Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-05-27

II no good reason Why decisions should
not be put IN type the day they are de
livered and furnished as the debates OF
Congress are furnished, the day follow.
ing; bat this was not the practice sixty
years ago, and they never do anything
about the court excep: in the time-holi-
| ored but excessively SLOW way. This, all
agree, would be grsa. convenience,
bat it would take $4,000 year out OF
ths fees Of the clerk. and, Of course, /;
| is not done. Several times bills have
been presented for introduction in Con-
grsss on tho subject, but somehow moth
ing was heard Of them afterwards.
Those who proposed them were con.
vinced that II was not the custom, and
they let ths matter drop The Supreme
Court has always held that every bill re-
lafin2 to the court must first be sent 70
them for inspection, and, strange as it
may appear, they have always carried
their point in their respect.
When Bciva lockwood, ths female
lawyer applied for admission 20 prac-
tice before ths court, the justices were
shocked and Mortified. The court con-
sidersd the application, and. after .hoid-
ing it under advisement for a month
or %, gravely declared against her, on
the ground that it was not the custom,
If no. the law. Belya replied that it was
against this custom once to ride in a
railroad car, or n light mp house with
RaS, but those customs were not ia keen.
ing with the progress of the times. The
reply was that there was no help for her.
Belvn, being practical, slipped over to
the Senate, drew Q bill giving women
the right TO practice Law. provided they
were competent, and had 1t introduced.
She had a similar bull introduced in the
House, which body passed it. The sem
ate In turn passed. it. and. 10, tle custom
WAS thing of the past. A law took lis
place, and she or any other woman is
now perfectly free TO get big fee for
appearing and arguing q case before
the Supreme Court, provided she is for
| tunate enough to get employed.
IL il against the custom, and no one
is allowed to do if under penalty of DO
ing put out of the courtroom. for any
one, newspaper reporter or lawyer even,
to writo u word in the courtroom, or take
a note of any point in decision or re-
| mark of any of the judges. This ap-
| pears strange, and yst ii IL a fact, and
thers are hundreds OF newspaper CORES
pOndents who know ii from being pre-
vented. The custom is to 30 TO the clerk
| and wait a week or SO for him 10 make
| extracts OF an opinion as are wanted
and pay hiin tho Tess. Tie only way u
get over this Is 10 keep tie points in
your heed and Sfits them oat after
coming out OF the courtroom, which has
q, bo dono ON VIA. is called decision
day.
ias opinions of the Supreme Court
are mich too long. They go into his
| tory vi every case, and often person
has 10 read IA half hour or Sd before the
| point OH tho decision Is reached. Bot
all this plays into the hands Of the
clerk. He gsts wealthy in consequences
| OF II. Imagine the readers OF paper,
IN these days of telegraph having to
| wait three or four weeks for decision.
Tho Judges are too slow. They don't
intend to bs siow, but they are, without
knowing II. Ii is seldom that decision
can ne had in less than a month after q
| case las been argued. Ia similar courts
IN England deciaion is given in i've
hiinusss after d cass Is argued. This is
| rs IL should be. The Judges. in hold
| ing Of thOir decisions, without knowing
| 1t. are enriching certain number Of
| resident attorneys at tho expense OF
| other attorneys who do hot happen To
reside here; fer, knowing the delay, the
expense OF waiting, etc, nun-re,ident
lawyers frequently are required 10 Sd
cure the assistance OF resident attorneys
to argue aBa loo.s after their cases.
One OK the customs, IL that each JUS
tice has body servant The Justices
get monsy for their own body servants,
but the custom ID otherwise, and the
body servants arc paid s,l2O0 per annum
by the Government. Some of tho JUS
tices want to select their own BODY sar-
wants, but they are not allowed to do i.
by the other body servants, for the Gus
tom Ii that the newly appointed Justice
retains the body servant of his prcda-
ceSsor. The body servants have never
been known to allow Justice to violate
this custom.
MIR. Justica Woods, who was appcint
cd By Garfield, III speaking to sosno gen
tlemen OF this custom said: "Ely body
servant IS the most annoying thing
have experienced yet. Tha fellow is the
iirst man see III the morning, and the
last see at night. He forced his way
into my loom at the Elliott House, Or
dered me to 20 down to breakfast, and
then asked ma 9ha. | would have for
breakfast. taking my order to the cook
himself. ] could not get rid OF him in
ANY. way. lie haunted mo all tho time.
tried to find places TO send him to get
rii OF him, but he was back as quick as
lightning. That fellow will be the death
OF me. have this satisfaction, how
eve1, the other Justices are tortured in
the salno way"
When Justice Gray, Of Massachusetts,,
recently went on theeSapreme benco he
had an idea he would do Just ~ he
pleased; bat, after trial, he finally had
- yield, aud is now as completely in the
power Of his body servant IA any OF the
others He not only was not allowed 10
collect 4 man for himself. but was forced
to accept the services OF q fellow be
does not like.
They are death on euston.s they live
on custom, aud not one of the body SER
wants does thing different from wha,
no did years ago. As a rule, tho body
servants are past middle age. The
fathers and glandfathars of some OF
tbam served in the samc capacity, tol
they never let now man into the ring