The New York herald., 1869-05-20
COLUMBIA COLLEGE LAW SCHOOL.

COLUMBIA COLLEGE LAW SCHOOL.
~o~oo>~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~
Annual Commencement-Addresses
tees, Report and COnferring of Diplomas.
The Academy OF Music was last evening attended
by large and fashionable assemblage. the occasion
being the tenth annual commencement Of the Co.
lumbia College Law School. Great interest was
manifested In the proceedings evidenced not only by
the numerous attendance on such an inauspicious
evening" but by also the apparent pleasure exhibited
at the manner In which the programme was ar
ranged and carried out The President DR.. F. A. p.
Barnard occupied the chair. After the overture to
"Zampa'' had been satisfactorily rendered by Gra-
fula's band, which, by the way, enhanced the reu-
MON by some very pleasing selections, the Rev. G.
r. Dune offered prayer, which followed by an
address delivered by Professor T. w. Dwight.
General H. EDWIN TREMAINE then delivered the
Alumni Grafton. He said the Alumni were not yet
veterans at the bar. Although the diplomas of the
venerable college were illumined with the fame Of
statesmen warriors, lawyers and divines, its law
school was yet in its infancy. 1t graduates were
private soldiers in professional life. He considered
that lawyers priests miniserng at the altar OF
human justice. In times past the high Chanceors
of England were selected from the Church, they
were the keepers OF the kings conscience. Here
the people WELD the sceptre, ana lawyers were the
keepers Of the peoples equities. After auding to
the various powers and duties OF the lawyer, he went
on to state that entwined with all that affected the
State and the citizen, the profession brought to its
members grave responsibilities 1t was the duty OF
lawyers to keep the tribunals OF justice pure. When
justice was impeached then was the social fabric
shaken and constitutional liberty imperilled Legis-
lative corruption was a trihng ev in comparison;
but when judges were bad and their officials unre-
liable, what security was there that the house one
lived in would be his tomorrowp What became OF
public use at nominal value. and needless
Judges might DISMISS petitions 4 Illegal taxes were
a remedy? What became OF rights OF persons II
| brutal arrests were made under even the law and
the shadow of judicial process created the pretext
| for Illegal Imprisonment and shameful extOrtion
He considered that gross Justice, however was not
was rarer in lesser tribunals. If that sad hour
| should come when distrust and corruption In
| tested also the high tribunals OF State, fare
well to private rights, to liberty, to free institutions
to public morality and farewell to the sacred ties OF
peope te,W wnosg Sich thetr chSren wond have then
| proved unworthy to maintain. II was when the
Roman ministers OF justice proved faithess that the
ancient empire began to crumble. 1t was when in
Justice prevailed against innocence that French re-
| publicanism became failure and 1t was when the
foul spirit of slavery controlled the highest court IN
the land and was able to dictate its DEGREES that
such a spirit waxed bold enough for open war.
