Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-02-07
From the Chicago later Ocean ]
PERSONNEL OF THE TRI-
BUNAL.
IC STlCE CTlFFoRD,

JUSTICE CLlFfoRD.
Justice Clifford. of Maine. who, by
reason of his length of service. will be
the President of the commission, is
an old man, "a years old--short. and
fat, weighing about $50 pounds. lie
has round, full face, as smooth as a
baby's, and full head of gray hair,
which falls across the left side of his
great forehead. His eyes are bright
and youthful and he is exceedingly
we'll preserved fora man of his wears.
He writes an even, rounded hand,
small, like a woman's and without
quayer. He lives at the National
Hotel, where he has occupied the
same rooms year in and year out-ex-
cept when he has been travelling OH
this circuit-sincc 1859. He is a wild
over. but has grown-up children in
Maine. He goes to the Supreme
Court every morning, in the same
carriage that he has used for twenty
years, attended by the same valet
an old colorcd man, who bathes him.
dresses and undresscs him, ties his
shoes and buckles his old fashioned
white choker. The old man is whim-
sicical and peevish off the bench. but
on the bench he sits with judicial Dig
nifty all day, like the wax image of a
prophet. He has been on the SUI
preme bench 10 years. having been
appointed by Buchanan. Some time
ago rumor got into print that he
was to resign on account of advanced
age, and ii made him very indignant.
He sent for several newspaper CORES
pondents, and wished positive and
immediate denial. His health was
better than it had been for twenty
years. he said. and it was absurd to
suppose that he intended resigning.
He is. and always has been, a demo-
crat. He voted for John Quincy Ad-
ans in 1925, and has since voted for
jackson and all the democratic candi-
dates for president, down to Tilden.
He was democratic member of the
Maine legislature from 1880 to 1884 !:
while Andrew jackson was president
he left the legislature to become a
democratic attorney general of the
state. From 1889 to 1913 he served as
democratic member of congress. and
was personal friend of Van Buren,,
who was Tilden's political godfather.
In 1916 President Polk made him at
torney general of the United States.
and he served until the conclusion of
the Mexican war, when he went to
Mexico to arrange the treaty ofpeace.
He was then sent there as minister
and remained until Pierce's admins
tration, when he returned to Maine
and practiced law until Buchanan APP
pointed him to the supreme bench
He is fair man by nature, but he
sees no good in any but the democrat
ic party. He believes in democratic
principles; he hates the negro. and
would, if he could, declare the 18th
and 18th amendments unconstitution-
al. He concurrcd in the bred Scott
decision, and was disciple of fancy.
JUSTICE STRONG.
The next Justice is William Strong,
Of Pennsylvania, who has been on the
bench for seven years, being appoint
ed by Grant. OF all his colleagues he
is the most popular socially and pro-
fessionally. lie is a little man, with
a small, sweet face, but is every inch
Judge. lie lives in an unpretcnd-
ing red brick house on III street, across
the way from Secretary Chandeliers,
and has motherly looking little wife
who wears pretty caps and curls and
has family of daughters. lie was
born in Connecticut in 1908, end grad
uated at Yale College at the age OF
20; taught school for living, and
moved down to Reading, Pa, where
he commenced to practice law. lie
was elected to congress from that dis.
trict in 1917 and served two TERMS
lie was a wing and voted for Robert
G. Winthrop for speaker. In 1857 he
was elected chief justice of Pennsyl
vania and served ten years. In 1865
he was appointed associate justice by
Grant. In June, 1871, he wrote the
| opinion declaring the income tax un.
constitutional, and in January, 1872
delivered the opinion of the court af-
firming the constitutionality of the le-
gal tender act of 1862. Heis man of
refined literary taste and has one OF
the best libraries in Washington
Was made Doctor of Laws by Yale
College twenty years ago. lie is &c.
NAL and companionable, but modest
and retiring. His judicial circuit in
cludes New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Delaware and Maryland. In politics
he has always been a republican, but
has not voted or taken an active in
terest in politics since he has been on
the supreme bench.
JUSTICE MILLER.
Justice Miller, of Iowa, is very well
known in the west. He is the young.
est man on the bench, save the Chief
Juctice, being GO years Of age. He
was born in Kentucky and was bred
doctor of medicine, but he liked the
law better and traded his medical
books for legal calf. lie was Hen
ry Clay wing, and an abolitionist.-
Being driven out of Kentucky on ac-
count of his anti-slavery notions he,
went to the territory of Iowa to live,
and settled at Keokuk, where he was
leader of the republican party. His
ability made him sought for as can
didate for Office, but he always de-
clined and stuck to his briefs till Pres
ident Lincoln raised him to the SUI
preme Bench in 1862. He has a fine
house OH Highland place, by the side
of Thomas II. Bryan, of Chicago, is
jovial, and carries less judicial digni-
ty, off the bench, than any of his col
leagues. Some weeks ago the Chica-
go Times printed an interview with
him, in which he expressed himscl:
freely on the political situation, de-
claring his opinion that Hayes was
nj hn a
commenced to be talked about as a
Board of Arbitration some of his in
discreet friends denied the genuine.
ness of the interview, but he never
did. 1t happened in this wise: An
attache of the Times bureau has been
here for alongtime connected withthG
Washington Chronicle, run by Judge
Miller's son-in-law, and was on init.
mate terms with him. One day
joining Miller in a walk to the Capt..
tol, the latter, supposing the Times
man still connected with the Chroni
Gle, spoke very freely, and perhaps
as things have turned out, indiscreet.
ly. 1t was good piece Of news, and
the Times man printed it in the form
of an interview.
| JUSTICE FIELD.
Justice Field the fourth man on tho
tribunal, is able to pair off with jus
tice Miller Oh prejnding the case. Al
a dinner given by Senator Thurman
recently, at which many democrats Of
prominence were present, Justice
Field declared his belief that Tildel
was elected, and the Senators present
anxious to get such distinguished
opinion in print, told it to newspaper
correspondents. His friends have re-