The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-01-12
REPORTER SPENDS
DAY WITH THE u.s..
SUPREME COURT
Correspondent Wilson and Cartoonist
Meek Take Special Note of Highest
Tribunal and Find 1t Like a Gene
tery"-Spy An August Spittoon.
That Dreadful Thing of Mystery,
"Precedent"-$70 Robes, Quill Pens
and Body Servants.
- BY ROBERT WILSON.

WASHINGTON. Jan. l2.-Cartoon
ist Meek and | have paid visit 70
the supreme court of the United
States. where the ceremonies are 80
iunereally impressive that once a
young lawyer, addressing that court
in his maiden effort, gasped twice on
The first word Of his argument, and
then fell in his tracks in dead faint
from stage fright.
Naturally. the solemnity Of the OC-
Casion weighed upon us, for our
! rowledge OF courts consisted of Il
familiarity with lawsuits as tried in
Il squire's office. The editor thought
oar impressions OF the supreme court
ought TO be fresh Cnes.
SO there We were, waiting for the
entrance Of the nine men in robes
who can overrule the acts Of that con.
fress which, in turn. can pass those
G"ts over the veto OF the president OF
the United States. And those niue
Lien were about to take up the con-
sideration of the two most important
lawsuits of the last 80 years-thG
r0seCutions against the tobacco and
oil trusts
Nervously we glanced about tho
CamiCirCular chamber whose walls
have echoed TO the voices of Clay,
Calhoun and Webster. In the cathC-
Gca. dusk Of the place, a gloom that
the brightest outdoor sunshine never
nghtens, the two Concentric halfCir-
rles OF spectators faces had the I'M
earthly pallor of ghosts. Above them
at intervals cleaned the whited busts
OF dead chief justices.
Our eyes took in the relics of the
rast which still cling to the courts
traditions-the goose quill pens on
he lawyers tables, the sand busters
fcr drying ink on the written page.
the crimson velour hangings. the
time-stained mahogany of bench, bar
and pew, pussy-footed pages and at
tcndants sliding IL over the crimson
velvet carpet.
Those Nerve-Rackine Five Minutes.
The room smelled like a church
There was a whispering silence such
as one experiences at church funer-
ais after the minister has finished
his eulogy and the pallbearers arc
rallying to the remains. For 1t was
the last nerve-racking five minutes
trance of the honorable, the chief JUS
tice, and the justices of the Supreme
court Of the United States in their
flowing robes eof stiff black silk, ed
by the venerable marshal. pacing
with somber time and stride suitable
to be accompanied by the funeral
march of Chopin
We admit we were nervous, Artist
Meek and |. But suddenly our CON
fusion fed and we were calm For
there beside the august chair of an
august justice rested an honorable
Democratic American spittOon, gilt
tering like gold, but a spittoon just
the same, round and ample, with 4
good honest face-a capable. com
rctent. comprehensive Cuspidor
We went early to discover what
rreCedents We could find before the
opening Of court Attendants told us
that the procedure today is sub
stdntially the same as it was on Feb.
Z. 1890, when Chief Justice John Jay
opened the first sitting.
There is no precedent for steel
rens, hence the lawyers must use
quills, In using quill pen. one
needs a fir mgrip on ones vocabulary,
or one will find ones self in cor.
tempt Of court. The pens used TO be
made by an old court crier during dry
arguments He died. No one left
could point quills for pens There
Was no precedent for it. but the court
was forced TO procure itS Quills from
New York manufacturer who still
furnishes them.