The evening times. [volume], July 30, 1910, Image 7

About The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
I
JOHN
By CHARLES N. LURIE.
ET no man envy the president of
I the United States his summer
sojourn at Beverly, his rounds
of the golf links, his trips on
the presidential yacht. Coincident
with his casting off of some of the
cares of his office, £e has had with
him in his vacation time the burden
of a great care, the solution of a mo
mentous problem—the question of the
appointment of a man to 1111 a posi
tion scarcely inferior to the presidency
Itself, In the opinion of many wise
men—that of the chief justice of the
supreme court of the United States,
left vacant by the death of Melville W.
Puller.
Appointment of a chief justice of
the supreme court is a duty that has
devolved heretofore on only six presi
dents—Washington, the elder Adams,
Jackson, Lincoln, Grant and Cleve
land. They brought to its fulfill
ment the highest powers of their In
tellects, and it is certain that Mr. Taft
has felt the force of their example.
There have been but eight chief Jus
tices, all of them men of the very high
est legal qualifications, breadth of
mind, deep learning and judicial tem
perament and fitted by experience to
expound the supreme law of the land
embodied In the federal constitution.
One among them, the illustrious John
Marshall, has been called the greatest
English speaking jurist of all time.
British authorities doubtless enter dis
senting opinions, citing the men who
have rendered illuminating expositions
of the common law, but they join in
paying tribute to Marshall's learning
and character.
The men who have sat In the high
est seat of judicial honor In the United
States, if not in the world, have been
the following: John Jay of New York,
John Rutledge of South Carolina, Oli
ver Ellsworth of Connecticut, John
Marshall of Virginia, Roget Brooke
WHEN
the president's flag,
with its national coat of
arms emblazoned on a
blue background, is raised
over the United States ship May
flower she bpcomes "the president's
yacht." At other times she is a cruis
er on the regular list of the navy.
The "other times" are few, especially
in the summer, since the president of
the United States, being a normal hu
man being, cannot help having a lik
ing for the beautiful ship and a desire
to spend much of his time on board of
her. The navy list says that the May
flower is detailed fop "special service,"
Vhlch means that she Is assigned to
fee personal use of the commander in
tlet iff the navy and his family,
fhe proximity of President Taft'i
tummer Wnu at Beverly, Mass., to the
leautif'il north shore of Massachu
letts brings naturally thoughts of
trulsing, and he is expected to make
lonsiderable use of the Mayflower be
fore the end of his vacation. He is a
•ood sailor, thanks to his numerous
(oyages on blue water, and he Is be
(eved to be quite as fond of the May
lower as was Mr. Roosevelt. The lat
er frequently expressed his delight on
oardlng the yacht, and he selected
«r as his flagship when he bade adieu
the battleship fleet before ita de
arfure on the memorable around the
rorld voyage. When the big ships
•turned triumphantly to Hampton
toads It was from the bridge of the
far flower that President Roosevelt
IttSlSI
I
874-1888
Taney of Maryland, Salmon Portland
Chase of Ohio, Morrison Remick Walte
of Ohio and Melville Weston Puller of
Illinois. Of the eight, Marshall, called
the greatest of them all, sat on the
bench thirty-four years, from 1801 to
1836. His successor, Taney, served
twenty-eight years, until 1864. Chase's
term stretched over nine years, from
1864 to 1873. Waite presided over the
court for fourteen years, from 1874 to
1888, being followed by Fuller, who
died on July 4, after serving twenty
two years. The shortest term of the
eight was that of John Rutledge, who
presided a few months in 1795 without
having been confirmed by the senate.
His mind gave way before his con
firmation, and he was succeeded by
Ellsworth (1795 to 1800). The first
chief justice, the famous John Jay—
statesman, diplomat, author and sup
porter of the constitution—was chief
justice of the court from Its foundation
in 1789 until 1795, when he resigned to
become governor of New Tork. In
later years his former place on the
bench was offered to htm when Ells
worth died, but he preferred private
life.
Floating Home of the President
welcomed them home to Tankeeland.
In size and in furnishings the May
flower compares favorably with the
royal yachts of Europe. Her birth
place was Scotland, where she was
built in 1896 for the late Ogden Goelet,
the New Tork millionaire, who did not
live long to enjoy possession of the
beautiful craft. It is not quite sooth
ing to American pride to reflect that
the yacht of the president of the
United States was built by Scottish
worklngmen on the banks of the Clyde.
