Page:The Supreme Court in United States History vol 1.djvu/195

 , in 1800, the Government was removed to Washington, the "Federal City'*, buildings had been erected for the use of the Executive and Legislative branches, of such size and elaboration as to have given rise to criticism in Congress that the White House and Capitol were "much too extravagant, more so than any palace in Europe " ; that they were built in ." extrav- agant style" and that "gentlemen blushed on account of the magnificence displayed, " ^ For the third and coordinate branch of the Government, however, the Judiciary, no arrangement whatever had been made; and it was not until two weeks before the Court opened its first Term in Washington that Congress even provided a place in which its session could be held. The first official suggestion of a building for the Court in Washington seems to have been in 1796, when a Coromittee of the House of Representatives stated that "a building for the Judiciary** was among the objects yet to be accomplished in establishing the per- manent seat of government.* A report in 1798 made by Alexander White, one of the Commissioners for

1 Mh Cong., Id Ses*., Feb. 24, 1706. See speech of John WillUms of New York, 866, speech of W. B. Giles of Virginia, 867, speech of Sylvanus Bourne of Massachusetts, 878, speech of Jeremiah Crabb of Maryland, 871.


 * Amer. 8UUe Papert^ Misc,, I, Nos. 70, 78, Jan. 26, 1706; 9th Cong., 9d Sess., 497. A note to a debate in Congress, Feb. 13, 1807, says : "In the original plan of the Capitol no room was provided for the Courts ci the United States." Clap' pooU*9 American Daily Advertiser, Aug. 10, 1796.