St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-04-28

| "llil;ihl Cnamberlaln, ana JOhn Mat
tOcks all residents of Peacham, WELD
ing and surrounded by such influences
were able to make an important i'm
preston upon public sentiment through
out the state. And such was most un-
questiOnably the fact during all the
period of the Federal ascendancy in the
state, until the year 1915, with Occa-
slOnal Interruptions of more or less ex-
tent before that time
But Gov. Mattocks' great life work
was certainly not accomplished mainly
in public political positions, although
he undoubtedly secured very large
share of the public confidence through
out the whole period of a full and
rounded term of earthly existence. He
was always the representative of his
town i'll the legislature, whenever he
desired it. He was in Congress for two
terms before 1897 and again for an
other term just after 1910. He was a
member of the Supreme Court from 1893
to lo35, and governor of the State for
two years about 1910, during which pc
rod the former vice-president of the
United States, Richard NJ. johnson,
visited the State, and was received by
the governor and general assembly in
JOINT session, the governor making one
of his always happy speeches of wei
come-concluding in his own inimitable
manner, How are you, Dick johnson
| am lad ts welcome YOU to this State,
and to this chamber" The vice-presi-
dent afterwards said, he was sorry he
had not known his excellencvs sobri-
quet, that he might have replied, GLOW
are you, Jack Mattocks9 God bless
YOU"
But l must hasten to conclude my
brief exposition of the public and pro-
fessional life of one of the most eminent
and highly gifted men of my native
State-the most gifted, as it always
seemed te me, among them all. with
the single exception of Senator Phelps,
VIII" unquestionably bears the palm in
that respect above all others of the State
to the present time.
But Gov. Mattocks' great field of ex-
cellency and glory was the bar. There
Is no shamming. and no shortcuts to
emlnence there. Stern Justice applies
ITS measuring rod, with untlinching i'm
partIalltN to all comers there. whether
from the walls of the universities or
from the fields and the tiocks, or the
highways and bNwayS of common life in
any department. There is there no
favolltlsm, and no stinted or gludging
recognition of power and strength in
that field. The humhlest NAV there
expect patient hearing, and the most
highly favored can demand no more
1t was my fortune. when | came to the
bar Ia Orleans county. to find all the
important advocating in the hands of
lawyers from other counties And of
| this number. GSV. MattOcks was far
the most eminent, although there were
many others, such as Fletcher. Cush-
man. Paddock and Bell. that it would
not be easy to match anywhere in the
State. at any time since. We naturally
felt some humiliation at such a state of
things. but We could not break il up.
since the clients would control tie mat
ter to a large extent, in spite of the ad-
vice of the local bar. But we could
and did seek redress in some other way.
Some of the members of that bar at
tended the terms in the adjoining conn
ties, and returned the favor they did lis
10y arguing their cauSeS. This was al
wayskindly received 10y Gov. MattockS.
His position was too assured to feel any
tWlngeS of envy or jealousy. He said To
his old companions of the bar. that it
had something of the sound of old Ro-
man times. ''deIen}o est CarthagO." more
III sport or badinage than in earnest. no
doubt.
The most effective and eloquent ad-
dress ever heard from Governor Mat
tocks. was the closing address to the
lulN on behalf of the Information in the
trial "t ttcreidhd for murder in pro-
curing an ahortion.P) The accused was
connected 10y affinity. with some of
the most influential families in the State
who naturally Shrunk from being de
clared kindred with Il murderer. which
gave great interest to the trial in many
important aspects. The court was
composed of the chief justice and one
Judge OF the Supreme Court. with two
lay assistants. The law WAS discussed
at the bar from day to day. during the
trial. and was supposed To he definitely
settled before Mr.. Mattocks arose to
make his closing argument. The pop
ular sentiment seemed quietly to have
settled down into the expectation of "A
verdict of mans slaughter. But Mr..
Matt"cks had not spoken twenty min
uteS before we all felt that he WAS car
rNlng everything before him. with the
power of the enchanting wand. The
spectators, the bar. and the court. and
especially the jury comprehended at Il
glance that MattockS would accept
nothing less than verdict of murder
III the first degree, and that this he must
and would have. in spite of all ohstruc-
ton from the public opinion. or the
charge of the court. His manner was
cool, almost to soIemnity, his diction
plain even to the very verge of the
common places of the vernacular in
ordinary conversation. His person
short and dumpy, and his eve almost
obscured hy fixed introversion, gave no
special force to his look. or his manner.
which was indeed that of txedness. |
rather than of expression. But his |
words possessed such il power as words |
never seemed to me to have on any |
other occasion. He arranged the cv- |
dence III such manner il had never be |
fore assumed, and the rule oflaw which |
he invoked from the court as the only |
security of the life of the body polite,
and of each of its members, was so sim
pie and natural, lis to seem irresistible.
and such it proved for the court at once
acceded to it, Withdrawing all its former
announcements.
| have listened to Webster, and to
most of the more distinguished Ameri.
can orators, both at the bar and ia Con
gress, and to the most distinguished or
ators of England at the present time in
Parliamel t, lis well as ut the bar, but
for real maddened eloquence, | have
never heard anything which seemed to
me quite up TO this argument of Cover
nor Mattocks. 1t is scarcely necdIu to
add that Cleveland WAS convicted of
murder and sentenced to death, ii most