Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-01-13
Continued from Page Eighty

the Massachusetts, Supreme
.,. We had contributed four emil
-, Justices while we were the
.,orn District. not counting James
man, native and Theophilus
sans. A former resident of Maine,
borh Of whom We're residing in
,,assachusetts when appointed.
vase four were: William Gushing,
IN was first appointed from Pow
"Ihoro TO the Superior Court OF
.. province in 1172. made Chief Jus
.. in III, and in 1889 was APP
.,,,od to the first bench of the
r,led states supreme court by Presi-
-, Washington. and served until his
9TH in 1910. The second was George
,.,cber. who was appointed from Bid
.ford in 1901 and served until 1924.
~,A third was Isaac Parker, appointed
,oc portland in 1896. ard serving
,rtn,y-four years, the last fourteen as
.sf justice, And the fourth was Sam
Wilde, appointed from Haliowell
1918. his rival for the position be-
o.. Prcutss Mcllen, five years later
,,oanted our first chief justice. Judge
vide served for thirty-five years, and
Ri. 4 most distinguished record. The
,.. form he held in Maine was at Cas-
No then he county seat of Hancock
,,ntr. ami participant. the father of
oycrnor crosby. has left in his auto
ographv n picture of the scene.
rrr0g me session Of the courts
ere the shores and harbor exhibited
NJ appearance OF an Indian encamp-
onr. The Judge and jurors, parties
nd witnesses. the lawyers. sheriff, and
ucordinate officers, loafers and idIers,
.esdes rot an inconsiderable number of
-srtlemcn spectators, all arrived in
men row or sail boats. This great col
s,on was from the scattered settle
nents OF the islands in Frenchmen's
p2y, penobscot river and its bay. Now
ov must not suppose that there was
rethng like fatigue or gloom or de-
+ pondency in all this. Quite otherwise.
was a happy, hearty and merry
meeting. Each had his story of disas-
,srs hair breadth escapes and ludicrous
| gadents 1t was a hearty laugh, 81
| eocd dinner and then to business. There
u,rc no old men. New countries have
81, Old men. We were all young men,
leaIthy. hearty and in the full flow OF
oyous anticipation.
| So much, very briefly, for the high
St Courts under whose jurisdiction
/ The rights of the people of Maine were
|sdiudcated up to 1920. when Maine
Ilade good by in a governmental way
|o the Mother commonwealth, after u
Struggle carried on with more or less
Inergy for thirty four years, and was
|sdmitted to the Union. No other re-
|adons. however. than governmental
were thereby severed, for the Bench
md Bar of Maine have continued to
maintain the highest esteem and re-
spclt for the Massachusetts Court,
mingled no doubt with touch of
Family sentiment, and we are proud
10 have as our guest on this occasion.
l. representing that great Court and
bat great commonwealth. its dis
|nguished Senior Associate Justice,
|HonorabIe Henry King Bradley.
The convention which met at the
mv House in Portland on October
H.. 1919. to frame a constitution for
H., new State consisted of two hun
d. ed and Sevcnty-four members and
|gds composed of remarkably able
|mcr The debates of that conven-
From. and the organic law that was
mere wrought out. prove the truth Of
his statement.
Article VI, creating the Supreme
judicial Court. as reported by COM
mitce of which John Holmes was
hartman. was adopted without dis
lssion. Five members of that con-
en,ion afterwards became members
of this Court. viz: Chief Justices
Ezekiel Whitman and Ether Shep-
|oy, and Justices William Pitt Pre-
lie. Albion *. Paris and Nicholas
Emery.
Maine was admitted 10 the Union
~ March 10, 1920. and the first Ses-
son Of The Legislature began at
Portland on May 81, following.
aapt.r Il. finally enacted on June
| f. 1920 provided for the establish
/ ment Of the Supreme Court. consist
ls OF three members. a Chief JUS
,Cc and two associates to hold office
during life or good behavior but not
|Poyond the age of seventy years. On
July /. the appointments were made,
Irentss Melcn of Portland as Chief
Justice, and William Pitt Preble OF
Portland and Nathan Weston Jr. OF
Augusta as Associate Justices
Who were these men whom Gov
rnor King had selected to constitute
~ highest tribunal OF the State?
Frentiss Mellen, the Chief Justice,
Wis then IS years Of age, in the prime
T. Il vigorous manhood. He was born
Stirling Mass. the birthplace also
the present eminent Chief JUS
'' Of Massachusetts. Arthur Prent-
Rusg. His father was Il Congre-
"donal clergyman, a parentage ire
'ent'y associated with the leaders
New England. Graduated at
inward in the class of 1884, admit
r0 10 the bar in 1888, practicing with
Inherent success in Stirling and
'FdgeWater. Mass, and for short
NE with his elder brother Henry in
''eF, New Hampshire. he came to
''dhe in 1891. and settled at Bidde-
'd. His beginning was humble in
Ky extreme. These are the words III
'"h he described it TO William Will
our legal historian: Il opened my
''' in one Of old Squire Hooper's
Vht chambers, in which were ar
'"sed three beds, half q table and
s caa,Y. My clients had the priv
~ Oh sitting on some of the beds.