Evening journal., 1915-01-15
New News Of Yesterday
How One OF the Presidents
Nominees Was Rejected
By Holland.

The late William B. Hornblower, who
died a few months ago in the first year
Of his service as associate Justice of the
highest court of New York State, lived
long enough to realize an honorable am
bition which he long cherished of serving
upon the bench OF court OF final juris
diction He was appointed associate JUS
tice of the court Of appeals OF New York /
State and had qualified for this service |
only short time before mortal illness |
seized him.
Judge Honblower was one of the most |
interesting and, from one point OF view,
influential personalities at the New York
bar. lie was small man, considerably
under medium height and of slender
build. but his gift for public speaking
was so great that after he had begun 60
address an audience his hearers forgot
his size. Personally, he was very COM
panionablc and also a very unassuming
man, and he lived SO modestly that there
was some astonishment expressed by his
colleagues at the bar that IL should have
been found that he left an estate Of
little under million dollars, presumably
all of it having been accumulated by
professional service of forty years.
President Cleveland nominated Mr.
, Honblower as associate Justice of the
| Supreme Court nt Washington to ill
vacancy. The nomination was rejected
by the Senate, principally because David
4 B. Hill, who had been governor of New
! York, and who was then member of the
, Senate. objected to IT, What was called
u Senatorial courtesy prevailed in the SEN
n ate, so that, as Senator Hill objected,
G the Senators supported him in this posi-
+. tion.
! Three or four years ago I spent an
afternoon with Judge Hornblower
J. and he referred to the fact that he
Sc had failed TO reach the Supreme
d Court bench, but his reference was
e without the slightest hint of disap-
pointment OF Of resentment, and he
spoke in a kindly manner of Senator
Hill. He said: There is a bit Of
q unwritten history about my nomina-
z. tion as justice of the Supreme Court
p which II will do no harm now 10 tell
10 you. Hill did not oppose me person
ally. He rather liked me, but I was
the leader of the movement in New
IL York State to discredit him as the
e candidate of the Democracy of New
le York for the Presidential nomination
IS in 1892 Possibly Hill would have
10 been nominated but for the organiza-
ton we created. One thing gratified
me greatly, and that was the knowl-
IL edge that such able lawyers as Sena-
n tor Hoar, of Massachusetts, and 9th
e. ers of the judiciary committee warm
II ly approved of my nomination as JUS
tice of the Supreme Court.
,s "Well, the Senate rejected my nomi
,r nation. Mr.. Cleveland you know, wa
very determined and persistent man
He did not believe that a nomination
: should be rejected for any other reasol
>, than that the Senate was persuade
that the nominee was not qualitie
either by character or capacity for tn
office. He was indignant when h
thought that ] had been defeated for tn
Supreme Court bench because Of a fac
tional difference in our party in Me-
York State. He sent for me and said
Hornblower, Pm going to send you
M name back TO the Senate after the r.
- cess. and I'm going to keep it there unit
they give some other reason for reject
q ing your appointment than the fact tina
q you had a political difference with Sen
ator Hill some years ago He struc
the table with his fist as he said this
but told him that / did not feel just
fled in consenting to my renominatio
for Justice of the Supreme Court. Nh
n Cleveland was certain that if he per
sisted I would ultimately be confirmed
3 and it was only on my urgent reques
b that he no longer give my name an
further consideration that he at las
consented. He filed the vacancy by nj
timately nominating Senator White, @
Louisiana, now Chief Justice of the Su
preme Court"
n Copyright, 1915. by f. J. Edwards Al
rights reserved.
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell @
"'rhe Servant Who Was Wiser Than Hi