Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 24.pdf/241

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

212

The Green Bag

in 1896 was re-elected with an increased majority. He took an excellent position in Congress and did much good work. In 1898 he was elected to the state senate of New Jersey, a position which he held for a number of years, and took a leading part in the business of that body. On February 5, 1901, he was appointed by Governor Voorhees Justice of the Supreme Court, and in 1908 was appointed Chancellor by Governor Fort, being sworn in November 19 of that year. After his term as President of the Senate he was in direct line for the Republican nomination for Governor, and he was strongly favored by many prominent men in the state. Chancellor Pitney was married in 1891 to Miss Florence T. Shelton of Morristown. He is a man of fine presence, six feet high, of athletic frame, fond of the chase and outdoor sports, clear-eyed, and one of the most accom plished of orators. He has a beautiful but not ostentatious house in Morristown, where he lives with his wife and two sons. One of his sons is now at Princeton. There was opposition to Chancellor Pitney's appointment that came from the labor interests, which failed to unite in a general protest. In Jonas Glass Co. v. Glass Blowers' Association, decided by the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals at its March term in 1910, Chancellor Pitney said that a statute of 1883 which allowed two or more persons to unite or combine by oath to persuade or encourage others by peaceable means to enter into com binations for or against leaving or enter ing into employment did "not legiti mize an invasion of private rights." He thus put himself on record as opposed to the use of violence by labor unions in boycotts and picketing. It cannot be

inferred from this decision that Chan cellor Pitney's ripened judgment is hostile to peaceable picketing, and the protest from the Iowa labor union was relatively insignificant. The appointment is highly praised throughout the country. The Phila delphia Legal Intelligencer says: — "His political experience has proba bly been larger than that of any 6f the present members of the Supreme Court, with the exception of Justice Hughes and the Chief Justice, the latter of whom was formerly United States Sena tor from Louisiana. He brings to the Bench special knowledge and experience in the administration of equity juris prudence in dealing with great corporate questions and has had occasion in the past to consider the responsibilities and limitations of great combinations of capital." The New York Times says of Chan cellor Pitney: "Many cases of moment and importance have come before him, and he has rendered decisions which have won for him a reputation for entire independence and impartiality and for soundness. Judged by his reputation in New Jersey, where he is best known, and by the respect shown for his deci sions, Justice Pitney unites the qualities that constitute in a high degree fitness for the office for which he has been named — high character, ability, a just mind, and learning in the law." According to the New York Law Journal, — "His judicial record has been characterized by broad-minded ap prehension, abundant legal knowledge, and practical wisdom in effectuating justice. He undoubtedly possesses the requisite mental and moral caliber, and, as he is still a comparatively young man, many years of energetic service may be expected from him."

1

-