Evening journal., 1913-10-31
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The First and Only DeCli-
nation of the Office Of
chief Justice
By Holland.

The late Colonel John T. Wait who for
many years represented the Eastern !
Connecticut district in the lower house
of Congress. was a cousin of Chief jus
tice Morrison r. Wal who vas nomi-
mated by President Grant as the sue
cessor in that office to Salmon p Chase,
although he spelt his name without the ]
final e.
Colonel Wait was greatly interested
in the history Of the nominations made
by President Grant for chief justice be-
fore the final and successful nomination
of Judge Waite, of Ohio. was sent 20
the Senate His L service in Con-
gress aid a peculiar charm which Col /
Onel Wait possess 4 whereby he OBJ
tanned the confidence of every one with
whou he came in contact and his won
derful gift o fimparting fascination 10
anccdotal "reminiscences made It pos
sible for him TO learn many things
which would not have been revealed to
man of a different per onality.
/ had a long chat with Colonel Wait
one afternoon in the summer Of 1894.
He was a personal friend. 1 had known
him in my childhood and ! remembered
MN rs n ANNh va rNNt@N
was usually the person called upon 70
make addresses at public meetings.
There were many things. therefore
which we had in common, at least, m
our rccollections of men and events ol
the DAYS during and subsequent to the
Civil War.
He told me how President Grant hae
been persuaded TO nominate Waite FOL
chief Justice of the Supreme Court. as
| have already narrated in these columns
Ibid YOU know" said he. that inn
mediatelv after the death of Chief JUS
| tice Chase. President Grant decided ia
offer the chief iusticeship to Senator
Roscoe Conkling of New Norky'
I'm reply I said TO Colonel Wait that
had been told by Alfred K. Conkling
tbe senator's nephew, that President
| Grant did offer the post to Senator
conklina and that the letter IN which
: the offer came and the copy of Senator
,Conklings reply to it were in the pos
session of the Senator'S literary execu
tors. -
shin because he felt that he could no
be spared from the Senate. lie reail1e
lthat there were stormy times ahead 10
his marty. I have learned that the ole
OF the chief iusticcship was never df
! clined bv any one TO whom il was made
| M least since the time of Presider
| John Adams. took the trouble TO 100
| up the history of appointments Tor ehie
| Justice Washington had little tro"ol
| but after Marshall was nominated b
| President Adams there was not oppo
/ tunitv to make any other appontmer
l for more than a generations time. Jon
/ Marshall was nominated by freslhei
L Adams as first choice.
i After Marshalls death Roger Is. II
| ney. of Maryland, who had been seer
1 tary OF the treasury in President Iacl
1 sons cabinet. was nominated tor chl
/ Justice and he was first choice.
served until 1865
! salmon p. Chase, who had been III
o oln's secrctary OF the treasury ma
not have been Lncoln's first choice j
= the chief iusticeship, but ! have be-
D told by' those who should know TN
Lincoln did not offer the chief lustic
shin to any one else. Therefore the
was no doclination of the offer
$50 I am safe in saying that Rose
Conkling's decnnation OF a very ny
honor of setvice.as chief Justice OF g
Court at Washington was the hrst al
only one ever made"