The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-04-05
The Supreme Court.

Did the reader, on his first visit to Wash
ington, ever wend his way along Pennsyl>
vania avenue with his eye fixed on the pile
OF buildings that crown Capitol Hill, and his
mind filed with visions of the greatness and
dignity Of the Judicial and Legislative De-
partments of the Government. which held
their seats there?
Ten to one, that,in ascending the success
sive flights Of steps:.that lead first to the es-
planade. and thence YEARLY up, up, up to
the r0tunda, you lost your way, omitted one
fight and found yourself unexpectedly gro
ping about in dark, damp, low, subterranean
apartment, whose underlined dimentions melt
away in distant shadows with here and there
clusters of pillars of no classical style Of
architecture; in one corner a mountain of
ashes and coal cinders in another a heap
OF dingy boxes. covered with dust, and piled
up to the ceiling; on this side a mass of
mouldy barrels, strewed around in confusion,
and whether empty or filed no one knows
and away of yonder, furnace all aglow.
and throwing lurid streak across this mys-
ferrous cavarn, and suggesting thoughts of
Milton's slower Deep"
You start back at first; but lured by the
hight of the furnace, you venture still fur
Their into this artificial cave On reaching
its center, you stumble against one Of the
beams OF strong frame work of recently
erected timbers, starting from the floor in q
thicket Of pillars, and going up to the ceiling,
evidently for the purpose Of supporting the
structure above, and giving you most un-
comfortable feeling that there il danger of
being crushed to atoms in this grim catacomb.
on push on, treading as stealthily and
peering around az vigllantly as Guy Fawks
did on the memorable Fifth Of Noyember-
You discover q narrow passage, lighted
with dim lamp. You enter and, providing
between two walls Of old deal boxes, see q
distant glass door. As you approach, it
'eems to be guarded by parsonage. with
sisage just dark enough to correspond with
The general gloom around him. On nearer
view, you perceive that he is one of those |
hybrid bipeds who have no rights that a |
white man 10 bound to respect Before
you have time 10 knock him down for stop-
oing up the way, he profoundly inclines his |
head, gently swings the door, and descending
wo or three steps, you are ushered into 4 |
queer room OF small dimentions, shaped over
read like q quarter section of pumpkin
hell, the upper and broader rim browning
hreewindows, and the lower and narrower
omlng down garret-like to the floor; the win
lows being OF ground glass, and the light
rlckAng through them into the apartment
mat which most arrests your attention 10
ong pew, just in front of these windows,
lightly elevated above the floor, along which
re arranged in straight line nine ancient
ersone, clad in black-silk gowns Though
suspicion crseps across your mind that
ne hey may be men, they look, for all the world,
Ike row OF worn out nurses, sitting in an
Intelligence Office" waiting to be hired
! man stands in the pit in front of them,
baking roll Of manuscript couvulsively in
he face OF the central figure of the group
who strikingly resembles weazen mummy
nd blazing away ct the whole nine like
lose at fire. Half dozen persons are
ounging on chairs, or idling about the room.
fou ask the ebon sentinel who and what all
his TO- You are penetrated with awe learn.
% that you stand in the presence of tho
upreme Cour of the United States. and
hat he whom you had looked upon a. vea-
en.faced, is Roger Brooke Taney.
We would not speak disrespectfully of the
uprems Court. The fret time ws stumbled
ntO it, we wot not that it was the Supreme
curt We recently entered ito sacred pre-
incts in company with an irreverent West
IN lawyer. After gazing aroun d moment.
Q exclaimed II don't wonder a. Chat
esision in the bred Scot case. WIN.
hat a. potato-hole of place this 10
'hese old men ought to be got mn above
round, where they can breathe fresh air
nd see real daylight once in while"-
'ur friend was right Having burrowed 10
,any years in this subterranean cavity. Il
not strange that some of their opinions
Aould be "of the earth, earthly But We
ave greater causes of criticism. The
lave Power, knowing that it would ulti-
'stely find no refuge in the Legislative and
xecutive branches of the government has
ing had its eye spon the Supreme Court %
9 final hiding.placs from the avenging spirit
Freedom.
At its organization in 1889, the Court CON.
sted OF six judges. Three were selected
om the North and three from the south.
Or ten years, this proportion ives retained.
! !7y9, Chief Justice Ellsworth Was cent
llnlstsf . France. When he left, the North
q two, and the South three of The Judges.
ne tribunal was without Chief, till jan
ny, 1901, when Marshall was placed 6 IL
I'D thus giving four Of the ssx Judges 70
= south. Though the number was slter.
ARD increased to seven, and many chaneee !.
membership occurred, Southern eupromsrv
the beneh was NOS ahaken till 1850. vhas .
9 Lean OF Ohio, having the year before heen
Instituted for Trumble Of Kentucky. ard
~ Baldwin Of Pa tAking he eoat veasA.1 .
J the death Of Washington, Of Va. ~
orth had four Of tho seven. !
jackson in the Bank war, and Ca|houn n I
. qualification CONTEST, encounteasd ~ -. h