Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-04-08
Senate Passes Bill
for Additional Judges


Eiding a score more of federal judges,
advocated as a measure to relieve
| congestion in federal courts and OPP
| posed as a political patronage pork
| barrel" was passed late today by
| the senate and sent to conference
with the house.
Twenty-thrce more federal district
| judges distributed throughout the
country and one more judge for the
fourth circuit are provided by the
senate bill as against % district
| judges under the original bill passed
by the house last December.
| The senate vote on final passage
was "A to u with party lines brok-
en-. Eight Democrats including Sem
ator Walsh Of Massachusetts voted
with SO Republicans for the bill. The
opposition included eight Republic
cans and IS Democrats.
The pork barrel" and '1og roll
ing charges made openly on the
floor by Democratic opponents of the
bill and denied as vahemently by it's
supporters. were followed by some
open maneuvers and Kaleidoscope
vote changing during the dozen roll
calls on amendments today. The bill
| finally contained provisions for four
more district judges than recommend
ed by the senate judiciary commit
tee. These include one each for New
Jersey, New Mexico. the Western
Missouri district ana the southern
| Florida district.
nv, ha IA 1iC-
tribution of the % additional district
judges would be as fellows:
Two each for Massachusetts and
the southern district Of New York
and one each for the eastern New
York district, eastern Pennsylvania,
western Pennsylvania, northern Tex.
as, eastern Michigan. Northern Ohio
northern Illinois, Minnesota, eastern
Missouri, western Missouri. eastern
Oklahoma. Montana, northern Cali
fornia, southern California, Arizona.
Georgia, New Jersey, New Mexico
and southern Florida.
The bill provides for an annual
fall conference Of senior circuit
| judges at Washington with the chief
justice and attorney general Of the
United States to make a comprehen-
sive survey of judicial business OF
the country and make bench assign
ments. 1t provides also for assign
ment by the chief justice of judges
to districts where there is conges-
ton or where the public interests
generally require such assignment.
| IN adding four judges to the bill's
al n ~ lou
Gus amendments for other judges
and to reduce the number author
! izCd.
/ An amendment by Senator Dial.
democrat. South Carolina requiring
| judges to devote their time to the
| duties of their office and prohibiting
| their receipt of outside compensa-
! ton was adopted without Il record
vote. This was an echo of Senator
Dial's criticism of former Federal
! Judge Lands after the latter's ac-
! ceptance OF large salary as COM
| missioner Of organized baseball.
! Efforts Of Senators King and
| Shields to reduce the number Of
| judges proposed for Massachusetts,
! Pennsylvania. Missouri and CAL
ifornia. were defeated overwhelming
Is.
! a motion by Senator Shields to re-
ducc the number of new judges to a
. half dozen was beaten, As to 10, and
an amendment by Senator Harrison
TO require the president to make pub
lie endorsements of successful cam
! didates for the bench was defeated
/ Al to II.
! The bills provision for assignment
! Of judges to other than their own
| districts was attacked particularly ty
Senator Shields who said it might re-
suit in transferring dry" judges to
wet" districts. He also charged that
! paid lobbyists of the national anti
saloon league were working among
senators in behalf of the bill. Wayne
b. Wheeler general counsel for the
anti-saloon league today before the
| final vote on the bill issued state
ment declaring that the measure
would greatly aid law enforcement"
/ The statement added that when
askcd whether the league would take
an ective part in the choice of the
rev judges. Mr.. Wheeler said:
We have but one policy-when an
applicant for any of the positions Is
| opposed to or prejudiced against the
law and it's enforcement we will file
protest against him. This is the
privilege and duty of every citizen
and organization that stands for
clean government and law and en-
foTcement. If some one did not rem
Ger this kind of patriotic service a
greater number of public positions
woudl he filled with unworthy Off
Gals than we now hare"