Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-11-23
senator Coiiamer.

the signature of 81. +. R." which is |
doubtless no other than the Hon. Isaac |
F. Redfeld his intimate friend and form
er associate. For the want of room we
omit such portions of the communica-
tion as relate to matters already we'll
known, and publish only those of which
the writer, from the intimate relations |
which he sustained to the deceased, was
pre-eminently qualified so speak.
In former years we have known Sena- |
tor Collamer very intimately, in judicial |
relations, and we were conscious at that
time of sharing largely in his personal
confidence and intimacy; and those
confidential relations were never inter-
rupted since that period, in the slightest
particular, although called, in the order
| of Providence, to widely different fields
| of labor. Senator Cellamer's great
| strength lay in his uncommon good
sense and his impartial judgment. And
| this, as must always be true, to great
| er or less extent, resulted mainly from
the simplicity of his life and the sincere
and honest integrity of his heart. He
was more lawyer, in the best sense of
| LndU llDtidL Ih1h q POilblSAhh VI "
! statesman even. He was for many
| wears before his lamented departure
from life justly regarded as the ablest
lawyer in the Senate, and as one of the
| ablest, and most instructive debaters in
that body upon all legal and constitu-
| tional questions.
| We have been assured by the testi-
| mony of one of the most eminent and
| influential members of that body, and
the chairman of one of its leading COM
| mittees, that Senator Collamer was de-
| ferred to in that house with the most
profound regard upon all questions, and
especially those connected with the his
tory or the learning of national and in
ternational jurisprudence; that he was,
upon all such questions regarded as an
authority almost final. And we have
reason to know that few men, in any
State were ever more certain to be cor
rect in the discussion and decision of
questions of law arising in the hurry of
jury trials than Judge Collamer, by
which title he is always known in his
own Jtate. And we must believe that
there is no place which tries so severely
the instructive sense of right and wrong,
or the artificial sense Of judicial inter-
probation, as that of jury trial.
nostinfS At ahS Of Deing misunderstood Or mis-
| interpreted, we beg here to interpose our
humble protest against the imputation
of oae innocent inflrmity to our de-
| parted friend and former associate,
! which it was almost universal in YER
mont thirty years ago, about the period
| of our first acquaintance with him, to
lay to his charge--that he was vain
mon, and sometimes inclined to high
| oonceit of the infalliability of his own
opinions. From very intimate and
thorough knowledge of the man, in po-
sitions where such characteristic
could not have failed to discover itself,
we declare most unhesitatingly that
| nothing was farther from his character
than all taint of vanity or conceit. We
must say, here upon his bier, that we
| never knew any man who had so much
right TO be vain, and even conceited, in
regard to his own judgment, who ex-
| hibited, so little of these traits. Hav.
ing, perhaps, an excess of the love OF ap-
| probation, as almost all amiable men
, | have heImight sometimes have appeared
: | too anxious in regard to the manner in
which his public acts should be received
by those whom they concerned. Anc
this was very naturally misinterpreted
2 | by those who knew him only at dis
t tance, into vanity or conceit; but, ii
fact, nothing could be further from it
l 1t was really the want OF self concei
l | which made him appear, If he ever did
Y too anxious for public approval. L
was only the clearness of his convic
tions. and his thorough conscientious.
!. ness, which enabled him to maintain tn
> | proper degree of Arnanoss in adherence
=. to his own opinions. A man Of les'
= = clearness Of perception, and Of less un
q . bending integrity, with his real, homes
j self-distrust, would have been in con
stant danger Of becoming vacillatint
: | and unreliable In his purposes.
y But we must say that among all ou
8 associates in public life, and they hav
e been considerably numerous, we recall
no one whose perception was more &C
( curate and just, whose integrity of pur
I pose was more unbending, or whose lif
: was more uncomplainingly or disinter
. | estedly devoted to the cause of trutl
and ilstce, or who seemed to act NOR
as in the eyes of the unseen Creator ant
: Judge, who shall bring every work int
q judgment in the day of flnai account.
n Ii is needless to say that the loss o
e snch map if not irreparable to the na
ton or the State, is sure to be so felt Il
!. his personal friends, and especially t.
8 his hereaved family, whose sorrow viii
d he too deep and too sacred to be here dis
8 | cussed. And while it must of necessity
r be impossible to supply the void which
d his death p oduces in all the private re
lations of life, 1t will be difficult to fn'
another who, in the public councils o
t | the nation, will possess his quick dis
V cernment of the truth, and at the SAM
n time his eloquent advocacy and un
: filnchiug integrity in It's defence.
n I.P.R.
VIsIr TO HsERY WARD BEEoHERt
d FAHn-This farm is at Peekskin, West
: chester County, N. Y, about two mile