The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-08-13

"But il comes 20 all and at all times and with per-
suasive influence in the beautiful example OF long
career of pulc and private virtue OF wisdom never sur
prsed OF goodness never ntermitted Of bengniy SIN
peity and genteness, finally ending N heod Shch Is
crown Of glory II be- found IN the way Of righteous
ness
We have said thai with very decided political opln-
ions for he was strict HamiltoniAn federalist, Mr.
Binney had no inclination Tor political hie ms iew
excursions into hardly be said 70 have been sue
cessl from any fault or defect OF his or he always
made his mark, for his were untoward emergencies
He served term Ia the federal Congress from lS3
to 1885 in the very beat of General JacksOns death
struggle with Mr. Bddle's Sank of the United States
Ii Was untOward season. for Nj Binncy was hghtng
the cause which not only doomed 10 defeat, but
which though he did not know it, deserved To DO
doomed Probably the discovery or this gave point to
the aspcrliy with which hc always spoke Of his BRIEF
Congressional career His three great speeches during
OF service the removal OF deposits, the
great and difficult election OF Letcher and Moore
and the critical relations of this country with France
As have said, Mr.. Binney did not retire from the
Bar for ten OF nine years later and here It Is but com
mon justice 10 give, as from memory perfectly distinct
quite able To do, description of his style OF
ortory II such word can be applied to oral rhetoricso
simple and perfectly lucid. Its characteristic was
the absolute correctness Of his diction word mis-
placed, no thought interrupted II can be printed pre-
ciscly waa spoken, and witha animated, ana with
has singular grace OF presence and acc and voice exqu
sitey nodulaled, very Impressive Speaking Of his
master and probably his model the elder Ingerso Mr.
Binncy has thus exactly described himscf:--
Ellis Oratory of very high order for both classes
OF men To whom IL addressed varying matcri-
ally whether before the jury box tho Bench except
in topics illustrations. 1t clear earnest logically
but always on the wing; not wanting IN vehemence on
proper occasion, and always sufficiently animated to
keep every one awake Before the Court his
weapons We're from the Mmory OF the law
aud the facts of his exclusively Before the Jury he
seized with dexterlty and effect upon every honest
prejudice that could enlist tho feelings OF the panel lie
never stumbled upon an awkward phrase, nor said
bitter thing nor began sentence before the thought
was ready for II and the language for the thought He
was vOublc rapid Ills words did not interfere
with each other; nor height Of excitement did
his voice bray nor his arms lash tho air nor his foot
he
slow, ii he inquiring for the next word nor mo-
notOnous If he Was reading from stercotyp ped mem
DRY But with just the proper tone and measure, rising
sufficiently above the natural key OF conversation to
give something like air rhythm TO his language and
speaking from his brain and not from his brief no
proceeded with proper ases and variations OF time,
from beginning 10 end without single breakdown or
trip in word thought. have known "A distinguished
leader in the British House OF Commons utter sentence
after with such rapdty and bolt up tho
last OF his last sentence without finding IL nj home
He had to trust therefore, to chance selection, and
ended in patitudc This Is not, | think very
American failing; but tho same thing has
times happened at Bar and with rather clever
men too; but it never happened TO Mr. lngersoll He
his feet always, whatever might be the footing
OF his cause and his step whether quick otherwise
was sustained 10 the point where he intended to pause
Without alectation of ornament or the of cooring
words IN the place of imagination. he would proceed
from hour to hour If the cause required u giving out
n regular current OF pertinent thoughts and manly
words the close 1t impossible for any to he
clear and intellgble IN the whole design OF his
speech and IN every phrase Of and equally inpos
sibe in any part Oft TO detect instance
which temper dignity, manllneSS OF carriage
Ecmaniness Of manner had been either forgotten or
studiousy remembered by him. so natural and habitua
these obscrvances with him"
Mr. Bnney's retirement, more than thirty years after
this never inactive He rusted in no sloth.
list of his occasional works for which indebted
to one of our Now York enterprsng book collectors be-
sides those we have already referred to- show great
tent and variety
one remarkable omission We detect which we homo
his immediate family and fellow citizens Will day
supply-t is worthy OF recalling now. The crash of
credit attendant the fall OF the Bank of the United
oil. o.
legislative and municipal remedies. The State OF Penn
syivana issued what called ''reief notes, n
wreched conrivance ia which one form of bad credit
piled upon another The city OF Philadelphia with
out the semblance of authority OF LAWN fact,
in violation of it-issued notes of as low
denomination as ten cents. That corporation took
further step II proposed 10 pay the interest its debt
i'll paper At this Mr. Bnney, deeply interested in the
fair OF his native city, Tevolted and printed
pamphlet series of letters, and able
that the danger WAS averted What on a greater
scale he has lived TO see in the issue of nconyerble
paper by the federal government need say.
