Little Falls transcript., 1886-04-16

QUE HIGHElsr TRIBUNAI
United States suprsrnes Court -1ts Pers.r-
mel, Manner Of Doing Rusinoss. ana the
Great Inersase of Cases Bslers Il.
One Of the branches Of the United
States govern ment which has not ex
tended its proportions to keep pace
with the growth Of the country is the
Supreme court. The average number
Of new cases coming before this court
has increased from 20 Per year in the
years from 1850 to 1855 to 428 per
year in the years 188Oto 1885. There
are now upwards of / 300 cases on
the calendar awaiting q hearing, and
IS only about $50 cases can be dis.
posed OF annually, it will be seen that
the court is four years behind it's work,
and, as Puck lately remarked, unless
something is shortly done to relieve
this condition of things it will soon
come to pass that judgments awarded
by the courts will be paid to the grand
children OF the men bringing suit.
For this state OF things Congress is
to blame, and the subject is pertinent
at this time because renewed efforts
are about to be made to secure the
passage OF some measure ofrelief. The
remedy, Of course, is to increase the
number OF judges. 1t is not idle talk
to assert that the present justices
are overworked-that they are among
the few public officials who really earn
their salaries, and great deal more
accordingly as legal ability and labor
Is usually compensated. The $50
cases disposed of yearly is more than
one Tor each working day, from which
it will be seen that no buster men than
these can be found within the realm OF
the legal profession, and few outside oj
that profession are aware of the labor
entailed, even in some of the ordinary
cases, in which there have been con.
t1lcting opinions, and in which the law
is required to be settled once for all.
The Supreme court as now consti-
tuted consists of a Chief Justice, with
q salary of $1O,5OO per year, and
eight associate justices, with salaries
OF $1,000 The justices are appoint
ed by the President, to hold Office for
life, or ''during good behavior" The
officers OF the court include a clerk and
deputy clerk, a marshal and report
er. When the court is in session the
justices sit in q row, the chief Justice
In the middle. Morrison r. Waite, of
Ohio, the present chief justice, is now
within half year Of his three-score-
and-ten. He was appointed by Pres.
Grant in 1874, and has, therefore,
served eleven years.
At the right of the chief Justice sits
the senior associate Justice, Samuel
F. Miller, of Iowa, who is said to be
the cleverest headed man of thenine.
He was appointed by Pres. Lincoln,
IN 1862, after several years service on
the circuit bench in Iowa, where he
established reputation as a good
lawyer and upright judge that became
national long before Mr.. Lincoln be-
came President. Many stories are
told OF the way judge Miller's nomi-
nation Was first suggested to Mr..
Lincoln, but the fact that Mr.. Lincoln
knew him and of his qualifications for
the place disposes of them all.
AT the left OF the chief justice, and
next in seniority of appointment, sits
Stephen J. Field, OF California, who
was also appointed by Mr.. Lincoln in
1868, upon the demand OF the Pacific
coast that it should have a. represen-
tative upon the Supreme bench. With
this consideration, there was the
other, that growing out Of hepeculiar
land system OF California, there had
accumulated a vast amount of litiga-
tion, some of which had found it's way
to @hs Supreme court, and no man
was more familiar with the legal ques-
tions involved than Judge Field. He
is OF the singed-cat order OF men, and
though quite old enough to go into
retirement, will take his own time in
getting about it
Joseph p. Bradley sits next to Judge
Miller at the right, and he, too, has
passed the SEVENTEEN mile~post. He
was appointed by Pres. Grant in
1870, and hailed from New Jersey.
That appointment is too recent to re-
mind the reader that it was charged
that 1t was made to reverse the de-
cision of the same court that in 1870
had declared the legal tender act un-
constitutional. The safety of the ma
tion may possibly have been involved
In this decision; anyhow that was the
prevailing view Of the matter at that
time.
At the left again, and next to Justice
Field, is John M. Harlan, of Kentucky,
who is a true type OF the bluegrass
product: He was appointed in 1875
by Mr.. Hayes, upon the earnest sohc-
itation Of Judge Key and other
Southern gentlemen of the bench and
bar. Justice Harlan's opinions are
written and delivered in very terse
and direct style, but cannot be COM
mended for extreme beauty ofdiction,
any more than can those of William
B. Woods, OF Georgia, who is also an
appointee of Mr.. Hayes. Justice
Woods is in the prime, ifnot the vigor,
OF manhood, IS good lawyer as the
world goes (down in Georgia) and So
cially one of the best fellows in the
particular social circle to which he be-
longs in Washington. Adecent regard
for candor moves the writer to say
that thelegal fraternity generally does
not recognize Justice Woods as the
equal OF any Of his coadjutors on the
bench. r. ...sss= @ .a<.+F
Stanley Matthews, Of Ohio, Was first
nominated to the supreme bench by
Pres. Hayes, but the senate adjourned
ON the last day OF Hayes's term, leav-
ing the nomination unacted upon.
Pres. Garfield renewed it, however,
and he was confirmed. Mr.. Matthews
is lawyer Of superior ability, having
occupied 9 high position at the bar