The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1916-02-18
THE BRANDEIS
APPOINTMENT

New York World: Says our neigh
Dor the Times in discussing the ap-
pointment of Mr.. Brandeis to be As
sociate Justice of the United States
Supreme Court:
"There would be less anxiety and
confirmation would be more certain if
he had already been tested by judi
cial service. 1t has often been held
that that should be an essential quail
ification for the Supreme Bench.
When the people know how the nomi-
nee has behaved as Judge, when
the decisions he has rendered and the
opinions he has written are before
them, they are in position to meas
ure his quality and fitness. They
know if they are taking risks and
they can say whether they are will
ing to take them"
Such rule would have deprived
the United States Supreme Court Of
all it's Chief Justices except one, in
GLIDING John Marshall, and it would
also have deprived that court of many
of it's commanding figures.
Neither John Jay, Oliver Ellsworth,
John Marshall, Roger B. fancy, Sal
mon P. Chase, Morrison R. Waite or
Melville w. Fuller had ever been a
judge at the time of his appointment
to be Chief Justice. The present
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,
who will always rank among the COM
handing figures of that court, the
most competent Chief Justice since
Marshall, went from the United
States Senate to the Supreme Bench,
and although he had been at one time
a state Judge in Louisiana, his judi.
cial experience had nothing to do with
his appointment to the Supreme
Court.
If Mr.. Brandeis could be consider
ed disqualified because he has had
no judicial experience Justice Hughes
would be equally disqualified and if
Mr.. Hughes is not great judge then
we do not know what great judge
is,
AS a matter of fact, there would be
no question about Mr.. Brandeis' quail
ifications for the Supreme Bench if
his public service had not won him
the hearty detestation of certain pow
erful corporations and financial inter-
ests. They hate him not merely be-
cause he is radical, but because he is
enormously able and efficient. To
them it is indecent that a lawyer with
such extraordinary ability should
wantonly and deliberately use his tai
ents to promote the social welfare of
the American people when he might
command princely fees in the service
of privilege. They regard that sort
of thing as against nature, and the
man who does it is not to be trusted.
Yet we do not think a man is dis
qualified for the bench of the highest
court of the land because he hates
wrong and oppression, because he be-
lieves that the republic is opportunity
and that the poor have equal rights
before the law with the rich and the
powerful. And because a man is ar
IDENTIFY devoted to human rights it
does not follow that he must be ruth
lessly Indifferent to property rights
All the old shellbacks of the United
States senate are in state of nerves
over the Brandies appointment, Wall
Street is on the verge of Mysteries and
reactionary elements everywhere are
dumb with rage; but our own belief
is that the appointment will be con-
firmed and that Mr.. Brandeis will
prove himself to be just and up
right judge, whose service on the
bench will still further strengthen
popular confidence in the greatest
judicial tribunal that the world has
ever known.