The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-12-07
The United States Supreme Court
To Dny and What III Wasa
Quarter OF y Con
tury Ago.
Tho Marita af ti,a Various JrrdgeH
Whfl in Thought o. iitse Chlef .luf-
~ and Of Aaao"iate .Tluatie"a
NtHer. lsrafiiey md
reo1roapemlenoa of tho pemocra,.I
g

wont Y four Y1aTR nEo ! ntt"ntisd the Su
pre.nr ourt or the nItnd States. II was On
iha memorable oreasion oY the tra,Ilng nf tho
nped Scott sIrcIann This was just h"for"t hn
Inauguration of R&ehanan. I'll" political
world WAN nbaotbed then hY the Ngunttcr
snyeloig1ty. III" Nilmoi pf"vilo. ami tho
ripht,t ~ the Hlnvo ,5latta III 3hn F"rltoriae
The artI4ion Of thme vnriouts questions hy tho
Sulruue y Court wns looked to rs nil the po-
liticnl chiertaina. VII nteuEs,, iaternd 4
Tho supreme Cplllt was regarded then with
prorolnd v,nerati"n and rotpnat. gtn judRea
hnd .ong Crnera Ia hn petl,ieal or e@etInunl
pnrtianna Ihny had boon III their day partI
ennu of very pronounced ytrwt lini IT. wWi
beleyrd thai theiI long 'srmg OF judicial pur
gnflm had eliminated from their minds anA
IsdFmrnta NIL pnIitca! nnd pnrtlann bil.s.
Hence tho geu"ratnu nnd RoliGltude of tho
tolificinna Who crowded th" old ctlIdy i'll
Witch the court then rlst. I" heM ih"ti deter
,nfnnlion 1T tila I45Hrs which Eni hDGn ,iiHs
elRssrd iQ .'ongrc3f, mud on the husfinEs aud
In thollnw@paleIa With ed much "ain"8tH"HH
md pot iHn nnd sectional E''h"tnrur".
1 ha ,rnm III which tho CONT Then nnt was
that n,w devoted /" tho library. II "aa IL
narrow. ohscare tt'lo nook II oHr Capitol.
Not ttyrI n htIHlrud people could be Rccouo-
dated with a,ntH. hng,c wcrn nI occupied ON
thr occasion r"rrred 10 hy the great political
,htef4 of thn day hero WHHold iIewia mss.
with hia fnlonn old lHlpy ttec aud r"d wig !,
thair was Ittfir DnHglaa, with hlss HhreWi nud
Mold cyt,r0Il inn 0I iacn and IrlgCtluH!3 ui ttm
pprameut. there was !, T. EeiJanltn, with
hin inNnriREln 8mtlN aud mir of conscious
power aud nnBlrrY of tha aHbl"et4 t. he al
/ Indicated thrIn WINS IDpmha, with ha lai k
and dofying BroWl vt hia sectional foes thert'
/ was I.nNnrAy Johnson, with the plnclsY hir Of
mn old pIliBt nnd cagael, plnlRod iDRtantl by
the determinations Of hia old t1isnd and col
/ lnnplIr who WAS about 10 ltNt0iuH tho thrRst
/ nf IL Violent assault by his political and B"r-
i ttUnnl fnoe, and thctR weto represented hy
| Seward FrsHcndcn anl Halo, who hnd hppro=
/ printod an obaCurH corner in tilH room from
which to make their r"connolennce pre-
parntory Of their vrulent and ytolent
! aA4auIt upon the venerable Ghlrf jus
| ticr But neither their monaco. nor
I that of tho whole Northern party, could dis,
Y tufh thenerveR OF the Judgment 0f thht grand
/ GA Judge lie WAS then nearly eighty yeafA
old Thirty 81 those yenra had boen devoted
to the administration of Justice mud the inter
probation Uf the constitution nnd llW8 OF hi
| country Twenty ycara before h0 ilhd retired
4 from the active practire of th" lnwon account
~ hiA fo>he physical condition una pHltlp
nary pretnonitiong And now hs sal erect
with no Indications of fccb0noa8 Of mind OI
body. with no i4pcct evau oi WeHtiu9t5 or
anxiety, ANA proceeded to read from closely
written manuscript
THE MEMORABLE: DRIED SCOTT pEFI3IoN.
