Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1887 — A SUDDEN CALL. [ARTICLE]

A SUDDEN CALL.

Death of William B. Woods, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Sketch of His Career at the Bar, in the Army, and as a Legislator. I Washington special.! Justice William B. Woods, of the United States Supreme Court, died here on Saturday. He had been unable from dropsical and kidney troubles to perform any judicial duties for nearly a year, and spent the fall and winter in California. William B. Woods was born in Newark, Ohio, sixtyone or two years a.o, graduated at Ya e Colic ge in 1845, and began the practice of law in Ohio in 1847. From 1857 to 1861 he was a Democratic member of the State House of Representatives, and for one term was the Speaker. When the war broke out he entered the Federal service, and went to the front as Lieutenant Colonel of the Seventy-sixth Ohio Infantry, and served through the war with that regiment, being mustered out of the service with the grade of Brigadier and brevet Major General. He immediately settled down in Alabama, and was chosen State Chancellor for a term of six years. In 1869, while he was a resident of Mobile, President Grant appointed him United States Circuit Judge tor the Fifth Circuit. When Justice Strong retired irom the Supreme Court in December, 1880, President Hayes appointed Judge W oods, then,, living in Atlanta, his successor. Although he was a cai pet- bagger in the South and the Senate was Democratic, the Judiciary Committee reported his nomination favorably, and there were but eight votes against his confirmation. A motion was made to reconsider, but the Senate did not retract its assent to his appoinment. Immediately upon his nomination the bars of Atlanta, Savannah, Mobile, Montgomery, Huntsville, San Antonio, New Orleans, and Jacksonville memorialized the Senators from their ti spective States to confirm the appointment. Justice Woods’ Vacant Seat. [Washington special.! Some pretty shrewd and well-informed Democrats here are confident that Attorney General Garland will be appointed to succeed Justice Woods. They put the thing in this way: If the President had been dissatisfied with the course of the Attorney General during the last two years, he would have got him out of the Cabinet. His retention of him is evidence that he is entirely satisfied with the uprightness of his conduct. That being so, the Attorney General has been persecuted, and the President is under some obligation to vindicate him, or at least he may be supposed to be anxious to do so. Besides, there would be a fine stroke of politics in putting the Attorney General on the Supreme bench. The attacks on Mr. Garland have been to a large extent attacks on the administration. The vindication of Mr. Garland would be the vindication of the administration. If nominated, Mr. Garland would certainly be confirmed, and if he were promoted from the Cabinet to the Supreme Court the administration would be vindicated at the point where it has been most sharply assailed. Secretary Endicott has been suggested, but no one can really expect that the President would appoint a Massachusetts man in the Southern circuit. Speaker Carlisle has been mentioned, but it is believed that his ambitions are political rather than judicial. He does not live in the Fifth Circuit, and there is already one Kentuckian on the bench. Senators Pugh and George have been spoken of. Both are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator George has been Chief Justice of Mississippi. Both live in the Fifth Circuit, but George is sixty years of age and Pugh is sixty-six. The name of Secretary Bayard is freely spoken of in connection with the vacancy.