The Portland daily press., 1884-05-12
CHIEF JUSTICE MARSHALL.
dwelling the Statue in the Capito
Grounds Saturday.
Address by Chief Justice Waite Of the
Supreme Court.

WASHINGTON, May 10.-No better day could
have been selected for the unveing of the Marshall
statue The trees and the lawns in their richest
green, while the Towering shrubs, the llacs, sn w
balls and all their kind are masses Of bright color
The statue, seated figure of bronze heroic in size
rests upon oblong pedestal at the foot of the ter
race stairway upon the west front of the Capitol,
at the union of the two wide walks which lead to
Pennsylvania and Maryland avenues respectively.
Its face is to the west overlooking the half dozen
acres of open, well shaven lawn which intervene
between the terrace and the Botanical Garden
For the occasion platform had been erected upon
three sides of the PEDESTAL upon which were placed
chairs for the convenience of the two thousand
public and distinguished citizens who had been
invited to witness and take part in the proceedings
In the centre and at the foot of the statue small
platform covered with bunting, was placed for the
occupancy of the eulogists, the trustees of the
Marshall Memorial Fund and the members of the
Library Committee of Congress-
The ceremonies attending the unwilling were be-
gun at O'Clock. Seated upon the central platform
were Chief Justice Waite and the Philadelphia
Trustees Of the Marshall Memorial Association.
Rev. DR.. Armstrong of Richmond, recto of the
church of which Judge Marshall was an attendant,
Senators Sherman, Voorhees, and Hoar and Repie-
sentatives Singleton of the Joint Committee on the
Library, and Librarian Spofford Immediately in
front was seated the President of the Senate and
Speaker of the House of Representatives. To their
left sat members of the Cabinet, and behind them
the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court in
their judicial robes. The members of the two
houses of Congress, members of the Marshall fami-
y, ladies and distinguished people from distance,
nlled the remaining space. Inc Marine Bsnd was
Tourists March, by Sousas. Prayer was offered
by DR.. Armstrong, after which Chief Justice Waite
delivered the following grafton.
Address of Chief Justice Waite.
Chief Justice Marshall diei in Philadelphia on
the 9th of ,IulV. 1879. The next daY the bar OF
that city met an resolved that it be recommended
to the bar of the United States to cooperate in
erecting monument to his memory at some suit
able place in the city of Washl gton' A few DAYS
later the bar of the city of New York appointed
committee to represent them In the work which
had thus been inaugurated. The Philadelphia
committee, "desiring to make the subscriptions as
extensive possible AID to avoid Inconvenience to
those who may be willing to unite with them, ex-
pressed the wish 'that individual subscriptions
should be moderate, and that the required amount
may be made up by the number of contributions,
rather than the magnitude of particular donations,
so the movement may truly be the work of the
Bar of the United States and enduring evidence
of their veneration for the memory of the ilustri
GUS deceased Accordingly in this way the sum Of
$1,000 was collected, aud then the subscriptions
stopped. By judicious management the $4,000 of
1880 had grown in 1880 TO be almost $40, 900. In
order that the nation might join the bar in honor
ing the memory of the great man, to whom so much
was due, Congress added another 500 900 to the
Lawyers fund: Judge Marshall was appointed
Chief Justice in January, 1901, and took his seat
on the Bench at tie following February term. The
court had then been in existence but eleven years,
and in that time less than hundred cases had
passed under Judgment. The government under
the Constitution was only organized twelve
years before, and IN the interval eleven amends
mentS of the Constitution had been regularly pro
posed and adopted. Comparatively nothing had
been done judiciousiy to define the powers or de-
velop the resources Of the Constitution. The COM
mon law of the mother country had been either
silently or by express enactment adopted as the
foundation of the system by which the rights of per-
sons and property were to be determined scarce
V ANYTHING had hean d0nn the cCUrtS to adapt 1T
to the new form of government, or to the new rela
tions of social life which successful revolution had
produced In short. the nation, the Constitution
and the laws were in their infancy.
Under these circumstances it was most fortunate
for the country that the great Chief Justice retained
his high position for "a years, and that during all
that time, with scarcely any interruption he kept
on with the work he showed himself so competent
to perform. As year after year went by and new
occasion reuuired with his irresistible logic enforc-
ed by his cogent English, he developed the hidden
treasures of the Constitution, demonstrated its ca
pacities and showed beyond all possibility of doubt
that government rightfully administered under its
authority could protect against itself and against
the world. He kept himself at the front on all
questions of constitutional law and consequently
his master hand is seen in every which inyolV-
ed that subject. At the same time he and his CO.
workers. whose names are, some of them, almost as
familiar as bis own, were engaged in laying deep
and strong the foundations on which the jurspru-
dence of the country has since been built.
There came in quick succession all the various
questions of constitutional and general law which
would naturally present themselves for judicial
determination in the new and rapidly developing
country. Complications growing out of the wars
in Europe and of our own war with Great Britain
brought up their disputes for settlement and the
boundary line between the powers of States and of
the United States had more than once to be run
and ma ked: the authority of the United States
was extended by treaty over territory not originally
within its jurisdiction and all these involved con-
sideration of subjects comparatively new in the
domain of law and rights which were to be settled
not on authorities alone but by the application of
right and reason.
Hero the Chief Justice was at home, and when at
the end of his long and eminent he laid down
his life he and those who had so ably assisted him
in his great work had the right say that the Judi
cial power of the United States had been carefully
preserved and wisely administered. The nation can
never honor him or them too much for the work
they accomplished. 81 ask yeu," said the orator in
conclusion ito look upon what is hereafter to repre-
sent at the seat of the government the
Congress and the bar of the United States for John
Marshall, the expounder of the constitution
At the conclusion of Chief Justice Waite's ad-
dress the statue was unveiled by the Chief Justice
and it was greeted with the clapping of hands by
thespectators and by music from the band.
An Grafton was then delivered by William Henry
Rawle, Esq, and at the conclusion of Mr.. Rawle's
address the benedicti1n was pronounced and the
ceremonies ended.