The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-01-30
Y'he Supreme COHTt-Its Past and
Present.

The Baltimore Gazette has taken the
trouble to look up the present and past
history of the Supreme Court. The record
does not show, as many would suppose, a
prepOnderaEce of Southern Justices, or
that Democratic Presidents have shown
in their appointments an undue partiauty
for that section. Of the original five
Judges appointed by President Washing
ton three were Southern men, and Of the
ten Of his appointment but four were from
the North. John Adams appointed fou"
,IudgeS-all from the South. Mr.. Jetfer
son appointed but one Judge-Willlam
johnson, of South Carolina. President
Madison appointed no less than six Judges,
of whom four were Northern men. Mr..
Monroe named but one-Smith Thompson,
of New York. John Quincy Adams only
nominee was Mr.. Trimble, from Kentucky.
General Jackson made but three appoint
mentS, two. Mclean and Baldwin, from
the North, and one, Judge Wayne, from
the South. President Van Buren had a
perfect ''sheaf' of judicial appointments,
no less than five vacancies occurring dur
ing his single term and he, Northern
man and Free Soiler,' appointed all
Southern Men-Barbour and Daniel, of
Virginia Catron of Tennessee, and Smith
and Mckinley, of Alabama. TO John Iy
Ter, of Virginia, we owe Samuel Nelson,
of New York, and to the slave-owping
Prcsident-James Is. Polk-Levi Wood
bury, of New Hampshire, and Robert I.
Grer, of Pennsylvania. Even Mr. Po!A 5
rejected nominees, of whom there were
several, were Northern men. Judge Cur
tbs. of Massachusetts, was Mr.. llmoio's
solitary appointment, Judge Campbell Mr..
Pierce's, and Judge Clifford Mr.. Buchan-
ans. 1t was reserved for Mr.. Lincoln and
the Republican party thoroughly to section
alizc the Federal Judiciary, and for Gener-
al Grant to keep the Iu!c Of geographical
exclusion. 1t is but fair to say that Tor
Mr. Lincoln there was the excuse OF AN ac-
tual state of war, which made Southern or
pro-Southern selections Impossible. Nor
could he be expected to keep vacancies
untitled until peace should restore his CT
pacity to do iuctice to the whole country.
1t is but fair to add that while nothing
could be worse than President Lincoln 5
minor judicial ppointments-his Cuder-
woods and BustcedS-his selections for the
Supreme Court were in the main very cred
itaOle.
To General Grant, Congress gave the
privilege Of two new appointments, and
death has added two more. Every one
Of these appointments has not only been
from the North, but three Of them from
the limited and compact regions OF NJ
York, New Jersey and ionusylyania.-
What the financial, the political reasons
Tor the choice OF JUu9eS SJiOli5 ana --'tG-
lev at that juncture were. it iS quite I'M
necessary 10 say. And now To have a
Northern Chief Justice. or h.n, in our
ignorance, we have not the least dispOsi-
ton TO speak uukindiy. If tEore be any
truth in the rumor that, out OF personal
feeling to General Mcclellan, who was 4
sort Of Ohio man, he voted for him III 1861,
and against Licoln, we do not think the
worse of him for IT 1t would prove him
to be not Of the Ben WaGe type. One
qualification we sincerely trust the new
Chief Justice does possess-tI!dt which
was so eminent in Marshall and Taney-
the power Of presiding, the innate dignity
which Chief Justice fancy possessed to a
greater degree than any man ever
knew, which controlled without murmur
or dissent, the Bar and his colleagues
Puisne Judges often need a check rein
the Bar oftener still We trust that Chief
Justice Waite may distinguish himself i'll
this direction.