, 1876-05-13
Lincoln ms n Lawyer.


In the amount of legal learning which he
possessed as fund Of knowledge and from
which he could draw as lie pleased, he was
not the equal Of many lawyers have known.
Somebody has said the creates. lawyer 10 the
man who in thc least time can And the lnsn
who knows the law. IF law question was
submitted to Lincoln, or rose in case, BY
bis power of analysis, by lookingat the state
,ncnt Of the principle in few books, and
by logic induction, he knew how to rsach
the roo; and marrow Of the matter, and do
it accurately What he SOW hc saw clearly,
and what he stated or demonstrated, lie stat
ed or demonstrated clearly. Many time I
have seen an old farmer in the court room all
attention for an hour, listening to Mr.. Lin
coin in the argument OF o dry law PROPOSE
tion. lie made it so clear and so plain, ILLUS
tratcd and enforced it by comparisons and
arguments so forcibly and easily comprehen-
dcd, that the farmer understood just as much
about it as the court did. As trial lawyer
he had few equals aud no superiors. He
was as hard o man to beat in a closely con-
tested case as ever met. He was wise in
knowing what to attempt and what to let
alone. Hc was fair to the court, the jury,
and his adversary, but candor compels me to
say that he by practice learned there was
power in this. He was candid and he was
fair but he knew how to make just the most
of this. As he entered the trial, where most
lawyers object, he would say he "reckoned"
it would be fair to let this in or that, and
sometimes. when his adversary could not
prove what Mr.. Lincoln knew TO be the truth
he would say he "reckoned" it would be fair
to admit the truth to be so and so. When
he did object to the court, after he had heard
his objection answered, he would often say,
"Wel reckon it must be wrong" Now,
about the time he had practiced this three
quarters through case, II his adversary
didn't understand him he would wake up
in few minutes finding that he had feared
the Greeks too late and wakeup to find him
self beat. lie was wise as serpent in the
trial of cause, but tell you have got too
many scars from his blows to certify that no
was harmless as a dove. When the whole
thing is unraveled the adversary begins to
sec that what he has so blandly given away
was simply what he couldn't get and keep
BY giving away six points and carrying the
seventh he carried his case, and the whole
case hanging on the seventh, he traded every
thing of that would give him the least aid
in carrying that Any man who took Mr.,
Lincoln for simple.minded man would
very soon wake up ou his back in the ditch.
By this do not mean that he had cunning,
and beat by trick. He had nothing of this,
for he never cheated his adversary. He
simply knew that the strength OF a Sampson
Law in his hair, and knowing this, so long be
would give away everything else with the
utmost frankness and kindness; but If you,
too, found out or knew the same fact, and
went at him to joust him from his position
and take away his weapons then he gave
nothing. but arose like lion awakened in
his lair His stopping form Strengthened,
his angular features acquired force and eI-
preston, bis eyes flashed, all his powers Of
logic sarcasm aud 'idicuIe were aroused,
and rejecting all compromise he fought it
out on that line until he carried the day.
--LeoFari Srd