The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-05
TIE SUPREME COuRr.
Interesting Gossip Of the Past One
Hundred Years.

I made such approaches as its dignity seemed
to warrant TO persuade the supreme court
Of the United States to move from is com
Portable quarters IN the Senate wing Of the
capitol 10 some temporary abiding place
tina. the Senate may have the use of the
rooms which il now occupies. But the
supreme court does not seem TO be Omen 70
persuasion. aud l. seems altogether likely
that the Senate viii have to resort to some
other device u fild that extra space which
It Is seeking. Senator Aldrich and Senator
Harris have talked with tue Judges and
with the clerks, and there seems t. be a
| general desire 10 remain until congress
shall have provided some permanent quar-
tiers Of more imposing character for the
court.
The supreme court occupies its present
quarters by virtue of an act Of congress,
and 1t would take the concurrent action of
both houses Of congress, with the approval
| Of the President, az provided by the cOnsti-
tuition. to remove it from the capitol II is
really out Of place in the capitol building,
and the present agitation Of the question of
| its presence there may result in tne passage
| OF tne bill which Senator Morrill, has beel
pressing upOu congress for ten years, estab-
| fishing permanent and suitable quarters for
the court on ground directly east of the
] capitol This bill has already been reported
| favoraoly to the Senate, and it will doubt
| less pass That body. No one can predict its
fate in the House. The bill provides for
! the purchase by condemnation of the
block Of ground, directly east of the cap
ltol, opposite and corresponding u the
| block on which the new building for the
national library is now being erected. 1t is
| Mr.. MOrrilps idea to have not only the
! Justices and officers of the supreme court
removed to this building, but TO install
| there the department OF justice and the
| Attorney General as well. Even if this bill
should become law at the present session
of congress, il would be at least five years
before the building could be completed, so
as TO remove the court to it, and tie objec-
ton is raised 10y the judges that the re-
| moval Of the records of the court twice in
five Years would cause a great deal Of con-
fusion, aud probably delay the business of
| the court
THE OLD SENATE CHAMBER
The quarters now occupied by the su-
preme court were at first used by the SEN
| ate, and it was on the removal OF the Sen
| ate TO the new north wing of the building
| that the supreme court was given the use or
the rooms in which it is now installed
| Prior to that time the court met in the
room now occupied by the law library,
which is directly beneath the supreme court
| room and which corresponds to it in size
and general appearance. The first quarters
| of the supreme court were in New York,
which was at the time of the
organization of the court the
scat of national government. The vel
! low manuscripts in Clerk McKenney's office,
| bound into a consecutive record of the min
uyes of the court, show that on the first
| Monday in February, 1890, the court met in
| New York, but as there was not a quorum
| present. 1t adjourned until the day follow
| ing. The gentlemen who are preparing the
history of the court, which is to be read at
/ the centennial celebration in New York
| next week, were somewhat surprised when
Mr.. Maher of the clerks office produced a
clipping from the Gazette OF the United
| States, published in New York under date
Of Feb. 3, 1890, showing that the first meet
| ing of the court was not in the Federal
| building in which George Washington was
| inaugurated, but in the Exchange The
| extract says:
"The supreme court of the United States
convened on Monday in this city; but a suf-
tclent number of the judges not being
present TO form quorum, the same was
adjourned till yesterday. the Hon. John
Jay, chief justice of the United States, tho
Hon William Cushing, and the Hon. James
| Nllson, associate Judges, appeared on the
bench. John MckessOn, ESQ, acted as
clerk. The court room at the exchange
was uncommonly crowded The chief
justice and other judges of the supreme
| court of this state, the federal Judge
and recorder Of New YORK, the marshal Of
the district Of New York, the sheriff and
many other officers. and great number of
the gentlemen of the bar attended on the
| occasion. Yesterday the supreme court of
| the United States met at the hall in the
exchange, quorum of the judges, with the
Attorney General atte lding, their respect
| ice 10,
then adjourned till this Gay at l o'clock"
REMOVAL TO PHILADELPHIA
Under such glowing auspices did the SUI
preme court of the United States prepare
itself to be opened and fail through the
hardness of one Of its members. In the Elk
| change hall the court continued to meet for
| the first year of its existence. In February,
| 1871, it opened its sessions in the city hall,
Philadelphia, then the seat OF national gov
eminent, and there it remained uatil Feb
| ruary, 1901, when it was removed to the
capitol at Washington, where, with
| with brief intermiSsion, it has re-
manned since. At the first session held in
the capitol the commission of John Marshall
| was presented, and he was inaugurated chief
justice of the court. In those days the
| lawyers who appeared before the court
| were attired With what they considered
becoming dignity. They did not wear the
| ILDRll5Q
barrister, but they would as soon have come
| into the court in linen buster as to have
varied the solemn suit of black, which
seemed to them beftting the dignity
of the court. The only mark of
| official dignity which the court now
bears is the array of black robes in which
the justices are clad. The first robe worn
by justice of the supreme court was faced
| with scarlet, as is evidenced by the picture
| of John Jay now hanging il the robing
room of the court. There was no rule pre-
scribing the style of judges apparel.
There is no regulation now. Custom die
tates the use of the simple robs of black
| silk. The Attorney General and the law
| yers who appear before the court wear
what costumes satisfy their ideas of pro-
| priety, and there is a wide divergence Of
opinion on this point
THE CONSULTING ROOM.
Opposite the law library or old supreme
court room is the consulting room of the
| justices of the court. Here on each Satur-
| day they assemble to pass upon the cases
! which have been argued before them. The
! chief justice sits at the head of the long
| table and at the foot OF it sits the Junior
! judge-Mr Brewer. This room was
formerly used as the Office of the clerk Of
! the court. At that time the present SUI
i preme court chamber was the Senate
! cham rer; the room now used as the Judges
robinG room was occupied by the Vice
| President of the United States, and the