Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1912-07-23
RESIGNATION ENDS
HANF0RD CASE
PENDING IN
CONGRESS
F Federal Judge Under Charges
Of Misconduct TeIegraphS to
President TAFT lie Wants to
be Relieved.
ILL HEALTH IS
REASON ASSIGNED
Chairman Clayton Says House
Has Power 1t No inclination
to Push lmNeachment
Further

To uoll cdCllllltlll
Further,
my Morning Jour. eetc ,seers wirrI
Seattle. July =. lmi. states
District Judge CornchD a. ilanford,
tho first federal judge ppointc'
when Washington was admitted 10
statehood. twcnty-three years ago.
sent his resignation today to Pres-
dent TAFT while the last witnesses
were waiting to testify before the
house Judiciary committees which has
been hearing evidence relative to
charges Of misconduct filed against
Judge Hanford
The proposal that the Judge resign
ana tho hearing he discontinued was
submitted by Judge Hanford's attor-
ncys and accepted by the commit
tee.
Judge Hanford sent his resignation
by telegraph to President TAFT at
! 80 o'clock going in person to tho
telegraph office with the message.
The committee viii leave tomorrow
fer Washington. taking voluminous
record Of twenty days testimony and
also the records of the lawsuits upon
which most Of the charges against
Judge Ianford are based.
1t Is the general understanding
that no further action Will be taken
| by the house.
That the Judge was anxious to re-
sign was kept 4 secret from all per-
sons in Washington and from every
body IN Seattle except his counsel.
Judge Hanford has been much Ia
the public eye since August 30. 1911,
when, after he had issued an injunc-
ton hostile to the position OF Seattle
citizens in a five-cent fare fight
against "A street car company, he was
denounced at a great mass meeting
and resolutions demanding his I'M
parchment were adopted
Congressman Victor Berger intro
duccd impeachment charges on June
6. accusing lIanford of rendering cor
rupt decisions ana Of being a habit
uaI drunkard. Eight supplemental
charges against ,Hanford We're filed
directly with the Judiciary committee
of the house by a Seattle attorney.
| The house unanimously referred Ber-
gers charges 20 the house judiciary
committees and that body appointed
d subcommittee to take evidence in
seattle.
Judge Hanford has lived on Puget
Sound fftS-nne years and is 63 years
old
The report from Washington that
| Representative W. II. Humphrey Is
candidate for the vacant 1udgeship Is
said by Seattle attorneys to be an
error. Last January when President
TAFT was considering the appoint
mcnt Of Representative Humphrey
to succeed United states District
Judge George Donworth. a mass
meeting of protest against the pro-
posed nomination was held in Seattle.
Judge lIanford gives i'll health as
the reason FOR his resignation.
The members of the house COM
mite. assembled at an unusually
early hour, prepared to continue the
hearing. but the committee was not
called to order. In a short time the
committee ana Judge lIanford's
counsel adjourned to an ante room
and the nervous air about the six
return of the attorneys gave hint
to tho people in the court room that
important conferences were in prog
rcss.
Meanwhile Judge IIanford was
seated on the bench in an adjoining
ROOM listening to a motion calendar.
He seemed To be under no greater
strain than for weeks.
About 1876 a. M, Chairman Gra-
ham. of the committee. left the build
ing aud then told the reporters that
whom the committee rcasscmhled 1t
would Immediately take recess. BY
this time "a rumor had gone into cir
ruhtion. caused by ovcrhearing the
word "icsisnation" spoken in the
ante room that Judge Ilanford had
resigned.
Nt Judpe IlunfordS chambers the
Judges son, Ned. told newspaper men
that his father had resigned and was
preparing a statement of his reasons
The Judge sat calmly at his desk
writing in his painstaking long hand
AN explanation of the motives that
had impcllcd his action.
At fo:4o Chairman Graham re-
turned To- the building. called the
committee tu order and said
~Gcntlemcn. Some conditions have
arisen which make II necessary 10
t.k. il short r.cess The committee
win hc In recess until ? y. m. Wit
nesscs who have been subpoenaed
will be here at that time"
Chairman Graham said to news
paper men,
THE committee has not word 10
say. Ii has no official Information