The Washington herald., 1914-07-19

'POLTTICIANSE EYE
SUPREME COURT
Wonder Expressed if Wilson
VIII Name Republican
to Vacancy.
TAFT WOULD FILL SEAT
If Successor Had Been Left to Lurton.
Jurist Probably Would Have
Chosen Ex-President.
TAFT WOULD FILL SEAT
BIZ FRANcIs B. eEssNER.
i to me washington Herald.

Special to The Washington Herald.
New York. July 1S-The nightly politi-
cal convocation on the roof garden dis
cussed with genuine regret the death Of
Justice Lurton. adding some speculation
as TO his successor. and wondering II
President Wilson would overlook political
Considerations and appoint Republican
as did his predecessor. with high respect
for the judicial function. Il was re-
called in this discussion that the late
Justice Lurton was a high-minded citi-
zen with an eminent regard for the 1T
ness OF things and that he hardly made
any suggestion as to his successor; but.
had he been called upon to do so. he
would undoubtedly have almost insisted
on the appointment Of Judge Taft.
This insistence would have been inde-
pendent OF the fact that President Taft
had made the Lurton appointment.
Rather. 1t would have been because Of
Justice Lurton's high appreciation of
Mr.. Tafts fitness for the judicial place.
They had been on the same circuit
bench and the Tennessee jurist had been
intimate with the Ohio jurist long be-
fore, knowing better than any appoint
ing power that the real Taft bent was
judicial. also knowing that he had de-
clined three Supreme Court appoint
ments.
HA I4lIeh -AhiDltIohs
When the second one was offered. Taft
felt inclined to accept He hardly hoped
for the Presidency at that time. and
feared he might be missing the last
chance. He consulted Foraker. then in
the Senate, and told Of the inclination
to go on the bench for life. also telling
Of his talk with Roosevelt when the offer
was made. In that conference Taft
frankly explained that his great ambition
was TO be Chief Justice. but Il was the
history of the Supreme Court that no
Associate Justice had ever been advanced
to chief place. This brought from the
President the quick exclamation that IL
Taft accepted and the Chief Justice died
or retired during the Roosevelt term the
hoodoo would be broken and Taft pro-
moted to the Chief Justiceship
with such assurances l feel inclined
to accept" was Tafts remark to For
aker, who looked each day thereafter to
see the Taft name come to the Senate.
The then Secretary of War changed
his mind and came TO the White House
a few years later. The eagerness of
Roosevelt to get Taft on the bench and
out Of the Presidential running may have
been inspired by the then carefully con-
cealed intention OF Roosevelt TO seek
denomination In 1905. insisting II was not
strictly speaking. be a second election
term. Taft was hardly politician enough
to suspect any such deep-Iaid plans, but /
his remarkable luck was then holding /
good, and he had faith in the future.
What Would Have ResuIted.
: And had he gone on the bench. who !
would have been the nominee, admitting |
that Roosevelt could not reach what pub |
third term?
George B. Cortelyou had the organiza-
ton on This side and without executive /
would have won the nomi- 1
nation easily enough. but the suggestion I
Of being succeeded by one who had been 1
his private secretary somewhat Jared I
the Roosevelt idea OF the eternal fitness \
of things. Even to the lament Of long
headed political leaders has been that 4
Roosevelt did not repress his prejudice 4
and let Cortelyou reach the White House q
with a party organization that would 1
have insured Republican supremacy in 4
national affairs for a generation. 4
Cortelyou is doing very well now as
the head Of the big gas corporation I'm 4
New York and drawing a salary equal 4
10 that OF President Wilson. but as the l
head Of a great political party he would /
have applied the business methods Of the II
ictive stakeholder II
By the way. II was remarked the other II
light that Cortelyou was now a resident
md voter OF Manhattan. During his long
Itay in Washington he counted Long
sland home, voting a few miles beyond
Brooklyn. His coming to Manhattan may
,e for business reasons, but there is a
'ossible political significance in Il which
nay later develop, such as the nomina-
ion for Rnvarn0r The Re-
'ublicans have long been yearning to re-
Iain control OF the city government, and
he >Cortelyou political wisdom would aid
nightly in bringing about such a result,
ct alone his executive ability in running
affairs. ..