Show And Still No Westerner T T THE 1 HE NOMINATION by President Roosevelt of Justice Wiley Blount Rutledge Jr of the District of Columbia court of appeals to become become become be be- come a supreme court justice succeeding James F. F Byrnes cannot but be a disappointment disappoint disappoint- ment meat to the people of the western half of the United States It means that again we have been passed up when it came to filling a vacancy vacancy vacancy cy on the supreme court and that the court court will remain remainS without a real westerner upon it It is true that Justice Rutledge dge and Justice Douglas now on the bench betch are reputed to be westerners westerners but but it is asking the west to stretch its imagination pretty far to concede the point Af After r all it takes more than a sta stay stag of a few months or years in the west to ma make e one a westerner I Justice Rutledge was born in Kentucky He did live did live ve for some years in Colorado as a. a a at ayoung young man attending school there and teaching teaching teaching teach teach- ing in that state as well as in New Mexico However he went back to the middle west at the and in inthe inthe inthe age of 32 and has remained there the east since L Justice Douglas was born in Minnesota which hardly qualifies in the minds of westerners westerners westerners west west- erners as the west He did live for seme time t in th the state of Washington ool and teaching but he went back east the f l l L rage age of 25 getting his hislaw l v degree there and remaining there ever since That isn't what the west wants in the way of representation on on the supreme bench We want want and and we think we are entitled to have have have- an to honest-to-goodness westerner on the bench one who has lived in the west for years worked here made it his home one home one who really knows the west Furthermore we dont don't want westerners middle-westerners masquerading as western western- ers The west to us is at the very least the western half of the United States States and and there isn't a single member of the present supreme court including the new nominee who can really be said to come from front that western half of the country Four of them are easterners Two are southerners Three of them are orwill or orwill orwill will be if Rutledge is confirmed as no doubt he will be middle Were We're not objecting to Justice Rutledge He probably will make a fine supreme court judge But we do protest the lack of representation representation representation for the west on the benc bench We deserve deserve deserve de de- de- de serve better than that that and and we have havo just asgood as asgood asgood good material to offer for such a a. position as any other section of the country |