Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-11-28
JUSTICE HUGHES
BY STRANGE
"~ OVERNOR HUGHES will i'm
NJ prove things" predicted
" M one of his friends who had


" M one of his friends who had
seen him revolutionize af-
fairs at Albany, when the announce
ment came that he had accepted ap-
poiutmcnt to the bench Of the supreme
court of the United States.
1t is big job. the enc this friend as
signed to Mr.. Hughes.
Things are done at the supreme
court today just about the same way
they We're done in the days of John
Marshall. There are Il few variations.
but they are only skin deep; the root:
are undisturbed. The customs OF The
fathers are the customs of the sons.
as the new justice has discovered. even
though he has rendered ono decision
Dignity sometimes may gall the
slave. but 1t seldom lessons his dc
votion. One member of the present
court it Is said, had secretary who.
one evening while out on an crane
for the justice, sIlccumbcd to the temp.
tation to step into what in WashingtoH
is politely called buffet -back home
they call it a saloon. He became
alarmed lest his new employer might
detect the telltalc odor on his breath
and upon his return FASTENED to con
fcss to his chief. laying all the blame
upon the friend. who was partceps
crminis.
Longed For Horizontal Drink.
Promptly the justice absolved him.
There was Il world of envy in his
tone as he said:
MY boy. how much wouldn't give
FOR just one more horizontal drink"
For the dignity of the bench forbids
justice to appear before any bar.
Justice Hughes will find that dignity
has beset with an ENGAGEMENT Of Gus
tom the path that he must tread. AT
the beginning of his career on the
bench he may deliver his opinion.
in clear, distinct voice, but in due
course Of time he will be expected
to get the "whispering habit" Thi.
whispering custom" is the one tho
newspaper reporters who flash to tn
world the outcome of a great case Il:
soon as the words have fallen from thC
lips of the court dctcst most.
Chief Justice Fuller had a fine voice
when he began in 1883 to announce
opinions. In his last years he delivered
them in the manner of one havin.
some dreadful secret to conceal. Jus
tice Lurton, who took his place OF
the bench early in 1910. still talks So
that you can hear Elm. His words.
loudly and plainly enunciated, are q
pleasure to hear. How soon he viii
begin to acquire tina "whis2erjne
habit no one can say.
Maps are Permissible.
AS he gets older Justice Hughes
may be forgiven if he takes Il nap on
the bench. Justice Brewer did. a sen
ator is permitted to go to a luxurious
Office or be driven for the day if he
feels a trifle drowsy. SO it is per
mitted justice to snatch forty winks
in his chair during prosy addresses
to the court, with the general under
standing that later he will atone by
reading the printed briefs in the case.
There are some embarrassmcnts like
ly to result from these surreptitious
snoOzes. 1t is said that in the course
of the argument of a case one day
Justice Gray dozed off just before his
bride came into court with some visi-
tors to show them her husband ION
the job" On another occasion, the
story goes, a snapshot artist got a
picture Of the justice while he slept
and then published it.
A set of customs governs the new
Justices relations to the attorneys and
counselors. There are estimated to
be about 10000 lawyers on the roll
Of the supreme court bar. Justice
Hughes will not see all Of them. The
list includes the name Of every prac-
titioner before the court since the days
of its organization in 1890. About 300
names are added to it every year, but
never, save possibly when man goes
to the penitentiary, is a name taken
off the roll.
A few years ago one man was intro
duced to the court, took the oath. but
entirely overlooked the necessity of
leaving fees in the clerks office and of
signing the attorneys roll. Instead of
his name couplet was offered to the
clerk to be pasted into the book to
explain the vacant line, still untitled.
but it was placed in the unofficial ar
chives Of the clerks office. 1t reads:
Sacred to the memory Of John Brown"
Sworn into court, but never found.
This place Is left in case he comes back
And signs the roll and becomes counsel In
fact.
Court Steeled to Shocks.
More or less discretion is allowed the