Evening star., 1937-01-16
By Lucy Salamanca.
THE dramatic role it has played
l In the Roosevelt administra-
l ton has occasioned a renewed

u interest in that body Of SOM
ber gentlemen to whom we referred
casually, in other years, as "the ST.
preme Court" Only latterly have the
comings and goings, the ponderings
and decisions rendered on the part OF
our esteemed justices been reported on
the front pages of the public press.
Only latterly have we witnessed the
unprecedented excitement with which
such judgments have been awaited.
The Supreme Court, as a matter OF
fact, has become, astonishingly enough,
good copy" and as a result there
Is today no spot more popular with
the visiting American people than
that luxurious retreat, softly-ditfused
with filtered shafts of light, wherein
the Supreme Court sat. more or less
unmarked by the public, for three
quarters of q century. Today visitors
in the Capital Of the United States
seem unanimous in their desire to
visit first the erstwhile chamber OF
this 6ignified judicial body.
On May %. 1884, Senate resolu-
tion by Mr. Robinson, OF Arkansas
was considered, amended and agreed
to in the United States Senate. 1t
read: Resolved, That the court room
now occupied by the United states
Supreme Court in the Capitol, when
vacated by the court, and the space
below it formerly a part OF the court
room. shall be preserved and Kept
open to the public under such rules
and regulations as may be prescribed
by the Architect of the Capitol with
the approval of the Committee on
Rules of the Senate"
That is why today there Is new
shrine in the Capitol Building, and
pro,,ps of visitors from 9 in the
morning until 4 in the afternoon,
under the supervision Of the Capitol
p1,ides stand in awe and admiration
before the narrow mahogany gate
that bars entrance to the small, out
beautiful room the justices have so
recently vacated.
EVERYTHING has been left IN tne
old Supreme Court Chamber ex-
sctly as it was when occupied by
the eminent justices. Today, as tnen,
a soft radiance pours from the CIT
cular glass windows in its high domed
ceiling. Today, as then, its tall, wide
window back of the justices dais are
draped in crimson brocade and the
hieh-backed chair Of the CHIEF JUS
tice rears its buff-colored broadcloth
back in the exact center OF the line
of small mahogany desks paodeo IN
black felt before which sat his col
leagues.
The crimson velvet carpeting on
the floor, completely covered IN
design of blue and green; the black-
leather benches that line the walls,
and the mahogany and leather seats
facing the rostrum, where the cltizens
gave ear with cool detachment IN
other years to the pronunciamentos
of the august body-all these Will oe
preserved to our descendants under
the Senate resolution. Thus 1T set
np another historical landmark, in
the story of a Governmental brancn
that grew from such insignificant
BEGINNINGS that it was scarcely re-
ported in the public press and was
snurted from cubby hole to- cubby-
hole whenever room could be made
for it temporarily in the Capitol
Building. to a position OF supreme
power and occupant of building
costing millions of dollars, unsur-
passed among the worlds most beau
tiful structures.
In 1885 and 1885 pages of news
papers all over the country were de-
voted to pictures of the new home
OF the United States Supreme Court.
Hundreds of thousands OF words OF
COPY were devoted to the courts ac-
tivities and judgments. Yet when
the first Supreme Court to meet in
Washington came to the Capital In
1901, the only notice that was taken,
apparently, Of that momentous event,
was contained in line or two that
appeared in the National 1ntelli-
gencer in Washington on February 5,
1901:
'"The Justices of the Supreme
Court" announced the Intelligencer,
have made q court, the following
Justices being present, viz, Marshall,
Gushing, Chase and Washington"
Moreover, it was not until as late
as January, 1901, that any attempt
was made to provide the court with
place for its approaching session.
The Supreme Court of the Nation
found itself in the embarrassing po-
sition, literally, Of having robes but
no place to hang them. A very mild
suggestion came forward from the
District Commissioners:
AS no house has been provided for
the Judiciary Of the United States"
said the Commissioners meekly, 1--WE
hope the Supreme Court may be ac-
commodated with room in the
Capitol to hold its sessions until
further provisions shall be made, an
arrangement, however, which we
would not presume to make without
the appreciation Of Congress"
pRTOR to its removal to Washing
ton the Supreme Court had held
two terms in New. York and q third
term at the new City Hall in Phila-
delphia, the Congress having moved
its location from New York to that
city. The court had been established
by an act approved by President
George washington on the oath Of
September, 1889, 'to establish the
judicial courts Of the United States"
This act provided not only for q
Supreme Court Of the United States,
but for Q judicial system as well. BY
1t the time Of meeting Of the court
was fixed for the first Monday Of
February and another session for the
frst Monday Of August. But as the
act was signed on the Oath Of Sep
tember, there could be no session un-
til the first Monday Of February in
the following year. That first session
on February 1, 1870, took place in the
Royal Exchange Building ct the foot
Of Broad street in New York City.