The original cost of the Mayflower was
(800,000. After Mr. Goelet's death the
yacht was offered for sale by his wid­
THE MAYFLOWER AND THE PRESIDENTS FLAG.
ow. It was reported at one time that
the late king of the Belgians had ac
quired her, but the report was un
founded. The vessel was bought for
$460,000 by the United States govern
ment shortly before the Spanish
American war and wBs converted into
a gunboat or small cruiser. The price
paid by the government was consid
ered a low one.
The Mayflower Is 270 feet long and
Is of 2,690 tons burden. Her engines
produce 4.700 horsepower, and she Is
propelled by twin screws. She carries
a complement of about 170 officers and
men and Is commanded at present by
Commander Thomas Snowden. The
Mayflower carries a few light guns,
principally for use in firing salutes.
Otherwise there is nothing In her ex
ternal or Internal appearance to dis
tinguish her from private yachts of
iter size. Like ill the other vessels of
v^WB[
ths navy, she Is kept In exquisitely
neat condition, her smartness being
accentuated by her coat of dazzling
white paint. The fine lines of the
Mayflower, which was built for cruis
ing at medium speed as well as for
comfort, have attracted the admiring
notice of many marine observers. The
interior of the Mayflower does not re
semble that of a warship, thus JAelying
in a way her place on the active list
of thp navy's ships. She is decorated
beautifully, principally in white, gold
and silver, and every provision is made
for the comfort of the president and
his guests. Thousands of dollars are
spent annually in the upkeep of the
vessel.
The Mayflower has been assigned to
the use of the president since 1902.
Between the close of the Spanish
American war and her assumption of
her new duties she served as a gun
boat. The question of her disposition
arose when It was considered by the
authorities that she had outlived her
period of naval usefulness. The de
cision to reconvert her into a yacht
and detail her to duty as a presidential
vessel in place of the old Dolphin
brought forth almost universally fa
vorable comment, as it was felt that
the president should have a yacht
worthy of comparison with those of
the heads of other great nations.
The Dolphin could fill the bill by no
means. She Is a dispatch boat, built
in 1883, and is less than half the slaa
and has less than haU the horsepow­
N -A
Taft's Vacation
LL'SuEAT
THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATE8.
The supreme court is the living voice of the constitution—that is,
of the will of the people expressed in the fundamental law they have
enaoted. It is therefore as some one Has said, the oonscience of the
people, who have resolved to restrain themselves from hasty or unjust
action by placing their representatives under the restriotion of a perma
nent law. It is the guarantee of the minority, who, when threatened by
the impatient vehemence of a majority, can appeal to this permanent
Iriw, finding the interpreter and enforcer thereof in a court set high
above the assaults of faction*—From "The American Commonwealth,'' by
James Bryce.
The. First Chief Justice.
John. Jay was one of the most promi
nent flgureB In the struggles between
the British crown and its colonies in
North America. Prom the beginning
of the .contest with the mother country
until the close of the troubled time tnat
saw the debates on the constitution he
fought with voice and pen for the
adoption of a strong centralized form
of government. With Hamilton and
Madison he wrote "The Federalist,"
that series of articles which contributed
so much to the formation of a perma­
Rutledge's brief career on the su
preme court bench as chief justice fol
lowed a service as associate justice
er of the Mayflower. The Dolphin
has been one of the standing or float
ing jokes of the navy for many years.
It has been said and written very often
that it costs more to keep her In re
pair than it does to 'keep a first class
battleship in commission. This is an
exaggeration, of course, but there is
no doubt that constant tinkering has
left little of the original boat which
the builders sent on a cruise around
the world a quarter of a century ago
to prove to the government that It had
not been "stuck." The Dolphin passed
the test successfully and was added
to the active list. She saw some serv
ice during the war, but her career has
been mainly that of a presidential
yacht. She seldom or never carries
the president nowadays, but she some
times serves as a yacht for the ad
miral of the navy, the secretary or as
sistant secretary or other officials.
In addition to the Mayflower and
the Dolphin the presidential squadron
comprises the converted gunboat or
tender Sylph, which fs sometimes seen
trailing along in the wake of the May
flower. She is a tiny craft of 152 tons
burden and 550 horsepower and carries
one gun. Like the Mayflower and the
Dolphin, the Sylph is assigned to "spe
cial service."
The bluejackets of the presidential
vessels are all picked men. Assign
ment to the Mayflower especially Is
held' to be an honor by officers and
men, but they do not consider their
berths easy. They are intrusted fre
quently with the safety of the na
tion's chief executive, his family and
guests, generally men of distinction,
both Americans and foreigners, and
they are required to keep constant
minute watch on the condition of
their vessel. Strict naval discipline
Is maintained, and the men are drilled
regularly In the use of the guns. The
vessel's fires are never banked more
than lightly, since the Mayflower must
be kept In condition to respond if
necessary to the orders of the presi
dent for Immediate use.
