Arizona republican., 1911-12-27
WEDNESDAY. 27. 1911
The Judicial Appointment


 When Arizona becomes a stat" 30 new federal district will come p,'u bc,ug-thc dis'rct of Arizona. II "iH then become the duty of President Taft to appoint a judge for this dis trict.
 The suggestion has been made that the president should appoint a demo- crat to the position. Under certain circumstances the suggestion would be d good one; but it is difficult to see any reason for its adoption in the present instance.
 It is true that President Taft has on more than one occasion appointed men of the democratic faith to high office He has gone to that party for more than one member of his cabinet. He raised a democratic associate jus tice to the position of chief justice of the supreme court of the United States. the most honorable and inn portant position under our govern ment. And in other instances he has appointed democrats to the district or circuit bench.
 But in those cases the appointments were made for very good reason; and it is difficult to see any reason why party lines should be broken in the present instance and the president should invade the democratic pre- serves to select a federal judge
 No one can deny that President Taft has obeyed the highest dictates of patriotic duty in making his judi cial appointments: and that fact has been forcibly Illustrated by the very fact above quoted-that where the situation has demanded it he has in fact made democratic appointments.
 But President Taft is human. And if in the face of the democratic villi- fication to which he has been sub iected in this state, that he should now, in response to a democratic de- mand. appoint member of that party to a judicial office. would be one of the queerest official acts on record,
 If the democrats of Arizona had ever deserved the slightest political recog- milton at the hands Of the chief eXecu- tive assuredly they have forfeited that right bv the uneXampled and malicious manner in which they have treated the president It is expecting little too much Of human nature to expect MT. Taft. even though he is president oI the United States, to swallow all these democratic insults and then meekly in ouire. "Gentlemen. what is your pleas ure with reference to this appoint ment?"
 Aside from all this. it must be re- membered that this government is primarily a government of parties. lt has not been learned that Governor Hunt or any of the other recently elected officers in Arizona contem- plate the appointment of republicans And it is perfectly right and proper that they should name democrats tp fill official positions. Also, it IS per fcctly right and proper that President Taft should name republican to oc- cupy the position of federal judge for the district Of Arizona.
 President Taft was not elected by democrats. He was elected by re- pubIicans. 1t is true a federal judge the moment he goes on the bench, so far as the discharge of his duties is concerned. is neither a democrat nor d republican. But he may consistently be a party man for all other purposes and he loses none of his usefulness or his dignity from that fact. The propo- sition. then. that the president should appoint democrat in this instance is Imaginable rather than anything else.
 No. gentlemen, you will be disap- pointed. And. don't you think you arc eating mighty humble pie to prefel such a request?