The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1929-10-04
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
Nodez0.khe New 5zzoYe,ete

BY ELMO SCOTT WATSON
LILLIAN HOWARD TAFT.
N3VW ~ chief justice of the United
WMF States, has always been
WV known as a genial man.
But just now the smile on
his face is little broader
! ! :: ! !. !" !: !
IN &T IA than ever before, for one
WR8,uN5OM of his long cherished plans
WNkKylW is about to be realized and
VMt1M 1.-The highest court in the
InNMMlI land, over which he pre-
VNkNW sides, is to have home
at last. A part of the gov
ernme n is $200,000,O0O
building program for the National
: Capital includes a magnificent struc-
ture for the United States Supreme
court, the site for it has~been selected
and commission has been created to
provide plans for the building.
AS every school boy knows, our gov
eminent has three branches-legisla-
tive, executive and judicial, each pre-
sumably of equal Importance. 1t
seems curious, therefore, that through
out the 1873 years of our nations his
tory one of those three should be
something Of 'step-sister," at least
so far as its having home common
surate with it's dignity and Importance
is concerned. The executive branch
has always had its White House,
standing in solitary state as the SYM
Dol of its honor of housing the one
man who is the head of all of our
government activities, the President.
For most of those 1873 years the legis-
lative branch has had its great-domed
Capitol large enough to take care Of
aaGrefIin $1,000 the increasing
- But the SUI
prem AIRY branch of
our gov ver had a place
in which, it could feel the pride of sole
possession. 1t has always been ten
ant in the home of the legislative
branch, and the latter has sometimes
been very grudging landlord.
But now the Supreme court is to
move out of that sometime inhos-
pitablc home and set up housekeeping
for itself in new home which will
be as distinctive as the White House
and the Capitol and. will proclaim in
its cleaning white walls the power
that resides within. The new build
ing will stand near the Capitol so that
congress and the Supreme court will
SELL be neighbors. The site for the
new hall of justice has been chosen
after a long controversy in which
Chief Justice Taft has been the victor.
To win that victory he had to over
come the objections of some of the
members of the court itself and of
congress to any removal Of the court
from the present quarters. But when
the bill to create the commission for
planning the new building was passed
by congress, the last obstacle was re-
moved and the new home of the Su-
preme court will rise where the chief
justice has desired it to be, on the
plaza east of the Capitol and lanking
the congressional library.
The first meeting of the Supreme
court after the new republic was es-
fablished took place in New York city,
which was then the Capital of the ma
ton. The meeting place was in the
Royal Exchange building at the foot
of Broad street, and the date was Feb
ruary l, 1870. 1t continued to meet
there until the Capital was moved to
Philadelphia. Then in February, 1901,
the chief justice opened court in the
City Hall building next to Independ-
ence hall.
Most of us remember from our
school histories who were the first
men to hold the important executive
positions in the new government, but
how many of us know who were the
first justices of the Supreme court,
those. men upon whom involved the
duty of interpreting the first laws
passed for the guidance of the new
nation? The first court, as appointed
by President Washington, consisted of
John Jay, of New York. as chief JUS
tice, who was then in his forty-fourth