, 1877-03-03
OUR wAsn,mcrom LETTER.

OOK WASouWOuOW 1ebteWs
The Electoral Comm ission utscork- Ar1-
ietv to gain ddmittonce - Pen portraits
of the members of the Commission The
scene IN the Chamber of. the Supreme
Court Opening arguments and style OF
arguing Etc. etc.
WASHINGTON, D.. c.. Feb. Z. 1877.
If. as Jean Paul once upon a time
made bold to assert, patience is the
test of Virtue then virtue is tested
to its utmost Just now in that narrow
lobby which affords the only entrance
(for the publicly to the Chamber. of the
supreme Court of the United States.
Such waiting, crowding. pushing. elbo-
wing more waiting, urgirg tegoing. de-
manding. expostnlating. crushing cram
ming. and still more waiting, there never
was before, for it seems. as if 1.-THE world
and his wife" are there anxious to gain
adm ission. Thif is not to be wondered
at when we consider the extraordinary
Importance and interest which attaches
to the proceedings in that chamber,
where. as I predicted in my last letter
it would, the Electoral "Gommission"
meets. For after having tried Electoral
Tribunal" College," Board" and
even "Burean," Commission has been
finally settled upon as the proper word.
and Electoral Commission" is the off
cial designation under which this body
is known.
Thanks to that good fortune which
never deserts your correspondent. 1 had
been able to secure one of the coveted
prices of pink pasteboafd. bearing the
autograph of Justice Clifford. President
OF the Commission, which entities the
holder to admission; and 80 after many
a thump. and knock. and squeezing
through narrow doorways. at last got
in. just as Mr.. Charles O'Conor rose to
deliver his (now tamous) argument in
the Florida case. To say that the room
was crowded q. e, that part of it alot,e
TO spectators) does lot convey an
adequate idea of the actual state of
affairs-it was packed. Yet after the
double doors, swinging noiselessly on
their hinges. closed after me. the uproar
nit ort t,sI ,l,,a
and l seemed transrosed to another
sphere. IL was, Notwithstanding the
dense crowd, so quiet. that the only
audible sound was the scratching of the
reporters pencils up in the gallery. over
head. Yon could have heard pin dror.
A subdued roseate light prevailed in
the apartment. the sun peeping IN
thi ongh the closely drawn crimson cur
tains coming from the brightness out
side, it seemed like twilight almost. To
the left of the entrance. the marble
busts of Chief Justices Marshall and
fancy looked down. grimly, upon the
assembIage; below them were the solid
mahogany settees, filed with ladies
(mostly the wives of senators and repre-
seutatlves). and to the right and left of
these, the male element Of the audience
for whom there was standing room only.
just opposite the entrance. Ill font o
the stately coIonnade which supports
the gallery, was the Commission, occu-
plying the seats usually occupied by the
the Supreme Court, Justice Clifford in
the CT nter. Mr.. Garfield OF Ohio. occu-
pied the seat on the extreme right. and
Senator Frelinghuysen. of New Jersey,
that on the extreme left Seated at tables
placed in front of the bar were Mr.
Charles O'Conor. Stanley Mathews, of
Ohio, M. Houghton, of New York, aid
VIM. NJ. Evarts, at anr ther table, close
by, were Mr.. Jermiah Black. judge
Merrick. Mr.. David Dudley Field, and
Judge Hoadley. of Cincinnati. Senators
Edmunds and Morton (both members
of the Commission. were. in deep bnt
whispered conversation; and Justice
Bradley, with Mr.. Payne, of Ohio, were
standing close to the Marshall's desk.
examining some papers. Mr.. Garfield is
the vounuest member Of the COmmjss-
ION. being only 46 years of age, and
Justice Clifford, the President. il the
Oldest. he being past seventy four. Ac
cording t. age. the members range as
follows: Mr.. Clifford. "a; Justice Strong
6Y; Mr.. Payne. of Ohio. 81; Justice
Bradley. GA; Mr.. Abbott. of Massachu-
setts, 81; Justice Miller, 81; Justice
Fl. Id 61; Senator Thurman, 60; Senator
Frellpghuysen. 60; Senator Morio' "a;
Mr.. Hunton. of Virginia. 81; Mr. Hoar.
of Massachusetts. 81; Senator Edmunds.
40; Senator Bayard. 40: and Mr. Gar
field. 46;--the average Of age being thus
about So years. AS to looks (of precious
little moment, however. in matter of
this natu,e). Mr. Garfield is consl ier-
ed the handsomest, probably because
The youngest looking. Mr.. Bayard has a
peculiar roman cast of features. not
handsome but strongly marked; Senator