The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-05
THE GREAT JURIST
JUDGE STEERS ELOQUENT TRIB-
UTE TO JOHN MARSHALL.
SCHOLARLY ADDRESS.
MARSHALL'S ACCESSION TO
THE BENCH.

eEL ilEant-MATNHAit AhAN IL
War. at the Bar, in Congress, ns
Envoy to France. as Secretary of
state and as Chief Justice of the
supreme Court Sketchcd with
Master Hand.
"Of all the hundreds and thousands of
orations upon Chief Justice Marshall.
which are being delivered throughout the
country tonight, there win be none
grander than that to which we have had
the pleasure of listening
This was the opinion of Col. George "A.
Mercer. than whom there is no better au-
thority on such subjects of the brilliant
and scholarly address delivered az the
United States Court room last night by
Judge Emory Speer. In SO saying Col
Mercer phrased what was the general
and universal verdict of one of the most
cultured audiences ever addressed by an
orator in this city.
The address was delivered in an appro-
pirate setting The beautiful proportions
and decora tons of the court room lent
an air of dignity and grace to the occas-
ion that the bare walls of public han
could not have given it, the personnel OF
the audience was worthy of the speaker
and his subject. and from the eloquent
lips of Judge Fallgant came such an intro
duction of theme and orator fitted
both.
The court room was a blaze of Light,
reflected from a score and more of crystal
sconces and chandeliers. but with the ex-
ception OF two American flags, there were
no decorations than those the architect
of the building has bestowed, in carved
woodwork and stained glass upon che
room. One of the flags draped that por-
ton of the judges desk behind which
stood the orator of the evening; the other
flung its starry field and stripes of Grim
son and white across the southern wall.
ID was al a regular session of the courts
OF the United States that the address was
delivered and the session was opened by
Marshal John NJ. Barnes in due form of
law. Rev. Bascom Anthony, pastor of
Trinity Methodist Church, delivered the
invocation.
Judge Speer was introduced by Judge
Robert Falligant. who. in passing, made
some appreciative illusions to the dis
tinguished services of Chief Justice Mar
shall to his country. Judge Falligant
quoted from the writings of Thomas JEFF
ferson 10 show with what trepidation and
fear those who believed in limiting within
narrow bounds the prerogatives and pow
ers of the United States courts had wit
messed the generous snare OF JURISDICTION
confided to them by the constitution. JET
ferson had declared that in the federal
judiciary was the germ of the country's
dissolution. Judge Falligant then showed,
from later writers and the teachings of
history, that. instead of the history of
The United States courts bearing out the
prophecy of the sage of Monticello, they,
and the Supreme Court especially. had
been the very safeguard of American lib
critics.
Il owe you an apology" said Judge Fal-
ligant, in conclusion, for thus touching
upon the subject of this occasion, but
Il is one in which, in common with every
other loyal American who holds in vener-
alton the lives and deeds of the founders
OF the republic. | take a peculiar interest
My apologies are especially due because
know you are impatient to hear upon
these strings of patriotism the touch of
master hand"
ut is a Georgian to whom you are to
have the pleasure of listening, and l the
pleasure of introducing tonight, one who
in the very plenitude of his intellectual
vjgor and powers has already attained
national reputation as a jur1st, a states
man and an orator. the Hon. Emory
Speer."
From the time Judge Speer began to
speak until the end of his address, which
consumed in its delivery an hour and
quarter he held the closest attention of
his audience. OF his audience half We're
of the gentler sex. Every seat in the
court room had been taken long before
the opening hour and every available foot
of space held an interested listener The
chambers of the judge and the offices of
the district attorney, which adjoin the
court room, were filled. while in the door
way was throng which prevented equal
~ ingress and egress. Half as many as
were in the audience which listened to
Judge Speer had given up the attempt to
get within sound of his voice and left the
building. He said, in part:
The Birth of Marshall
1T is interesting to reflect that John
Marshall was born in the beautiful coun-
~ of Fauquier. in Virginia, more than a
century thereafter to become famous as
MosbS's Confederacy. He was born on
the oath of September. 1850 His father
Thomas Marshall, came from the famous
county of Westmoreand, referred to by
a Governor of Virginia, with degree If
state pride not yet altogether extinct IN
Virginians, as the prolific soil that grows
Presidents
1T is true that Washington, Madison
and Monroe all came from the county of
the sturdy patriot, the father of the fam
Gus Chief Justice. Marshall. the father
was born the same year with Washing
ION. He was, indeed, the companion OF
the patriot commander when the latter
surveyed for his friend Lord Fairfax, the
primeval wilderness shading with it's inn
periaI frontage the fertile and famous
valley of Virginia, and, like Washington.
he was one of the first to fly to arms to
resist the aggressions of the British min
istry. He was successfully the colonel
in the Third Virginia Infantry in Wood
ford's Brigade and the First Virginia Ar
fiIlery i'm the Continental line and fought
with distinguished valor at Germantown
and Brandywine, having three horses kill
ed under him, and largely through his
skill and courage at Brandywine the de-
feated Continental forces were enabled to
extricate themselves from disaster.
Two years after the treaty of peace,
with the younger members of his family,
Col Marshall traversed the romantic
passes Of the Blue Ridge and the Ale
ehanies and founded a new home i'm the
heart of the bluegrass. I'm now renowned
county OF Kentucky which he caused to
be called Woodford, In honor Of his briga-
der, with whom he led the ragged Con-
4inentals, fearing not OF the father OF
John Marshall, Justice Story said:
His Love for His Father.
II have often heard the chief justice
speak of him in terms of the deepest
affection and reverence. / do not here
refer 70 his public remarks but 10 his pri-
vate and familiar conversation with me,
when there was no other listener Indeed