The Helena independent., 1890-01-13
THE HIGHEST TRIBUNAL.
The Methods Of the Supreme Court
Recalled by the Swearing in
of Brewer.
While the Judges Work Hard
They Have Lots of Comfort
in Life.
The Formaliiy Of the Court---Tle Chief
Clerks Place Better than that
Of the Justiccs,

The appointment oi Judge David j..
Brewer. of Kansas, 10 p seat on the bench Of
the supreme court of The United Stntes, and
his taking his seat there "a week ago, has
brought ont n letter from the Washington
correspondent ot the Clnsnmnu CONNER
cial Gazette, in which some of the pecul-
iRriiies Of the highest ,ribunal in the conn.
Try are noted. The correspondent 4ays'
AZ the procession eniers the court room,
the crier in very grave manner, will cal!
out. THE honorable chief justice and the
associate justices of the United Staics.
The nine black -robed s0luns file IN behind
the marble pillars back of the bench. and
for one moment the assembled bar and
spectators SEQ the line, then the rank Is
broken and each justice sinks into his own
comfortable chair, The court bows go the
bar and the bar returns The snlutation, and
the crier finishes his proclamation with
these words. "OYez. olel, All persons
hnving business with the honorable the
supreme court Of the United Sth,es are
admonished 10 draw nigh and give their AZ
tention, for the honorable court Is now sit
ting God eaye the United States and the
honorable court.
The crier bows low, and the honorable
court is now rmdy for business, The other
branches Of the government start the wheels
with n grea, deal less formnlity, but the
customs NJ the supreme court have come
down from England with great deal Of
their law.
The Justices work hard, there IL no mis-
take about that, but they manage 10 sur
round themselves with great deal Of com
fort. In addition 10 y body servant, each
Justice IL provided with y private secretary
~ a salary Of 81 800 n year and there are
nine little boys who sit on nine little stools,
each one behind the high backed chair of
member Of the court, cGoh of whom has 10
40 tho bidding Of his particular Justice.
There is n little room which almost faces the
cntrsnceio the supreme court. Here,nt a Ger.
tain hour every day, the justices gather and
lunch and lunch with them is more than n
snack. Chief Jnsiicc Fuller ia good but
plain enter He likes soups and steaks.
Justice Fields taste runs 20 salads. Justice
Lamarsto sweet things, but Justices Gray
and Blatchford arc very careful what they
eat. and unless everything is cooked "ius,
40 the attendants will know II. Justice
Matthews was the cpicure Of the court, and
be used 10 delight IN torrapin and canvas
back duck Justices Miller and Harlan will
Dnfing tho recess Justice Harlan has
ofton been Aeen la one Of the numerous
dairy lunches for which Washington is no
tnInous. lunchine of pie md milk like any
ordinary $500 treasury clerk. II is not un-
likely that the punctili ilionsnesa Of the court
will opprcss JuF ice Brewer M the first, who
hes been used 10 the frccr manners of tho
vs.
No, sound ia Hoard in he conrt room
hut tho voice OF tho counsel making the
argument, ar iha, of orc II the Justices ~
he ngks a question. And when the justices
talk they take care that their voices shall
sound M cold and as formal M il IL pos
sibe 20 make them. No one IL permitted
ia read newspaper or to take any notes,
and il green attorney should enter the
bar with his oNercuni on. nm attendant
w0uld immediately I've ~ hia side and tell
MIN 10 fake il OH
The chief Justice reCt ives q snlnfy OF $40
.O0 wear. bui the clerk of the court Is
supposed To make anything from S2OnJo 10
San,0n every twelve months. and there are
more people in the nited States who
would prefer Ia be clerk than chief Just ice
His income arises from fees. and about all
the work he has to do is to rake la the
money. HIS deputies attend 10 the making
Of transcripts nnd receiving the Sl0.nOtc
which II costs every attorney who is ad-
mitted 10 practice before the court. The
clerk moves in the highest social circles
and is included in all invitations extended
TO the court, and he, like everybody con.
nected with the eOurt, no matter how
humble the capacity, has life tenure.
Justice Brewer will be the youngest mem
her OF the court. He is only ~. The chic
Justice and Justice Harlan are ~ Justic,
Lamar is t5. Blatchford is five years his Sc
nior, Miller and Field are the same age. "a
and Bradley ia the Nestor of the court. hay
ing lived ~ years. All the members of ii
court who are 20 could retire. aud the,
would 70 on drawing their full paw uniilth,
day of their death, but they prefer Their
robes and the hard work which the posses
sion of them entails rather than beinl
placed on the back shelf. Justice Field hn
10 travel 1900 miles every year on his cir
cult.
The "Court Circle" AS it Is called il
Washington. IL the most exclusive SET in so
ciety In the capital. The members of tn
court and their wives dine at each other
houses every week or 50 during the season
As soon as the junior member Of the cour
ia comfortably settled the chief Justice vii
give dinner IN his honor, and this in turi
will be followed by all the other members o
the court,
Justice Brewer is q nephew of Justic
Field. and for the first time in the history o
the court thegc will hs relatives ON th
bench.