"to» lis J«* ^Ji-®®r'"*""
-i zi~*m
«&-
H-
SSSSKSj
Ll,WHI
3=5
VER ELLSWORTH
twenaoo
nent union. When the government
was reorganized, in 1789, under the
new Instrument, Washington offered to
Jay his choice of an office. He chose
the chief justiceship. In Daniel Web
ster's opinion the "general learning
and ability, and especially the pru
dence, the mildness and the firmness of
his character, eminently fitted Mr. Jay
to be at'the headto£ such a court."
Jay was born in i745 and died in 1829.
WILLIAM HENDERSON.
First American Diamond Mine.
The first company organized for min
ing diamonds In America has been re
ported ready to begin operations in Pike
county, Ark. Near the town of Mur
freesboro is the only known diamond
field In the United States. Already
about 700 diamonds, many of them
large and perfect, have been picked up
on the surface. It is believed by ex
perts who have inspected the field that
deep mining may show highly satis
factory results. The composition of
the earth at that point is said to be
very similar to that in the Johannes
burg region In South Africa, where
for many years rich diamond mines
have been in operation. There ap
pears to have been p.u«he£ up from the
interior of the earth, a mass of dia
mond bearing material, so that the lo
cality la a sort of crater.. The diamond
field Is very limited in extent, and all
the land that shows the slightest Indi
cation of the presence of the gems has
been acquired by the concern which
will work the mine." The operators
have warned the public against wild
cat promotion schemek in connection
with the diamond field.
1
9
'M
kf-
N4I»: V»rS»T ^i^^,,~'~^^^:-i^^MaSSSSSSSk
On July 6, 1835, occurred, in Phila
delphia, the death of John Marshall,
the great chief justice of the United
States. Two days later, in tolling for
his death, the Liberty bell broke, and
Its voice has been silent since that
time. The jurist, of whom it has been
said "he made the constitution live,
he imparted to it the breath of im
mortality, and Its vigorous life at the
present hour is due mainly to the wise
interpretation he gave to its pro-
The writer sought In vain through sev
eral volumes of poetry for verses in
praise of father to be placed at the head
of this article. Mother has received her
meed of we!l earned praise from the verse
makers. hut father seems to have escaped
or avoided their attention. Perhaps the
observance of fathers' day will stimulate
the poets to fitting expression of the debt
most of us owe to our daddies.
ITenoughhome
used to be "Father, dear father,
come with me now," the
story being that father had had
to drink. Daddy used to
be represented as all sorts of a bad
'un. with an ineradicable tendency to
spend his wages instead of taking
them dutifully home on Saturday
night. Now it's "My father was a
grand old man," and "Pin a rose on
daddy, dear."
That's what they are going to do
with father now. No longer Is he to
be numbered among the despised of
the earth. The wind of public favor
has veered around toward much
abused dad, and he is to assume
among the powers of the earth the
separate and equal station to which
the laws of nature and of nature's God
entitle him. Why, he Is to have even
a day of his own—the third Sunday of
every June. On that glad day ser
mons are to be preached for daddy's
glorification, he is to be relieved from
his usual duty of helping mother to
dry the dinner dishes, and we are all
to wear roses in his honor. Happy
day for dad!
While mothers' day, the second Sun
day in May, mothered by Miss Anna
Jarvis of Philadelphia, has a few
years' history behind it and is steadily
spreading its influence throughout the
Untted States, fathers' day is a prod
uct of the present year. Credit for it
must be awarded to Mrs. John B. Dodd
of Spokane, Wash. She is the "moth
er of fathers' day." Her suggestion
that a day be set aside in her own
city in honor of father met with In
stant recognition and favor in Spo
kane, and the city churches fell in line
with remarkable unanimity. Fathers'
day, 1910, was a great success in Spo
kane.
Mothers' day has Its white carnation,
the emblem of mother. Fathers' day
has Its rose, colored for the father who
is still in the land of the living, white
for the father who has passed away.
If you wish to give outward evidence
of honor and respect for the father
who held you lovingly In his arms
when you were a baby wear a rose on
fathers' day. the third Sunday in June,
and use your efforts to have your
preacher deliver an appropriate ser
mon on that day. It is suggested also
that the showing of some little atten
tion to father if he is still in the land
of the living or a visit to his grave if
he is dead will be an appropriate fea
ture of the day's observation.
