Year: 1870

| tFron Philadelphia Commercial List.l
The Supreme Court of the United
States has evidently determined to take
Il firm stand against every effort which
can be made to induce it to review the
decision made in the case of Hepburn
and GriSwold some months ago, which
settled the principle that all debts con-
tracted before the passage of the legal
tender act of 1862, are payable i'll coin.
This decision, when it was made, Gre
ated some dissatisfaction, especially
among the debtor class, most of whom
having had the advantage Of paying
their debts during several years in cur
rency instead of coin, did not like the
idea of reIinquishing privilege which
according to that decision, never need
have been allowed them but whatever
the Inconvenience which the decision
might have brought, it's consequences
before this time have been generally
provided for; debtors who had been
paying old obligations, or interest upon
them in paper, made preparation for
the altered state of otflirs. The decis-
ion has been acquiesced in generally,
and arrangements entered into to car
ry it out. If the Judgment of the court
could have been overturned, it would


have created as much confusion as the
original decision, besides placing the
court in such Il position that its judg-
ments would cease to meet with public
respect.


There could have been no cN expectation
of overturning the decree which had
been pronounced, if it had not been for
the fact that two new Judges went
upon the bench immediately after the
| case of Hepburn vs.. Griswold was dis
posed of. Before they had been APP
pointed it is said that these gentlemen
expressed opinions different from those
advanced by the court upon this ques-
ton, and it was hoped they would join
with the minority III upsctting the dc
cision: Indeed, it was suggested that
they were appointed for that very pur-


pose. These runlors have done more
injury than benefit to the parties who
made them; the effort has been to ren-
der the new Judges fearful of doing
anything in the matter lest it might be
suspected they had prejudged the case,
and so every effort to Interfere with the
decision in the legal tender case has
f,ilcd-it failed lamentably ut the last
session of the court-upon two different
| occasions, when nn attempt was made
to induce that tribunal either to reverse
its decision or to replace upon the an
rangnent list some cases which had
been disposed of by their original judg


mcnt. At the present term another
effort of like cha racaer has come to no


more happy conclusion; the whole


bench has united in refusing to assist


the parties who were endeavoring to


make the court play fast and loose; in


fact, the effect seems to be to render
the Judges more than usually careful,


and to prejudice them against every
! effort to induce Il reconsideration of Il


decree already made. Under the ,ir-


cunlstarccs it seems probable that there
will be no chance for any further iftfg;t-


ton upon this qucstion-it can not be


had upon any case now upon the rcortl
| of the cOurt-if;t Il new ease is made up,


it will be Il long time before it can he
got before the Supreme Tribunal, and
then, from present indication, it may
| be safely predicted that the decision in
| favor OF Hepburn vs.. GriSwOft, will be
unanimous. This point of law, we
! think, may he now considered rs !,
| thing fixed.