The Alaska daily empire., 1916-12-02
JUDGES AS CANDIDATES
(New York World)

Mr. Hughes was the first Justice of the United States Supreme Court to be nominated for President and is probably the last
 In view of the Republican Party's experience with Mir Hughes. national convention is likely to go again to the Supreme Court for a candidate and in view of Mir Hughes's experience no Justice of the Supreme Court is likely again to be a receptive can ddate.
 In opposing Mir. Hughes's nomination Joseph H.
 It should be regarded as a fatal draw
 back Co Justice Hughess nomination that
 he is Justice of the Supreme Court, a
 court which must be kept nyiolate from
 without from within.
 We doubt if this theory influenced many voters against Mir Hughes, for t did not influence even Mir Choate. who warmly supported the ticket and the candidate. The strongest against the nomina- ton of Judges for high elective office is severely practical one. They are weak candidates The Hughes campaign is not unique.
 In 1897 Alton B. Parker was elected Chief Judge of the New York Court of appeals on the Democratic ticket by plurality of 6OSS9 although the year be fore McHnley's plurality was more than 26SO00. Yet when Judge Parker was the Democratic candidate Tor President In 1904 he lost New York by l75'OOO and poued the fewest votes of any Democratic candidate for President since 1884.
 In 1909 Tammany nominated Judge Gaynor for Mayor, and Judge Gaynor popularly regarded an nvincible candidate Yet he made miserable campaign and saved from defeat only by diyd- ed opposition The combined BannardHearst vote eN- ceeded the Gaynor vote by S0000.
 In 1913 Tammany again went 10 the bench for a candidate for Mayor and Judge Mccall beaten by 1IOOO votes. thousands of whom he had alien ated by his speeches.
 In 1914 Samuel Seabury was elected Associate Judge Of the Court of Appeals by plurality of 56O54. He carried New York county by more than 7O,OOO, Kings by 35OOO the Bronx by 25OOO Queens by l6OOO. and Richmond by $.7Oo. Although Gov. Whitman, in Republican landslide election, carried the State by 145000 he only 10000 ahead Of Judge Secbury who actually boiled votes than Senator Wads- worth. Yet the Democratic candidate for Governor this year Judge Seabury carried New York City by a paltry 2100O and dsastrousy beaten in the State.
 Mir. Hughes was a mighty candidate before he be- came Judge. When he ran for Governor in 1906 he had plurality of 57S97 and was the only Repub lican on the State ticket to be elected. As a cand date for President he behind his ticket in prac- ucally every State in the Unon and a campaign CT he lost votes by every speech he made. He was strongest on the day he nominated and weakest on Election day.
 Why Judges should make poor candidates for executive office do not pretend know. but it is nevertheless fact and it is fact which political parties are bound to give consideration in the future. Thus the fear that the bench had been dragged into politics through the precedents set by the nomination of Justice Hughes for President and Judge Seabury for Governor is stifled by the election returns.
 On the whole it is perhaps better for the country that the Judge should remain Judge, and that the training and experience of the Bench should unfit him Tor party leadership.