As a long time will elapse before the
next observance of fathers' day per
haps it might be well to consider how
fatherhlmselfvlews .it. Does he want
to be singled out as an object of lau
dation for doing his duty as a daddy,
or does he believe that the simple
~F? ^y~
MELV»Ll£ W.
1888- 940
©MARCEMI
^•aV^fW'V
•wfflWS'^WiJRs
HEME COURT
BER.
WASHINGTON
1
from 1789 to 1791. His case is the only visions during his long term of office,"
one recorded of a man's appointment
as chicf justice after service as an as
soclate justice. He died in 1800 in re
tlrement. His successor. Oliver Ells
worth of Connecticut, was a member
of the constitutional convention and
of the senate before his appointment
to the office of chief justice. While
chief justice he acted as envoy to
France during the brief and now al
most forgotten war with that country.
According to one authority, he left "a
high reputation for ability and in
tegrity." He died in 1807, seven years
after his retirement from the bench.
The Liberty Bell and John Marshall.
Shall Father Have a Day All His Own?
TJf^T^v^-^1
t.jH in hi ii iTilMI
.v
::5Ti ':l-
JOHN JAY
1789-1795
was a soldier in the Revolutionary
army before he began the practice of
law. Later he became a vigorous up
holder of the new federal constitution
and worked with Madison for its
adoption by Virginia. He lived on
terms of intimacy with Washington
and entered congress at the latter's re
quest. Before his appointment as
chief justice by President John Adams,
In 1801, he served the second president
as secretary of state.
In the mind of the general reader of
American history the name of Roger
Brooke Taney, fourth chief justice of
the United States, is associated mainly
with his famous decision in the Dred
Scott case, rendered in 1857, in which
he declared that negroes could not be
come citizens of the United States or
of any state since before the adoption
of the federal constitution "they had
no rights which the white man was
bound to respect." This was, how
ever, only one of many important de
cisions rendered by Chief Justice Ta
ney during his long career on the bench.
His affirmation that the Missouri com
promise was unconstitutional marked
\4m
nrtiMiili I—l i—i ii
If*
ROGER B.TANEY
another turning point In our history.
Chief Justice Taney died Oct. 12, 1S64,
on the day on which his native state,
Maryland, abolished Blavery within ita
borders. It may not be known gen
erally that his name is pronounced aa
though spelled "Tawney" and that he
was a brother-in-law of Francis Scott
Key, author of "The Star Spangled
Banner," to whose sister he waa mar
ried.
Chase's Appointment a Surprise.
The appointment of Salmon P. Chase
as chief justice in 1864 astonished
those who had failed to estimate justly
the great qualities of Lincoln. The
president's nomination to the highest
place on the nation's supreme bench
of the man who, as secretary of the
treasury, frequently had placed him
self in opposition to his chief sent a
wave of surprise throughout the north.
Chief Justice Chase was one of the
few chiefs or associate justices who
openly sought presidential nominations
after their elevation to the bench. He
died May 7, 1873.
Chief Justice Fuller's predecessor,
Morrison R. Waite, was one of the
leaders of the Ohio bar prior to his
nomination to the chief justiceship.
He gained the favor of the country by
the earnest, close attention which he
paid to the duties of his office. His
death. In 1S88, brought forth wide
spread expressions of regret. Many
very important questions were brought
to final judgment during Mr. Waite's
Incumbency of his high office.
It Is too early to speak of Chief Jus
tice Fuller's Influence on the laws of
the country. He was the leader of the
Chicago bar at the time of his appoint
ment as chief justice.
MRS. J. B. DODD, THE "MOTHER OF FATHERS' DAY."
consciousness of having performed
that duty is reward enough? Perhaps
the testimony that their efforts are ap
preciated by the children whom they
have helped to rear will be a sweet
savor in the mouths of the majority
of fathers whose bowed backs and
grayed or silvered hairs bear witness
to years of toll cheerfully and patiently
borne for their offspring.
The -words of Governor Hay of
Washington, who was asked to express
an opinion of fathers' day, may sound
good to many fathers. He wrote:
"Xow, as to this fathers' day move
ment—while, of course, I do not disap­
prove of the movement in any waft
still I feel that mothers' day is th#
more important of the two and that
wo fathers can scratch along some
way or other without having such a
flattering mention of us. We men are
somewhat bashful and might feel
much embarrassed were we to receive
so much public adulation."
Speak up. fathers of the nation.
Would a word of loving praise for yov
be amiss once a year, or would you
prefer that your efforts pass unnotleaA
and unrewarded save by the approval
of your own consciences?
THOMAS SHELBY.
ki