With all his liberal constitutional views, Mr.. Blnney
from first to last seadfasi in his opposition 10 the
pang 10 him to his and his dead sons cherished
ciassmate, Judge Strong of the Supreme Court, lend
himself TO this outrage.
Kindred to this Mr. Binneys opposition "a vain
one as it proved to municipal subscriptions to public
improvements He held il and he demonstrated 10 be
wrong and no one knows what the end OF II VIII be yet
In the interval between his retirement from Congress
and the Bar Mr. Binney made visit to Europe with
portion OF his family and there Is reason TO hope that
OF it he has left some interesting memoranda
When our day of agony came, In the form Of civil
war. initiate and consummate, familiar with Mr.
Binneys opinions and conservative politics could doubt
which side he would be found. He for the
Union and the federal government from first TO last
He gave efficient support TO the administration of the
day; he seemed to rejoice, not at what had happened
for he too Christian man for that-but that his
ancient notions of federal coercive power be
realized. II the triumph OF his long dormant
Hamiltonanisn II may without offence be said that
il carried him too far as do not doubt ne himself
thought and led him at the close Of life to the commits
sion Of grave wrong. utterly ndefensible In the
early part Of the Mr. Binney published pamphlet
asserting the absolute right of the Executive OF his
motion and without the corporation of Congress, to
suspend the right of habeas corpus 1t mschicvous
in this not expression of Mr.. Binncy's opinion,
for he took to say that he not entirely con
WINGED of 1t, bot AS spccous argument of what might
be- said IN fayor of the doctrine Ii was IN this respect
unworthy of him. because the day had passed when he
could with propriety be the advocate OF bad To
the honor of the Philadelphia Bar be it said, il pro-
vokcd number Of able replies from various pens. With
grim satire, Mr. Kinney said he had flushed covcy
OF antagonists ~ it Is but truth that he retired
from the controversy Treparably damaged Mr. Binney
watched the war WITH the deepest interest and rcjoced
heartily IN its success Toward the end OF lac felt
compelled and here the better principles of his nature
became dominant TO utter warning voice even 10 the
vctors. He dsapproved, and said in pamphlet, Of
executive arrests and military commissions and this
long before the supreme Judicial authority Of the nation
had stamped them out of existence
Since the war Mr. BnRcy's life has been OF grace
ful contented seclusioE, calmly waiting and hourly cx
pectng, he has been heard 10 say, the summons
long delayed He avoided all chance of collision with
the world without shrinking away from those of others
the ncabc folly Of attempting TO arrest the enactment
of the new constitution framed in the interests of re-
form by equitable preventive process, Mr. Binncy, on
being asked TO read the opinion delivered by the then
Chief Justice favor Of this monsrOus doctrine simply
and sadly replied 50 said rumor at the time, II would
rather not read IT, for | wish to die in pcaccr
He was an earnestly religious man, attached on thor
ough conviction to the Protestant Episcopal Church, the
friend and counsellor OF its preatcs and clergy and yet
his controversy with the late Bishop Doane proves,
quite ready TO criticise It's irregular action when
he disapprovcd of IT, In the Doane matter that
Mo but afvfa "a for
some ecclesiastical institution In Burlington
where he was Bishop, and Mr. Binney had once been
resident, committed the iudscretion of putting the
Of the latter down for subscription Of 81 600,
and aterwaTd in speech other form of episco
pal manifestation justified it, Mr. Binney demolished
the presnmptuous prclatc in pamphlet which but for
the minute object at which il aimed might be called
wonderful piece of controversial artillery ln the
cause the Church. said the worthy but impecunous
bishop, "wecome debt" "You might as well say,
the lawyer aymans grim reply, lin tho cause OF
the Church welcome burglary" Mr. Dnney at once
presented twice the amount TO another Burlington in