The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-04-17
AYENERARLE FOSSIL.

Hon. u, r. Curtis of the Presidents
Counsel.
George A. Townsend thus sketches
Judge, Curtis of Boston, one of Mr..
Johnson's counsel. Those who have
ever seen and heard him will recognize
the picture:
Mr.. CurtisI have already described
to you, a large, old-school, red-taced
tired in black from his cloth CATERS to
his silk stock, erect in the shoulders,
robust in the paunch, snug in the
standing collar. His countenance Is
expressive of constitutional reserve;
he has wary blue eye without humor
in it, out of which his legal vigilance
peeps grayly, like rabbit out of a bed
OF VIolets. His forehead is of a good
Oporto color; beard he disdains, being
smooth as a sheet of sand paper; he
keeps his hair n little oiled, and combs
it straitish, and has a good deal of
steI's affectRtion OF puff vest, patent
leather boots, or polished beaver.
CURTIS SPEAKING.
Suppose for this opening speech,
therefore, the figure 1 have described,
almost stranger in Washington, and
little known to political life anywhere,
arising before two thousand people TO
save the celebrated Constitution he has
studied SO long and the celebrated con-
stitutional President, both of whom
have come down to us, with MI. Cur
tbs, from former generation.
Tho figure of the speaker takes you
back at once thirty years. His close,
strictly legal style of address is foreign
to this political chamber. No particle
of imaginaotin does he exhibit, but a
formidable array of precedents, read
ings, and authorities, citing here
clause from Burke, there page from
Madison; now instancing statute OF
Edward L, now reviving rule OF
Chief Justice Hale. A smart, quick.
footed boy at his side runs ever and
anon to the library with an order for a
book, and as 1t is coming the old Bay
State pleader keeps the argument
closed up like a line of battle waiting
for the reserve. His wonderfully suS-
tanned method and deliberate diction
keeps his voice clear and fresh, and
stopping only TO drink a glass of water,
he goes forward continually speaking
out of two days about four hours each.
I listened 10 the whole of this adj
dress, and though it was never humor-
Gus, only twice severe, and always
subdued in tone and phrase found 1t
easier to hear 1t all than to stay away
from it. 1t was study of conserva-
tive, a trained mind, past school of
lete. His pronunciation was perfect
after the method of Walker he read
Latin a few times with the elegance
of Judge in the time of James L; and
his phraseology was compact as page
of Locke or Coke. The effect of the
speech upon myself was to make me
say "That old antediluviau is a pyra-
midi"
At the same time, doubt that, as a
practical speech, Mr.. Curtis made a
success of his effort. 1 do not believe
that he changed vote. he made no
personal allusion of any sort to Mr..
johnson. no eulogy on his administra-
ton, and paid no circumstantial heed
to any of his speeches, messages, or ut
terances, The plea was insensibly a
tribute to Mr.. Curtis's reasoning pow
ers, and not to Mr.. Johnson's limo
The Senate OF the United States con-
tains many lawyers, but 1t is not a
bench OF Judges that will recognize the
inspiration of a merely legal argument.
In its capacity of a Senate, dealing with
President accused of working evil to
" and as readily by an argument adj
dressed to its patriotism. think,
therefore, that Mr.. Curtis shot too high,
and mistook the nature of his jury.
While his speech was more solid and
lponderous than Mr.. Buffers, 1t was not
based upon an equal understanding OF
human nature. 1t pleased the Demo
Gratis very much, and, as usual, they
raised the cry that the coming man was
come at last. Mr.. Curtis may, there
fore, be considered as among the noble
army of martyrs to be suggested as the
Democratic candidate for the Presi-
denCY,