Tor moro than two hours, without Hp"cta-
cIt4, and without pnllsr he continued his
r,adinH of this memorable Hnd tlnnnRWerahlt
Judgment, with the full knowledge Of the f.
rociOuA onslaught which IT. would bring on
! him. never SAW an audience 40 Impressed
with awe and y"ncration aB thht which hrenll-
! leaAly followed the old ChieE through hlf
chain of hist nIiCal narration and Jl'lCln de
durtion. All pouglns's suuatt"r sovereignty
inllacirs and Stewards pcrVrf9lonH of histol-
| lcAl facts. and all the various HhLms hRd
guiBes of the sectional nEtatora, who Were
thcn plotting the grand conspiracy tode5troJ
| the powDr and degrade the dignity and man
| hood Of the South were scattered liks vap0rt
before steady northHr That scene cherisi
among the i0nd"Bt "reminiscences OF my Mrl }
yonrS Of observation OF political and judicial
| transactions It wns Impressed the NOR,
deeply In my memory by thn lneidHnt which
witnessed shortly after In the Scn,ie,
nm, RrNCoNrKE GErN ErN SEWARD AND ZEN
IAMIN.
In which the lattnr won tho brightest of his
many DratOriCal trIumphS. 1t was II spleIl
did dramatic scene. The Aimy, cold
vlp"rous and deliberately talao and dema
nOgyieai assault OF the bloOdlG9S, Northern
Iintr4trr furnished the best practical Illus
tralipll had ever heard or read OF tire viper
Enawinls tho iie and tho Louisiana Senator
when ho hurled. with uncrrlng atH and rH-
sIstlres vgor his lance into the acaiy form
back into the murky pool from which he hat
wrtgKlcd suggested the heroic exploit ol
Perseue 80 graphically described by the
Latin poet. Never WAS there Drawer act
4 nor more gallant and eloquent ylndlcatiOr
Of it. than the delivery of tnat judgment by
j Chief Justice Fancy and the ma5terly de-
frnse Of the court and the old chief by the
Louisiana Senator. Who can wonder that q
| lawyer imbucd with such n spirit and capa-
! BE Of 80 magnificent an effort OF eloquenct
and logic should reach tho highest emlnenct
at the bar or Engand, and should command
the same profound attention and respect he-
foro tho House OF Lords OF Great Britain
which twenty-four years ago Were accorded
to him IN the Senate of the United States?
But we forget. The present generation has
no interest or pride In these "reminiscences
They have been swept away by the storm OF
| changes and incidents, that have reached the
| great revolution OF the last quarter OF a cen
! tury There Is no better example OF the ex
tent and thoroughncss Of this revolution than
i Ii furnished by
THE PRESENT ASPECT OF THIS VENERABLE
TRIBUNAL.
Though holding their Offices by the life ten
4 llre but two remain who We're associates o
Judge fancy when he rendered his memOr
able Dred Scott decision They are Justices
/ Clifford and Swayne They sit on either sid'
Of the present Chief Justice. Though pas
the scrptural limit OF age, they are still
robust, portly old men, with no symptoms o
| the feeDleneSS or WedTlHeSS OF 0ltl age al
way III their places, patient and attentive Il
the tedious augmentation OF lawyers, anC
never behind in the preparation Of their opln
ions, these old Judges have justly won the
respect of the bar and Of all good citizens
They are the more deserving of these tribute
iii consideration that their labors are yolun
tarily rendered, as they have passed the ag'
which allows them to retire on full pay. y
the other
ASSOCIATE JUSTICES,
the general Judgment Of the bar Is tina
Miller is the most highly endowed with tn
judicial gifts, of broad and deep views, cour
ageous spirit and intellectual vigor. Strong ]
esteemed as the most thorough in the techDi
cal science and practice of the law Bradie
Is regarded as the most laborious, invest
gative and vieilant Field Is the most phiIt
4 sOphical adventurous and democratic IN