Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-10
|P|TNEY IS GREETED
Cordial Welcome Extended at
Senator Briggs Dinner.
PRESIDENT TAFT ATTENDS
Tells Of Responsibility in Wisely Sc
Letting Justices.
GIVES OWN EXPERIENCES
Executive Relates How He Won
and Lost Cases Before Su-
preme Tribunal.
TAFT ATTENDS
GIVES OWN EXPERIENCES


Supreme Court, the latest appointee of
President Taft was accorded a cordial
welcome to Washington at a dinner given
in his honor last night at Rauschers by
Senator Frank o. Briggs Of New Jer-
sey. President Taft, in his capacity as
father of the Supreme Court" gained
by virtue Of his appointment Of five Of
the present members Of that body, spoke
I'm praise Of the court. The President
said:
II am very much obliged to Senator
Briggs for giving me an opportunity to
be present at this christening.
Il claim to be a young man. but when
I think Of the Supreme Court as it is
today and as it was when I first at
tempted to lucubrate in its presence I
feel as if belonged to another genera
ton.
There Is now not q member Of that
court who was on the court when I tried
to represent the government in cases be-
fore 1t. don't know that the court has
changed in certain respects from what it
was then. My first impression Of it was
an array of white tombstones, that did
not encourage argument. and that misled
the young advocate into thinking that it
was against him when it was with him
and was with him when it was against
him.
Tells of Experiences.
For six months I had cases which
were SO plain that won them The court
paid no attention to my argument. The
remainder Of my term was filled with
cases in which the court was against me,
and paid altogether too much attention to
my argument. But in all that experience
there was one thing that fixed itself in
hof VIZ fhn 1iv1oF
ability of the representative of that court
from the state of New Jersey, and when
instead of becoming a judge 1 had to
make some judges the place I looked to
was New Jersey.
Association with Mr.. Justice Bradley
was an education. 1 remember having an
internal revenue case Of as complicated
rather more complicated than even pat
ent case. which I labored on to sustain
the judgment Of Judge Blodgett, judge
In those days whom the Supreme Court
regarded in the highest favor, especially
f IN cases s, that were difficult, and that they
selves. and presented it to the court
Il happened to be away when the de-
cision was rendered. and it was against
the government, and it was rendered by
court of appeals. which was just then
opening in the third circuit, and he said
to me: Brother Taft, we beat you in
| that case I said: I know you did, Mr..
pointed Well he said, my brethren
listened to the case and were a good deal
confused. but rather disposed to sustain
Judge Blodgett, but you labored so hard
some weakness in lit, and we decided
against you
Refers to Responsibility.
'It is a great responsibility to select
Judges for that court. / am willing at
least to appeal to the country for it's
judgment as to whether l have not been
guided properly by personal pulchri-
tude.
1.-The responsibility Of the selection is a
very heavy one. In these days when
there seems to be greater difference as to
the use and standing of court, 1t is
a great comfort to me who have had
rather more burden in that respect than
any Of my predecessors, with the excep-
ton of the first President, to believe that
the duty has been well performed, and
that the court as at present constituted
is to continue to be the bulwarks of con-
stitutional liberty. with the ability, the
foresight, the craftsmanship and the
courage to assert those constitutional
principles that have made this country
great. and to insure their continuance
Other speakers We're Justice Pitney, who
declared that he had never allowed poll
tics to influence his judicial opinions, Sen
ator Briggs, who paid high tribute to
Justice Pitney, and Senator Bailey of
Texas, who defended the honesty of
American lawyers as class.
Guests at Dinner.
Those present at the dinner were:
President Taft. Justice Anderson, E. A.
Armstrong. Senator Bailey. John H.
Backes, NJ. T. Barrett, Judge Bergen,
Frank Bergen, Judge Blair, Senator
Borah. Frankland Briggs. Senator Brown,
Malcolm Buchanan, Henry c. Buchanan,
Charles Henry Butler, Howard Carrow,
| Fred T. Chandler. Senator Chiffon, SEN
| ator Clark. Charles Codding. Gilbert Col
Inns, Gen. Joseph w. Congdon, William
HI. Corbin. Judge Cross, E. D. Dufield,
Walter e. Edge. Allen B. Endicott, Henry
Esterbrook. Capt. Frank e. Evans. ].
Garrison. Judge Gnichtel, George s.
Graham, Barker Gummere, w. S. Han
| cock, John Hardin. Thomas B. Holmes,
William M. Johnson. Senator Johnston.
Judge kalisch. Frank s. Katzenbach.
William Won Katzeler. Judge Knapp. JUS
| tice Lamar, Solicitor General Lehman,
Vivian M. Lewis, w. ]. Lewis, Justice
Lurton, George w. Mccarthy. Robert H.
McCarter. Thomas n. McCarter, Thomas
F. Mccran. George w. MACPHERSON. SEN
Nelson. Senator Overman. Judge Parker,
Randolph Perkins, John o. H. Pitney,
Francis Rawle. George L. Record, Judge
Rellstab. William Riker. J. 1. B. Kelley,
Samuel K. Robbins, K. G.. Roebling, AL
| fred 8. Skinner. James Smith, jr., Judge
Speer. Senator Sutherland. Judge Swayze,
A. p. Thorn. Judge Trenchard, Benjamin
A. VAIL Justice Vandeventer, George Van
| Dusen, Foster M. Voorhees,, Judge Voor-
hees, John B. Vreeland. Edmund Wakelee,
Chancellor Walker. John Josiah White.
| George Whitelock, Attorney General
Wickersham, r. Lancaster Williams, Ed
mund Wilson and Maj. j. NJ Wright.