =.
inquired the chief Justice.
" Il was not necessary for him to say
more. Mr.. Hoyt realized from this IN
Quiry that phonetic spelling would not
be tolerated ~ the Suprenne court
and that serious blrnder had BEEN
inside a chanSinx the spelling nsed
INV former member o1 that court H.
pr0nptly and quietly informed tie
x.<,,xt ~ = = " ~ ss,.s "a ]. n w 1. y q. 81