The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1941-06-03
Hughes


ing the bench to preside over the
court for its last session until
next october 6.
Although no one knew then
of the letter, spectators noticed
that the jurist did not show his
customary vigor. They thought
later this might have been due
to his sadness in taking leave OF
the position he has held since
1890.
Considerations of health and
age make it necessary that ]
should be relieved of the duties
which ! have been discharging
with increasing difficulty" the
chief justice wrote to Mr.. Roose.
Welt.
TEXT TELEPHONED
The text of the letter was
telephoned from Washington to
the offices of the temporary
White House in Poughkeepsie,
N. Y, a few miles from Hyde
Park, and delivered to d, Mr..
Roosevelt at the estate.
Mr.. Roosevelt wrote out the
telegram of reply in longhand.
The news, he said, came "as q
great shock" because he had
counted on the chief Justices
continuing his splendid service
for many years to come"
my every inclination" the
President added is to beg you to
remain; but my deep concern for
your health and strength must
be paramount"
Friends of the chief justice
said he tired easily of late and
was not able to perform the ar
duous duties of the high office
with his usual ease.
ILL SINCE 1889
Since recovering from an ill
ness in the summer of 1889,
Hughes had strictly conserved
his energy for his judicial duties.
He rarely accepted engagements.
The illness + Mrs. Hughes for
the past few months also con-
tributed to his decision to leave
the bench, it was said unofficial
ly. She has wanted him to de-
vote his remaining days to re-
Taxation and travel.
They plan to remain in Wash
ington the remainder of this
month and then, if Mrs. Hughes
is able to travel, to 60 to the
Canadian Rockies. This is one of
the Chief Justices favorite vaca-
ton spots.
Chief Justice Hughes presided
over the Supreme Court during
one of the most turbulent pc
RODS of its history.
The controversy started early
in the Roosevelt administration
when the tribunal delivered a
number Of decisions overturning
important New Deal legislation,
such as the National Industrial
Recovery act and the Agricul-
tural Adjustment act.
AT ODDS WITH FDR
Differences between the court
and the administration reached
a climax in 1887 when Mr..
Roosevelt proposed to congress
new blood" be injected into the
court by adding member for
each justice over 70 years and
6 months of age who did not re-
tire. The proposal precipitated a
spectacular and acrimonious ora
torical battle on Capitol Hill.
Hughes was widely credited
with playing an important be-
hind-the-scenes role in bringing
about the ultimate defeat of the
court reorganization plan. His
public activity, however, was
confined to a letter to the senate
judiciary committee saying the
plan would not promote the eff
ficiency of the court"
Before he assembled the bench
as chief justice in 1880, Hughes
had had a full and brilliant life
in public service.
An eminent lawyer, he served
New York first in a series of Spe-
cial investigations, and later for
two terms as governor.
President Taft named him as
sociated Justice of the supreme
court in 1910, an office he re-
signed in 1915 to campaign as
the Republican party's nominee
for President of the United
States. The 1915 election was
one of the most dramatic in his
tory. Hughes lost to Woodrow
Wilson by such a narrow margin
that he went to bed one night
thinking he had been safely
aIocfod op1v IN ouyokeu a defeat :