East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-03-07
NEW JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT IS
WORKING ASS|DUOUSLY TO EARN SALARY

washington.-It is interesting to
watch how industriously Associate
Justice Horace H. Lurton is working
to earn his s12,500 salary.
The newest member of the Supreme
Court OF the United States took the
bench on January 8. and he hadn't
been on the Job seven weeks before
he had rendered opinions in seven
important cases-one fifth of the
number OF cases argued in that time.
Three OF these were in the famous
cotton leak" litigation, a complex
controversy which has dragged
through the courts for two years and
accumulated additional obscurity
with every move.
Justice Lurton takes his work seri-
ously. He remains wide awake dur
ing the entire day, listening attentive
~ to arguments made by counsel, and
shows his interest by frequent ques-
tioning. Not all Of his colleagues are
as strenuous--two at least spend
goodly part of the day quietly snooz-
ing.
Inc newspaper men WIZ SoNOi
the court breathed a sigh of relief
when the new Justice cleared his
throat and started in on his maiden
opinion-his enunciation was dis
tinct and his sentences audible
throughout the court room. That is
rare quality. OF the other justices
there are only three who have really
good speaking voices-Justice Moody,
Dav and Holmes The rest keep the
newspaper men on edge to catch what
they are saying. Chief Justice Fuller
who Is almost eighty years OF age. has
voice absolutely inaudible fifteen
feet from the bench; Justice Brewer
Ia nearly as difficult to understand; ;
Justice Harlan warns UP only when
deciding a very important constitution
al question; Justice White has trick
of beginning a sentence loudly, but
dwindling his voice down to nothing
after the first three words: Justice
McKenna has a weak voice. despite
his efforts to enunciate clearly, and
| even Justice Holmes who has a
strong enough voice with Boston ac-
cent? takes delight in verbal intri-
cacies that are hard to follow.
/ But this is only one of the troubles
! Of the newspapermen. The supreme
court is n stickler for tradition. pro-
cedure and forms and it would new
er do to favor the press. Therefore.
/ the correspondents must manage to
get along without advance copies of
! opinions. There is a slight conces-
sion to press associations the repre-
sentatives of which Are assigned seats
directly in front of the bar and given
pages who carry their "copy" to mes
sengers outside the court room.
Naturally. the members of the court
are the foremost legal technicians In
the country. Their opinions are di-
rected toward clearing abstruse Legal
situations. Wherefore 1t happens thai
the correspondents who, II they were
legal sharps wouldn't be in the news
paper game have a hard time of u
ascertaning Just what Is meant b,
such and such a decision.
It isn't safe for the reporter to sent
out "bulletin" or a "flash" regard
ing a decision of the court until tn
justice delivering that decision shall
have said the last word-and some
times not even then. 1t Is q favorit
trick for the justices in delivering
opinions, to start with one side, appar
emily fully sutain every point, and
when the newspaperman has just de
cided to make his bulletin to this eff
feet, suddenly to veer off, with tn
, words however" ETC., or ION tn
other hand" "still. contrarywise,