Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-10-08

oi iiiS, and possibly the Connecticut Stat
utes, as Its chief books; and in his first four
years of professional life be could not have
gained very large acquisitions from practice,
or from the books his brother lawyers brought
to tie courts. But his commission to revise
and codify the laws was accepted on three
conditions, to wit: first, that he should have
the ranking privilege for committee work
Vermont then having its own independent
post office dept; second, that he should have
the use in advance, and finally the ownership
OF such books as he should choose from the
coniscated library of Charles Phelps of Marl-
borough, who had been educated to the law
in Northampton, and settled in Vermont in
I764; and third, that in case the books were
redeemed by Phelps or were not adequate
compensation, the balance justly due the
committee should be paid in hard money.
Phelps was pardoned October of that year,
and such of bis property was restored as had
not been disposed of for the benefit of the
State" This left the law books in the hands
of the committee; and from these books, and
the thorough knowledge of the statutes
gained by his work on them, Chapman un-
doubuedy equipped himself for the bench, to
which in fact he was elected in 1885, just as
the code had been completed, ready for ac-
ceptance at the ensuing session of the general
assembly in the winter of 1877.
October, 1884, to October, 1886, two
years, Chipman was one of the representa-
tiyes of Tinmouth in the General Assembly
an Office which he doubtless desired as mat
ter of convenience in revising the laws.
From December. 1856, to December, 1887,
he served as Chief Justice, being the only
lawyer on the bench, and after one year 3
interim, he served in the same capacity from
December, 1889, to December, 1890. October
%, 1889, he was appointed one of the Com
missioners of Vermont to settle the long and
angry controversy with New York-a work
which was happily consummated on the 7th
of October, 1870, and mainly, 90 far as Ver-
mont was concerned, through the efforts and
influence of Judge Chipmdn (2) The commits
sioners reported to the General Assembly
Oct. 81, 1870, and on the 9th the report
had been accepted and ratified, and conven-
tion called to meet at Bennington, January
6, 1871, which did meet and adopt the Con
stitution of the United States. In this
convention Judge Chipman was delegate
for Rutland, and he took leading part in
advocating the Federal Constitution The
General Assembly met at the same time and
place. and appointed Judge Chlpman and
Lewis R. Morris Commissioners to apply to
Cong ess for the admission of Vermont into
the Union. They at once made their appli-
cation, and on the 18Th of February 1881
Vermont was admitted, to date from the 4lh
of the ensuiag March. In the appointment
of Federal officers of the State, President
Washington selected Nathaniel Chapman as
Judge OF the United States Court for the dis
trict of Vermont-an Office for life, which
however, the Judge resigned in 1913. Ii
that year he published tie first edition Of hii
s'Principles OF Government, and also the frs
edition OF his only volume of Reports and
| Dissertations.
Resuming the practice of the law, but
wi hout business office, and accepting i'm
portant cases only, he continued until Octo-
| Der, 1896. when he was again elected Chic
Justice and also one of the committee to re
wise the code of the statute laws. This re
suited in the code of 1897, which was writ.
ten almost entirely by Judge Chapman, and
of it competent judges at that day said, they
found ''no other code of statute laws writ.
ten in style so distinguished for simplicity
perspicuity and technical accuracy."* Ere
| = Life of Chapman, 109.
his term ut Chei Justice had expired, ht
was elected United States Senator, holding
that Office from March 1889 . to March l804
the Office OF town representative for Tinmoutt
in 1905, and held it each scccessive year I'm
til October, 1911. (2)
| March, 1913, he was elected one of th,
Council of Censors, heading the list, and o
the very important amendments to the con
stitution proposed by that body, one beini
the division of legisla tive powers into tw
coordinate branch hes, which was adopted il
:, 1886 Judge Chapman was a very able ad
J vocate, in a pamphlet entitled 1.-The Con
stitutionallst."
/ December, 1913. to December 1915 he agai
served as Chief Justice. Strictly speaking
7 this closed his official life, and it may be ado
ed, that he was displaced on a change of po
litical parties in the government of the State
, as 10 fact he had also been elected in 1878
though to his credit it must be said that b
received more than his party's vote.
In 1915 he was appointed professor OF lay
in Middlebury College, and this position b
, held nominally until the close of his life
, In dischargipg its duties, he prepared
r course Of lectures which attracted consider
e able attention at the time, and four, selecte
! from the series because of their interest
t general readers, were printed in the life {
Chapman.
From 1917. though his intellectual pow
2 ers were in full vigor. Judge Chapman a
e tempted little professional busln ess, OWN
to his deafness; but he read much, and wrol
: much, taking the opportunity to recast an
r rewrite his Principles of Government, Ell
D larged by valuable treatise on the constt,
!, tion and government of the United States
e This volume was printed in 1888, when il
author was in his Slst year. Nearly COZ
9 temporaneous with this was his elabora
D and able argument, entitled I" Observation
! on Mr.. Calhoun s expose of his Nullihcatlo
S Doctrines which was printed in the al
pendix to the life of Nathaniel Chipmal
: These are his last great works, and thoug
d written at an age when most men ha,
e reached the second stage of infancy, b
y might safely rest his title to homage ar
: lame on these alone. His 50 Principles
e Government alone made him famous ]
both Europe and America. The extreme
a in politics paid him equal homage-the den
'i ocratic jefferson and the Gar OF Russia.
% This brief review of the public life
Chipman shows that from the second year
= his residence in Vermont until he retir'
u from professional business that is, 1871 III
u til lSl7-he was almost constantly engage
q in professional and public services; but
will also be observed that his active life Wi
g to remarkable degree fragmentary. Ii '
measure the years passed either at the b
or on the bench. or in other public labor
we shall find that the sum OF each can
is reached only by adding scattered irasmer
ai of time; year or two at the bar, tneu
wear or two on the bench, alternating To
OF again and again and at no time do we ii
RI more than six years of continuous service
ID one office. Even the briet space spared h
ne tor his education was divided BY his servi
20 in the army. 1t is apparent, then. that
a. no time could Judge Cnipman have beer
rich man from the avails of his protest.
ed or his offices in other business he was I
ortunate; and the fact was that almost
n lite he ranked with the large majority OF
IT. fellow citizens as poor man, though in
ne rellectual riches he stowered high ab'
b. - = -.