The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-03-26
Ghe g ai1g Areas.
ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS
The Supreme Court of the United
States.

This from the New York Tribune:
The profound respect which the Amer
lean people entertain for tie decisions OF
the supreme court has its root iu feeling
which Is deeper than the eeneralsreverence
for law that chaTacterIzes the race The
development of final tribunal to pr o.,
nounce judgment on legislative enactments
themselves, and declare whether they are
binding or void, is Ethe noblest result of
modern political progress, and the people
Iastinctiveiy appreciate it as one of the
richest attainmeDts which has been gained
IN the cause of constitutional liberty"
In 1860 the above could have been read
with smile of approval. In 1880. the
reading 'provokes smile of contemptuous
incredulity. Among the many and great
changes wrought By twenty years OF Re-
publican rule, none is more significant aud
important than the change of popular
opinion in regard to the supreme court of
the United States, so far its action relates
to political questions. The Republican
party began its attack upon that tribunal
when the famous bred Scott decision was
rendered, and as soon as that party
obtained control OF the executive aud iegis>
atIve branches of government. prepare
tons were made to capture the judiciary.
w hen the majority of the supreme judges
we're conservative, congress hampered the
the court in every conceivable way IN order
to prevent its interference with Republl
can policy, The older portion of our
readers will remember that Republican
hatredsof the supreme court was only less
bitter than that bestowed upon the Econ
stltutIon, and that the edicts of the for
mer were treated with no mere respect
than the provisions of the latter just
ton made room for a ma ority of Republi-
can judges, the party saluted The highest
legal authority in the land in the Tribune
style. 1t was venerable, it was 'august,
1t was the bulwark of constitutional lib
erty and much more of the same sort.
Republican tiattery was duly received and
duly rewarded. Whenever a question
arose which involved, nearly or remotely.
party interests, the court invariably decided
it tos suit Republicans. The climax OF
this judicial partnership was reached in
the solemn Endorsement of the impudent
fraud which placed Mr.. Hayes where he is
Since the electoral commission perform
ance, the supreme court of the United
States has been regarded, by Republicans
as well as Democrats, as only pouderous
political machine; not often used, but
when used sure to work for the party to
which the majority of the judges belong.
The profound respect" has vanished. |
because the foundation on which it rested |
has been swept away. Outside of politics
the decisions of the court are, perhaps. as |
much respected as ever; but inside they |
have hardly more weight with thinking
people than the decisions of party eau
Gus. What the founders of the govern
ment intended should be thoroughly non-
partisan tribunal has fallen from that high
estate into the muddy pool of party poll |
tics, and suffered accordingly 10 public es
timatton. Whether it will ever recover
from the unholy baptism is. to say the
least, extremely doubtful. So the Tribune
simply makes itself ridiculous by assum-
ing popular reverence (which does not
exist now, and may never exist hereafter,