Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-05-26
SECOND EDITION.
Judges Hail and miIIigan.

the Bar Association to present the resolutions
concerning the late Judge Hall, then addressed
the court substantially as follows -
81 have been requested to present to this
| Court resolutions adopted at recent meeting of
the Bar Association, in relation to the death of
| Judge Hall. In performing this task, am SEN
| sibly impressed with the proprety of the Bar in
taking action regarding man, who, although
| for some time withdrawn from this Bar, has been
| identified with this State in larger sphere than
| any other public man within my knowledge. He
| was truly man OF our soil. He came here
young man and stranger under the auspices of
| the late James A. Bayard, which was enough to
| entitle him to credit. When we SO back to that
remote period, over three-fourthH of century,
| and consider with whom he associated and Will
whom he was brought in conflict = there
\ were then living such men as the late james A.
| Bayard Chief Justice Clayton, the greatest COM
mon law lawyer we have had, the late MIR. Ridg-
| ley, painstaking, industrious student IN this
| town was the elder Mr. Read the deepest read
| lawyer in tile State the younger MIR. Read, a
| most astute and refined man Nicholas Van
| Dyke. man of most extensive education In
| Wilmington were Louis McLane and James
| Rogers. These were some of the men with
whom he came in conflict and among whom he
| attained an honorable position. Thus passed
| the first 20 years of his life here, and had he
| continued to practice who can say to what he
| might not have attained He was persuaded
| to go into the District Court where he was, we
| might say, buried. There was no place in which
| he might have gained such advancement as at
the common law court, but he was deprived of
that opportunity.
Judge Hall was not only lawyer and Judge,
but he was in other respects man endowed
with qualities fitted for the Statesman or pub
icist. No in the history oil Ills State has
eyer filled higher positions. After ne was called
to the bench he was made by the people mem-
Der of the convention which framed the present
constitution of our State. In the performance
of this duty, he commanded universal respect,
and when it was concluded the Legislature de-
volved upon him the duty OF codifylng our laws.
| This WAS work of peculiar difficulty. The
| laws of this State were then in two large vol
| umes and several smaller ones, and constituted
which but few understood. whom he
| formed the digest he mot the appreciation oil tho
people who were grateful in return for his abil-
ity. Soon after he was selected by the Legisla-
ture to form system of public schools,a system
which has never been since improved upon, a sys-
| tenn of free education, system in which Judge
Hall showed his peculiar faculty. When we look
at these incidents i'll his long and busy life wllere
| can you point your finger to man in the history
of this State who has filed such position! he
was free from personal bias and performed his
duties coolly and calmly as q good man. As
Judge no man who practced under Inn could
condemn the motive of his decision. He was
| upright and examined questions brought before
him with care and held the full confidence Of the
Bar.
But have spoken only of his public charac-
ter He was more than this He was, L believe
pure, holy, and conscientious man. He regard
ed the laws of God as well as those of man. He
participated in all the various departments of
religion and aided the cause with Lis means. In
his long life we are filled by this alone with high
| respect for Lis memory We cannot look upon
| a man, no matter how iterate, who has reach
ed an age 30 near a hundred years but we
arc filed with awe. This man, who dNr-
ing of all long and busy life knew every public
man in State, and who was conversant with
all the changing administrations could tell US
l tp,
recollections Such man ought to haye his
name inscribed in the halls of Justice aa name
that is venerable as the name of one who has
lived for mankind and his country.
Mr.. Rodney concluded his remarks by moving
the adoption of the following resolutions which
were read by the clerk :
RESOLUTIONS,
The Bar Association of New Castle County
having heard with profound sorrow of the
death of the Honorable Willard Hall, for near
ly half century the District Judge of the I'm
tied States for the District of Delaware, do re-
solve,
First--That by his strong and clear judg-
men,t his sound and thorough learning and his
| unfaing patience, diligence, candor and fair
ness, our departed Brother achieved q distin-
guished place at the Bar in a contest with able
competitors and won the universal confidence
| and esteem Of three generations of lawyers and
| of the people among whom his life was passed.
| Second. That the unvarying courtesy, kindness,
| and forbearance which marked his conduct
| towards the Bar and the patient attention and
| painstaking consideration always given by him to
| their arguments we will ever cherish and hold III
grateful remembrance.
Third, That in his life he set before himself
| the highest standard of public duty and as
member of the General Assembly, of the Con
gress of the United States, of the
| Convention to frame the constitution
of the State, the first codher of our laws, and
| the one to whose almost single influence we
| owe our school system, he rendered services
invaluable to the people and for which they rem
| der to his memory in unstnted measure that
| veneration and love, which are given only to
| those who are the benefactors of all.
Fourth That as hs was bameless as u judge
| and devoted in his public services to the State,so
in his private life al sincere and deyout CHRIST
| ian and as one faithful and just to all men, he
furnished an example benefcent in its influence
| and worthy of all imitation.
| Fifth, That copy of these resolutions, duly
attested, be presented to the family of our de-
parted Brother. to the Courts of the State and OF
the United States for the District of Delaware.
| At the conclusion of the reading of the resolu-
| tions, Hon. T. 4. Bayard seconded the motion
| for their adoption, saying that it was his sad
| privilege to attend the funeral of Judge Hail. as
one of the pail bearers, and that he not pres
| ent at the meeting which adopted the present
| resolutions, but he felt it a privilege to add
tribute to a life so prolonged 80 honorable, and
| so useful. That whatever mental faculties
Judge Hall may have had his works will still at
| test them. The people among whom he came
have been blessed There have been men more
| gifted with mental ability, but none whose name
will last longer. Mr.. Bayard then read the fol-
| lowing, letter written by Judge Hall while he was
student .at-law i'll Groton, Mass, to Non.
James A. Bayard, Dover, Del, and dated 0c-
| tober 9th, 1902:
LETTER FROM WILLARD HALL To J. A. BAYARD.
| Sir:-
Perhaps intrude upon moments devoted to
| better purposes. Perhaps to comply with ny
| request would be waste of your time and
attention. II so pardon the presumption
which urges distant stranger thus to address
| you and bestow not upon him that consideration
| to which he processes no claim.
| was born in Westford in the commonwealth
| of Massachusetts,, WAS educated at Harvard Uni
versty in Cambridge, and am now reading law
with Samuel Dana, Esq, a gentleman with lis
eminent in his profession, probably to you
| unknown. In this part of the country three
| years of uninterrupted stcdy completes law
| education BY this rule shall finish mine in
March next and shall in that month be admitted
| to the bar in this county. In this part of the
| country there are too many lawyers i'll proper
ton to the law business. This dsproportion
has occasoned many low practices, (among some
| LAWYERS in profession which expected was
| worthy Of the esteem and respect of society. On
| this account 1 shall seek some quarter where
the prospects of the profession are more prom
| Using than with From some observations
made by you on the floor of Congress, have
been induced to wish a settlement in the State