Page:The Supreme Court in United States History vol 1.djvu/84

58 fully employed on the other arduous duties required of them under the Judiciary Act. By the provisions of that statute, the country had been divided into three Circuits (the Eastern, Middle, and Southern), to each of which two Supreme Court Judges were permanently assigned and directed to hold Court twice a year in each District, in company with the District Judges. The framers of the Act had expected this function of the Judges to be of great value in keeping the Federal Judiciary in touch with the local communities; and at the very outset of the Court's organization, Washington had written to the Chief Justice and to each of the Judges, expressing his views of the high importance of the manner of the performance of their duties and saying that he had "always been persuaded that the stability and success of the National Government, and consequently the happiness of the people of the United States, would depend in a considerable degree on the interpretation and execution of its laws. In my opinion, therefore, it is important that the Judiciary system should not only be independent in its operations, but as perfect as possible in its formation. As you are about to conmience your first Circuit, and many things may occur in such an unexplored field which it could be useful should be known, I think it proper to acquaint you, that it will be agreeable to me to receive such information and remarks on this subject, as you shall from time to time judge expedient to conmiunicate." It was, in fact, almost entirely through their contact with the Judges sitting in these Circuit Courts that the people of the country became acquainted with this new institution, the Federal Judiciary; and it was largely through the charges to the Grand Jury made by these Judges that the funda-