The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-04-13
PRESIDENT Taft
LAUDS JUSTICES
Believes His Duty in Select
ing Them Has Been
Well Performed


Taft last night in a careful speech re-
ferred to the five appointments he has
made to the supreme court before Il
notable gathering of several score
members of the court. other promi-
nent jurists. members of the cabinet,
senators and government officials as
sembled at Il dinner given in honor
OF Associate Justice Mahlon Pitney
by Senator Briggs of New Jersey, at
Rauscher's.
The president declared that he drew
great comfort from the belief that the
duty which had fallen on him of ap-
pointing more men to the supreme
court than any president since George
Washington has been we'll performed.
He said that the court as now con-
stituted will continue to he the bull
wark of constitutional liberty.
The president said:
II am very much obliged to Sena-
tor Briggs for giving me an opportu-
nifty to be present at this christening.
II claim to be young man. but
when l think Of the supreme court
as 1t is today and as it was when I
first attempted to lucubrate in its
presence l feel as if l belonged to
another generation.
There Is now not member of that
court who was on the court when !
tried to represent the government in
cases before 1t. don't know that the
court has changed in certain respects
from what it was then. My first i'm
preston Of 1t was an array of white
tombstones. that did not encourage ar
gument, and that misled the young
advocate into thinking that 1t was
against him when it was with him
and was with him when it was against
him.
Why He Won and Lost.
"For six months ! had cases which
| were SO plain th;4 l won them. The
court paid no att Il Eol. 10 lii. argu.
ment. 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 my mind
and that was the preeminent ability
of the representative of that court
from the state of New Jersey. and
when instead of becoming judge
had to make some judges. the place
looked to was New Jersey.
Association with Justice Brad.
ley was an education. 1 remember
having an internal revenue case of as
complicated-rather more complicat.
ed than. even a patent case. which
labored on to sustain the judgment
of Judge Blodgett a jude in those
days whom the supreme court regard
ed in the highest favor. especially in
cases that were difficult, and that they
found difficulty in understanding
themselves, and l presented it to the
court.
"I happened to be away when the
decision was rendered. and it was
rendered by Mr.. Justice Bradley.
met him in the 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 said: I know you did. Mr.
Justice Bradley, and was much dis
appointed Well he said. my breth-
ern listened to the case and were a
good deal confused, but rather dis
you labored so hard in the case that
we concluded there was some weak.
ness in it, and we decided against
you
His Great Responsibility.
"It is a great responsibility to select
judges for that court. I am willing al
least to appeal to the company fol
their Judgment rs to whether I have
not been guided properly by a per.
sonal pulchritude.
"The responsibility of the selection
is a very heavy one. In these days
| when there seems to be greater diff
ferences as to the use and standing OF
a court. 1t Is a great comfort to me
who have had rather more burden ir
that respect than any of my predeces-
sors, with the exception Of the first
president, to believe that the duty has
been we'll performed. and that the
court as at present constituted is tC
continue to be the bulwark Of consti-
! tutional 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 continu'
ance."
In the gathering were a number o1
jurists and other lawyers who have
themselves been prominently mention
ed as candidates for the positions
made vacant since he became presi-
dent. All applauded his address Wig.
orously.
OF significance in connection witt,
the opposition brought forward when
appointed to the supreme court was
the address of Justice Pitney. in which
he declared emphatically that he had
never allowed politics to enter into
his decision of cases but that he al.
ways sought to do exact Justice. He
spoke feelingly of the warm welcome
and courteous treatment accorded him
on his arrival in Washi- ~ton by the
other Justices of the court. and said II
was a pleasure to sit on the bench
with such men.