| 1t was matter of notorlety that money
was crminally spent to procure the omission Of
offlcial duty and the commission Of official wrong,
and needless ministers OF justice silent. After
dilating upon the corruption OF the bench he alluded
TO the once and duties Of the sheriff. The sheriff in
former times was chosen from among the weathiest
and most notable commoners. the high ONCE was
guarded from temptation without and corruption
within. He was and Is the official representative OF
Justice He left it for others to say II the oce at the
present day retained its ancient dignity. From the
history OF Manhattan, however, 1t would be difh-
were selected for this distinguished station
| while 1t was difficult to discover which sherif
discharged from the penitentary had myslerlousy
escaped oflcial recognition he was not eligible to
become sheriff, or an appointed deputy to become
the ministerial officer OF court of justice to clohe
| its bald DEGREES with potency. To the sheriff the
people looked for public sec security ana the bar for
annoying ltigations. Were not the facts glaring
however, that the bar feel debased in crossing the
threshold Of the chief officer OF the courts and had
it not come to pass that corruption, extorton and
even embezzlement were hardly concealed by the
| wiles Of ordinary theft, that the men VINO repre-
| sented judicial mandates were those who lived by
| vice, and that large per cent OF their ill-gotten
ssa searcey the preteSt Of lawful authority and how
| far was that venalty from the bench itselfS 1t
could scarcely be nearer tn unless upon % mt T.;
| city had yet to raise its powerful arm
against the tide OF aiv surgng at the courts OF
| Justice fast washing away the corner stone OF the
municipality and undermining the very fabric Of
the state. Mob law began in cities; revolutions
| commenced in crowded populations. civil comm0-
ton was started When wrongs were perpetrated
under the garb of justice 1t was the bar who should
aeT e and TO ap a e Wno aas
formerly aed the mi pnoc sSors oees; time ne s,Sc oS
| when, BY reason OF the extended preparation
required and the stringest test TO which candidates
were subjected that the name OF lawyer was OF itself
| some guarantee to secure public respect and per-
| sona confidence. Now the rolls OF the courts con-
tanned the names OF men uneducated to the profess
sion and whose Publications had never been tested
| by lawful authority or subsequent experience. New
| York justly boasted OF profession whose cham
pions had taught legal reform to iron-bound
| California and Reconstructed south Carolina, and
| even the mother Of common law now learned from
courts to philosophze the contradictions OF Brit
| fuh rhnn ~ a
the present, and may the bar ever be worthy OF IT.
SELF loyal to the citizen and faithful to the state
Mr. Henry Nicon then delivered an address.
The annual prizes In the department OF Municipal
Messrs. f. Ii. owen, Hooper c. Van Worst and Henry
IL. Anderson, as follows:-Ihe first prize OF $3.50 TO
LSrd Bh9p tSs b the 2 prize of Of sp to
Edward Tracy The prize OF $500 in the department
OF Political Science was awarded by committee
| Blake and James G. Carter, TO Herck c. Bond.
| The degree OF Bachelor OF Laws was then con-
ferred upon the following persons:-w William Henry
| Andrews, James Knox Averlll Walton Peckhan,
| Bells, Charles Wyllys Belts, James Lord Bishop,
Henry herrlcS Bond Charles Henry Burtls Charles
| Cottman, Robert Emmett Cowart, George Hubert
| Cowell, James Ambrose Deering, George Gozman
Dewitt, John J. Dubois Patrick Gavan Duny
| Frank ]. Dupgnac, George ozro Emerson, Charles
Emmett, John Barnard fairbank, Louis Fellows,
Grlswold Greene, Edward Graham Haig6t,
George Henry Hansen; p,, Thomas Hedge Hedge Jr;
1 John Homer I1ldretn, Plerre van Buren Hoes,
| George Chandler Holt. william Warner Hoppn, Jr.,
| Clarence Melville Hyde, william Halsey Ingersoll,
| George Landon Ingraham, Henry Whitman kenne-
| dy Henry Thomas Lee, Hamilton Wright Mabe,
| William Hector McAlster, John Thomas NC.
\ Donough Dennis Mcmahon. Jr., Charles Anson
| Maltby, George Manierre, Francis Eston Marsh
| Abram John Miller James Appleton Morgan, James
| Edward Morrison, William Pitt Mudgett, George
Francis Murray Cadwalader Evans Ogden, Richard
Wayne Parker, Charles Ewing Patterson, Court
landt Palmer. Jr:; Walter Pell, CalebI Purdy,
Rudolph Frederick Rabe, Theodore Ritter.
Charles Roberts, Charles Hall Rockwell, Fran.
els Markoe scott, William Henry Secor,
George Preston Sheldon, Frederick Isaac Small,
Charles Edward Souther Calvert Spensley Ernesf
Gordon Stedman Francis Lynde Stetson, Horace
Stetson, Solomon Thayer Streeter, Charles Avery
Tracy Charles Edward Tracy, Edgar Abel Turrili,
Waldemar Jones Tuska, Aaron Ernest Vanderpoei'
Philip Van sl.ensselaer Van wyck, Frank Ward
vessels, Charles Warren West, George Peabody
wetmore, Ezekiel Webster whipple William WI.
son, james Henry Work Edward Marshal wright.