The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-12-28


himself wrote 519. Those decisions
which outnumbered those of any 9th
er period of our national history. IN
terpreted the constitution adequateIy
for the first time and established a
basis for future decisions. He lifted
the supreme court out of the influ
ence of politics and personal ambition
to a dignhed place in the nation S
government system.
Marshall's first important decision
was to the effect that the supreme
court had the right and power to de.
clare an act of congress null and void
il in the opinion of the Justice It vio-
lated the constitution. Until this opin-
ion had been given the people of the
country had considered the legisla-
tive power of congress unlimited.
Marshalls Interpretation of the sim
pie commerce clause in the constltu-
tion relative to the famous case of
Gibbons VS.. Ogden established the
power of the federal government over
interstate commerce.
At the death of Marshall, in 1886,
Roger B. Taney received the office of
chief justice at the hands of Andrew
Jackson. whose nominations of Taney
as secretary of the treasury and as
associate justice has been rejected by
a senate opposed to Jackson's and
Taney's views. As attorney general
in Jackson's cabinet, Taney had writ
ten the correspondence for the nulll.
fication conspiracy and had made the
arguments of the United States bank
case. Before that he had as a lawyer
pleaded cases in all parts of the coun-
try.
In the Dred Scott decision, for
which the chief justice was respon-
sible. Taney held that Scott, as a
negro, was not a citizen Of the Unit
ed States, and consequently had no
standing in court. The negro, he arg
ued, had no social or political rights
He himself had freed the slaves tnat
he had inherited, and had never re-
fused professional aid TO negroes
seeking freedom. The case ended his
career, for he was seldom in the su-
preme court afterward and heard no
more important cases. For two years
pevious to his death. in 1864 Taney
did not possess the strength to slt
in court, but nevertheless he stub
bornly refused to resign. for the rea-
son that he did not wish Lincoln to
appoint his successor.
When Lincoln finally did get to
choose the chief justice, Salmon p.
Chase was selected for the place. AZ
ter being graduated from Bowdofn |
college, Chase taught school in Wash
ington. D. c., and at the same time |
studied law with William Writ. Up
on admission to the bar he moved TO
where he built up an ex.
tensive practice. His intense love for
literature led him to write for the
and newspapers and to
poems which show some
genius. But his literary work did not |
make his name so well known as did
his defense of a fugitive slave. He
lost the case, but his conduct was
popular in the north and called for
respect from the south. Chases in
-erest in escaping slaves led to MS
being nicknamed the Attorney Cen |
aral for Runaway Niggers." A case
the constitutionality of the
Fugitive Slave Law was tried before
the supreme court by Chase and Will
liam II. Seward, but they lost.
When Chase died, in 1873, the chief
justiceship was offered to Roscoe
but he declined. Then Presi-
dent Grant nominated George II. VIII
liams of Oregon and Caleb Cushing Of
Massachusetts, both of whom were re-
jected by the senate. Moison X.