The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1921-03-31
MAY APPOINT TAFT
AS CHIEF JUSTICE
JUDGE WHITE WOULD RESIGN
IN HIS FAVOR.

Washington. March 31.-There is
| good ground for stating that William
! H. Taft has been selected by Presi-
| dent Harding for appointment as
| chief justice of the United States in
the event of the expected resignation
| of the present Justice. Edward Dou-
! glas White
This information was not obtained
as consequence of Mr. Taft's visit to
Washington last week when he saw
President Harding and Attorney
General H. NJ Dougherty and prob
ably will come as a surprise to Mr..
Taft's friends, who had been some
what blue over what they believed
was the prospect that he would not
be appointed chief justice.
Some uncertainty exists as 10 the
course that Chief Justice White will
pursue 1t has been a common un-
derstanding in Washington for some
time that he Intended 10 resign from
the supreme bench and tbs infoTma-
ti0n at hand attributed TO the chief
4uSNlCC u uE%iaCd AuEliAaAAol III INV
appointment of Mr. Taft as his sue
cessor While no one undertakes TO
speak in any authoritative way for
the chief justice. il is very generally
believed in we'll informed quarters in
the capital that he would be willing
to resign if certain that Mr. Taft
would succeed him.
This assurance. which the chief
Justice was credited with desiring
now appears 70 be certainty from
the information at hand as TO Presi-
dent Harding's preference for Mr..
Taft. II is for Justice White TO say
however. whether the vacancy shall
be created. He is rs years old, has
served as a member of the United
States supreme court for 27 years
and under the constitution is eligible
to resign or retire" as the common
but incorrect term is with the full
pay of his present office for the bal
ance of his life. He has not been in
good health lately.
No doubt exists among those in
position to know such things that
Chief Justice White would rather
have Mr.. Taft appointed as his sue
cessor than any other man. 1t was
Mr. Taft who, although a republican
president, elevated the chief justice,
democrat, to the highest judicial
office in the land. When reports
were in circulation for the last year
or so that Chief Justice White con-
templated resigning, it was a general
belief in Washington that he would
not carry out that reported intention
while Woodrow Wilson was president
in the fear that Mr.. Wilson would
not appoint Mr.. Taft.
Ever since President Harding's
election. ii had been freely predicted
in Washington that Chief Justice
White would resign soon after the
Inauguration.
Mr. Taft came to Washington last
week to keep an engagement to de-
liver an address on Bermuda before
the National Geographic society. He
called ON President Harding and
there is no reason TO believe that his
visit to the White House was for any
other purpose than TO pay his re-
speets TO the new chief executive. He
also visited Attorney General Daugh-
erty an old, friend. Nothing has ap-
peared to lead to the belief that Mr..
Taft's Washington visit had any con-
nection with the chief justiceship.
Chief Justice White was a dem
ocratic senator from Louisiana when
he was appointed as associate justice
of the United States supreme court in
February, 1894. by President Cleve-
land. Under President Taf's APP
pointment as chief justice to succeed
Melville Fuller, deceased. he took the
oath of office on Dec. 10, 1910. He
is greatly honored and revered in
Washington and nom an in public
life is more popular than he. The
great respect for his exceptional judi
cial Tearing and the personal respect
afforded him for his democratic man
ner have combined TO give him a uni
que position in the capital city.
Mr.. Taft was solicitor general of
the United States in his early sos.
and when President Mckinley induc-
ed him TO go to the Philippines as
governor general. he had served for
many years as United States circuit
Judge His inclination has been to-
ward the bench and among his
friends there has been keen desire
that he should top off his public
career az chief justice of the United
States supreme court.