The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1857-09-10
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Henry II. PAYNE.

egraph brought the glad news that Henry B.
Payne had been nominated for Governor OF
Ohio, to give our readers short biographical
sketch Of our distinguished townsinan, and the
other gentlemen comprising the Democratic
State ticket. The re organization of the De-
mocracy of the State at its late Convention,
while it resulted so gloriously in calling to its
service and championship its ablest and best
men, though personally well known and dstin-
guishcd in their respective localities, yet, being
fresh from the people, their names are new up
on the State ticket
The subject of our notice is native Of Madi-
son county, New York, having been born in
ISll making him now in his 41th year and in
the prime and yigor of intellectual life. His
father, Judge Elisha Payne, was an early settler
pt that county and was eminent for high Hteg-
fity purity Of character and great liberalty,
having by his early grants of land and other
gifts been mainly instrumental in founding the
Hamilton Theological Seminary.
Mr.. Payne was educated at Hamilton College,
being graduate Of the class of 1881, and ia.
king high raj k in the departments of Mathe-
metcs and BeIeslettres, and was recognized as
an able debater. Among his classmates are
found the names Samuel Ellis, late partner of
Geo. i. Pugb, Lorenzo b. Latham of New Or
leans, Prof Hendricks, Of Rochester, and Judge
Dean, OF the New Ork Bar,
The period Of his regal reading was divided
between the Offices of Judge Field, an eminent
jurst and Judge of the high Courts of Appeals
of Virginia, and John G. Spencer of Canandai-
qua, N. Y, when he came to Cleveland, Sept
1888, and studied one year with Sherlock j.
Andrews, and was admitted TO the Bar. I'm
mediately thereupon he formed partnership
with H. V. Wilson, now Judge of the U. s.
4 Tn1o aho r;r
from legal practice, tranterred his business to
Payne & Wilson, giving instant public CONT
dsnce in the young iirm which talent and in
dastry continued 10 increase till they found
their Office in few years, doing the leading bu-
Slness in the State.
The professional life of Mr.. Payne includes q
period Of about twelve years. having been COM
pellcd in 1916, in the midst of an overwhelm.
ming business to retire absolutely from legal
practice by reason OF physical debility accompa-
MED with hcmorrhage of the lungs, the result
of constant and crushing mental AMI physical
labor. Since then having abandoned all tho'ts
of courts and juries, he has devoted himself
principally to his own private business, taking
all the out door exercise and labor practicable,
he is again strong at heart and well nerved
1t is among the most difficult of things to
write the professional history of splendid ad
vocate and lawyer The facts and incidents of
such life lose all their reality and spirit in the
attempted relation. 70 be appreciated they
must have been seen and felt Feelings nhu-
ences and power, erected and exerted by the ad-
vocate within the four walls of a Court House
are subjects of no record. As lawyer Mr..
Payne was especially distinguished for quick.
ness Of perception ntutive knowledge of the
principles OF law involved and Il wonderful com.
prehension Of all the facts in the case. Being
elacated q lawyer he trusted not alone to his
own inherent powers, but was a close and Sc
we're STUDENT and thoroughly prepared every
case, and beng thus doubly armed he was ter
rible and dreaded opponent. In person he bears
the unmiStakabe stamp of one endowed with
ahigh orderof intellect, and as an advocate it
hos always been concele that he is 'he inher-
tol Of rich and peculiar gifts which God in his
wisdom has distributed bat sparnsly among
men.
His mental resources as lawyer were almost
constantly put to the test, in the midst of
full business, and summoned by a Bar contain
ing some of the best lawyers in the State,
against some one Of whom he was constantly
pitted, and especially do we remember one in
stance to which we will here allude 1t was in
some Of the last years of his praotice, perhaps
about 1915, there was upon the dockets Of the
Courts of this County and elSewheHe series Of
suits in favor of certain Banking Companies Of
a wild cat nature, and of doubtful repute, and
against different persons who had had their pa
per shaved at eXorbitantly usuriouS rates.
1t was at the time when the Democrats in
the State were setting their fa,e pretty strongly
against that that class of Institutions that these
persons had thus been sued, and much political
feeling was rife. Among them was the case of
the Bank Of Cleveland u.s. Clark and others, in
which deep local public interest was felt Mr..
Payne was retained for the defence. Although
the Bank had already employed TWO Of the best
lawyers in Northern Ohio, there was felt ne
cessty Of an importation of counsel ehectuaIly
to silence the batteries Of Payne and crush him
out by force Of combined talent. Two gentle
men Of Pittsburgh, reputed the best lawyers
and advocates west of the Alleghanies were
supposed to be equal to the task. The case was
tried and although the Pittsburgh advocate had
the concluding speech to the jury, Payne had
risen equal to the emergency and handled the
case with such ylgor and power, combining such
adroitness, severity of wit and ridiculeas to put
him in towering passion, resulting in the to
tai failure Of his argument and the loss of the
suit by the Bank, and afterward in defining by
Judicial decision in our Supreme Court, the lmi-
and the rights of endorsers.
Though uncompromsing as Democrat, he
Is so fully possessed Of the elements Of person
al popularity among our own citizens in the city
and country, that his name has on several occa-
sions led the Democracy to victory when the
strict political vote would have left them in a
minority. Such was the fact in l849 when he
was elected Senator
lie served in the State Senate the two year
term, with what ability the people Of the State
full well. He at once took his natural position
as debater and leader. The session that open.
ed his senatorial career was celebrated for the
terrible storm that ragged, growing out OF the cleo
tion and conduct of the speaker OF the Senate
the Just appreciation of his talents and the de-
votion ofthe Democrats of that Legislature to
him, are found in the record of twenty-six bal
lettings for United States Senator, in which
the Democracy remained firm and true to him,
while the Wing and Free Soil members match
cd him in that contest, alternately, with many
Of their ablest men, and some Of lesser note,
Ewing, Corwin, ). j. Andrews, Lane and 9TH
ers winding up filally, by electing b. f. Wade
by majority Of one vote.
But Of late years it has been for great admin
istratiye and financial abilities that Mr.. Payne
has been eminent among business men, among
his neigbors, and in municipal affairs and which
is the reason why he has generally been elected
when political majorities were against the DEM
Ocracy Such was the case iii 1877 and lS48,
when the arrangement ofour city finances re-
quired a master mind to adjust them, and to
bring up the fallen credit Of the city, ana he was
invited by the vote ofa whig ward, to Il seat Oh
The finante Committee of the City Council III
his election as a amember Of the State Board Of
Equalization, and his recent unanimous election