The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-12-22
CHEF JUSTICE FULLER.
WALTER weLLMaN WRITES OF The
HEAD OF The SUPREME COURT.
M. Recent Grafton Has FIXED HIS Place
a,a u,eh I.cvci-ue and Secretary Blaine
Were Reporters Together-rhe states
man IN rlieratnrc-Pferce and Others
lsnoclal corepondence. ]

,,., an fIteratnrc--Pierce and Others
Especial Correspondence
wAsalSoroN. Dec. l9.--No man IN
Washington was more talked about las'
weok than Chief Justice Fuller. The
brilliant Grafton. delivered by him in The
hall Of the house Of representatives. be
fore an audience than which none more
distinguished or interesting ever assem-
MOD ON this continent, has served TO
draw again 10 bin the attention OF the
pnlLic. His success rs an orator on
theme alrcady somewhat exhausted mas
..xp.d his fame and more securely iiNcd
,,s rank rs one OF the great men OF the
Times. Ii was the first opportunity lie
hal had to demonstrate his intellectual
capacity and culture in other than court
manner. and that his great success was
gcncraily unexpected makes 1t all the
more welcome 90 him. The tact Is an"
I soc no reason why one should not men
ton If the chief Justice has been looked
nj somewhat askancc 10y the big men oil
congress Thcy have been just the least
hit inclined 90 regard him as an upslart,
10 whom good luck and nothing else had
brought sudden distinction.
II has been the fashion of men who
had won their spurs by long years OF
service i'm senate or house to indulge IN
gentle snccrs at the little, unknown man
whom Mr. Cleveland picked UP for cher
iustice Of the great supreme court. In
ihi. air Of superiority both Democrats
and Republicans have joined. Wv no Is
This Fuller. anyway they have inquired
~ one another, "and what has he ever
dones Is he man OF force and power
Is he biz enough for the placer These
oucstions are asked no longer. The cen
tennial celebration Of the Inauguration
Of the first president was lucky thing
for the new chief justice, IN that 1t gave
him the opportunity to win the applause
and admiration Of The leaders of public
opinion in the capital.
happen TO know that the chief JUS
tee worked hard for this success, as he
has worked for everything that has come
to him throughout his life. As a news
paper reporter many years ago in Maine
as n law student and practicing attor
nev. he was noted as a bard worker. No
man up earlier in the morning, or re-
naming up later at night, than he. For
twenty years me was the hardest work
inc lawyer in Chicago. and one Of the
most successful. 10 may surprise some
Of ms readers, as it surprised me, TO
hear that the chief justice works harder
now than ever before. owe have a
great deal 10 do" he said to me the
other night, "both in cd out OF the
conrt room. our four-hour sessions
five DAYS a week are but a small share
of our toll We have briefs and records
10 read. opinions 80 write, and docu'
mcnfs 10 examine. so that not one OF us
thinks of retiring 10 his bed before mid
uirht. and IT is often nearer , in the
mornin. before our heads touch pillow.
Speaking for myself. have never IN all
nv professional career worked as hard
as am working now, aud / think the
same is true Of every member OF the
court You ask how the older justices
endure il. Admirably. Sometimes ]
think lIc longer man sits on the bench,
and the more hc becomes accustomed 10
the work. the easier it is for him. jus
lice Bradley is our oldest member in
wears. and he appears 10 be the youngest
in his work. / think ne does his tasks
easier than any other man on the bench,
and he does fully as much, notwith-
standing that he is 76 years old
II a somewhat remarkable that the
chief Justice Of the supreme court Of the
United States finds it next to impossible
10 get away FROM his work for a day or
two. The young lawyer who could not
leave his office fora pleasure trip, almost
at will. would think himself very un-
fortunate. The government official who
could not take leave and drop the
weary routine of his daily toll. would
ioin his fellows in asking congress for
law aflOrdlng some sort of relief. Sen
ator-. representatives, cabinet officers.
even the president himself, can get away
from work But when the chief justice
wanted To leave the court long enough, a
week or two ago, TO go TO Chicago and
witness the opening Of the great Audito'
rum. he found it impossible 10 do SC
without practically suspendiug the work
of the court, and that, of course, he was
not willing to do.
IL seems that the chief justice is the
only member Of the court who keep,
run of the business. the only one who
knows enough OF the affairs of the tribu
nal 10 enable him 20 run the machine.
The chief justice attends 10 all the de
tails-thc calls Of cases and motions, the
records. the orders and such things; the
associate Justices depending absolutely
npon him, and themselves paving no
heed 60 the order OF business. The chiei
Justice found. therefore, when he want
"a to 20 away for three or four days.
that he could not be spared. 1T Is not
displcasing o. be thought indispensable
To somebody or something he said,
but / did want 10 be present at tn
opening of the Auditorium.
As the chief justice faced his great
audience last week could no, keep my
iaind off the thought that a glance about
the hall was enough 10 convince even
the most skeptical of the great possibili.
ties os our system Of raising up men.
Right in front of the orator Of thc occa.
sion. himself the chief of the greatest
tribunal in this country and probably
the greatest in the world in intuenc,
over the affairs OF men, sat q row of per
sons-of the very highest station. fhc
nresiden. of the United States was there.
aud ten years ago his name was moi
known beyond his own immetatcneigb.
borhood. SO with the. members of his
cabinet. excepting Mr.. Blaine. sitting by
his side. \ majority OF the 'enators anc
Representatives are comparatively new
TO public station.
The chief justice preserves all thoss
traits which marked his personality OF
his FIRST appliance ia Washington. He
is as approachable. as ailable, rs charm
ing as ever. Every day he walks from
the Capitol down Pennsylvania avenue,
and Often all the way TO his home, nearly