Page:The Supreme Court in United States History vol 1.djvu/81

Rh a Member of Congress and of the Federal Convention. Chief Justice Jay observed that he might be a very good Member of Congress and yet no lawyer. Mr. Ingersoll then formally withdrew his application for admission till another period. After a little while, Mr. Wilson said that it was from no difficulty about either that Gentleman's character or legal ability, for everybody knew that if he said anything about him, he must have said that he was one of the most eminent at the Bar. He was admitted without any renewal of his application, and Mr. Jay also paid him some compliments. So many difficulties occurring, the rest of the Bar declined bringing forward their applications, having expected that from Mr. Wilson's knowledge of them, everything might have been made easy. The Court then adjourned till one o'clock, when, the proper certificates having been provided, all who applied were admitted. The Bar thought they might have been treated with a little more delicacy by a Gentleman who knew them all intimately. However, I do not think that he meant any offence to them, but merely adopted the Rule of discriminating between the deserving and undeserving of the profession. It seems he might have acted with more fortitude if he had declared his good opinion of some and called for certificates only as to such whom he did not know particularly; or if he had positively refused to declare his opinion respecting any of the profession without written evidence." Among those admitted at this time who were then, or afterwards became, eminent leaders of the Bar, were William Lewis, William Bradford, Jr., Alexander Wilcocks, Miers Fisher, Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant, Jared Ingersoll, Edward Tilghman, William Rawle, Alexander J. Dallas, Peter S. Duponceau, Benjamin Chew, Moses Levy, Thomas Leaming, Jr., and Jasper