Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-05-26

last lllness,-for publication In family memorial
"UWyernor Mattocks ofvermont, who died in Isi7-
As Nermonter You feel interested in all that re-
ates To your native State as well as in the profes
son which now mourns the loss OF SO eminent
member as the late Judge Redfeld / therefore
axe pleasure in presenting this sketch to the bar,
through the columns OF your widely extended pa
per- am very truly yours,
JOHN MArrocEs.
Chicago, April 9Th. Iss6.
My first recollection of Governor Mat
toeks, Of Peacham, Vermont. dates from
the year 1ol6, when at the age CT twelve
years was pupil at the academy in that
town, and in the " town and gown con-
tests; IN ball playing, or other games, Cen
eral Mattocks, as he was then called, was
the champion of the academy boys. | trust
It will not be considered scandalous to name
here, that the prize in one of these contests,
was gallon Of pure whiskey. That was
before the days of modern scientific discov-
cry that all stimulus in health is either use
less or hurtful, or that the Bible is myth
cannot say that my personal knowledge
OF Governor MattOcks was Of much account
from that time until my admission to the
bar, in Orleans county, Vermont, in 1927.
AT that time he stood decidedly at the head
of the bar in that section of the State, and
had done so for nearly forty years. He read
law, | think. at MiddleburY, Vt. with his
brOther-in-law, Miller, who was a very dis
tinguished member of the bar of that day,
when it embraced as much talent to say the
least. as it has ever done since. lie snbse-
quently removed to Peacham, where he
spent the remainder of his lie, mainly IN
the practice of his profession.
Those who think of Peacham as it has
been for the last thirty years, isolated from
public travel, and equally from that great
source of assumed modern enlightment,
the conversion by means OF rapid revOlu
ton and more rapid progress; perched
upon hills thousand feet above tide water,
more completely shutting it out from the
sunshine Of modern progress, than thou
sand miles of distance, have no adequate
comprehension of what it was in the early
wears of the present century when John
MattOcks, the young giant, IN his probes
sion. and the young leader IN the politics OF
the State, (fOr that was still IN the hands
of the old FederaliSts, the most national,
and the most upright and talented party the
country has ever produced); the champion
of every field and always fGciie pr7Rceps fEteT
pares, might not unjustly be said to WELD
wider ard more controlling influence than
any man of his years had ever done before
or has ever done since in the State.
know this will seem like exaggeration
I
! State, and who have not the slightest COM
| prehension how any man, not in contact
| with the railway and the telegraph can
possibly acquire any influence upon any
| body OF ANYTHING. But such men have yet
| much to learn of the real elements of
greatness, whether IN individual character
| or in that Of states and empires. When
the State was controlled by such men as
! Isaac 1ichenor. Nathaniel and Daniel Chip
man, Chauncey LangdOn, Charles Ii. WI
! liams, David EdmOnds, Samuel swift and
| his brother Benjamin. Samuel Miller. Dan
| iel Farrand, Daniel Buck, Elijah Paine,
John Mattocks, Samuel Prentiss. and others
of like character and ealibre. Peacham was
in fact the headquarters Of the council
chambers OF the party for all the most es-
sential practical erds, and Peacham Acade-
my was then under the leadership OF such
head masters a. Ezra Carter and David
| Chassell, whose equals could not now be
| found in any similar positions IL all New
4 England, and sent forth such pupils as
| Thaddeus Stevens, the great American COM
mander, and Samuel Merrill. the early poll
teal leader in Indiana, and Wilbur Flsk,
| the almost inspired disciple and preacher Of
| Methodism throughout America, and an
army of others OF ike eminent character
and gifts. At such time We need not
/
| ter, the eloquent preacher and wise and
conscientious guide and counsellor. and
| William Chamberlin, and John W. Chan
| dler. q J and John Mattocks, all residents
! of Peacham, welding and surrounded by
such influences were able to make an I'm
p0rtAnt impression upon public sentiment
| throughout the state. And such was most
unquestionably the fact during all the pc
riod Of the Federal ascendancy in the State,
until the year ISIS. with occasional inter
ruptions Of more or less extent before that
| time.
But Gov Mattocks's great life work was
certainly not accomplished mainly IN public
| political positions, although he undoubte1-
! ly secured a very large share OF the public
| confidence throughout the whole period OF a
! full and rounded term of earthly existence.
| lie was always the representative of his
| town in the legislature, whenever he de-
| sired it. He was in Congress for two terms
before 1927 and again for another term
| Just after 1910. He was member OF the
| the Supreme Court from 1893 TO 1885. and
| Governor of the State for two years about
| 1910, during which period 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 welcome
concluding, in his own inimitable manner.
d" How are you, Dick Johnson am glad
to welcome you to this State, and to this
chamber The Vice President afterwards
said, he was sorry he had not known his
excellency's sObrIquet, that he might have
replied, How are you, Jack Mattocks
God bless you"
But must hasten to conclude my brief
| exposition of the public and professional
| life of one of the most eminent and highly
| gifted men of my native State-the most
| gifted. as it always seemed to me, among
them all, with the single exception of SEN
ator Phelps, who unquestionably bears the
palm in that respect above all Others OF the
| State to the present time.
But Gov. Mattocks's great field of excel
| lence and glory was the bar. There Is no
| shaHming. and no shortcuts to emlnence
there. Stern Justice applies its measuring
rod with unhinchiDg impartlallty to all
comers there, whether from the walls of
the universities. or from the fields and the
| hOcks. or the highways and byways OF com
mon life in any department. There is there
no favoritism. and no stinted or grudsng
| recognition of power and strength IN that
field The humblest may there expect pa
tient hearing, and the most highly favored
can demand no more. Ii was my fortune.
when came TO the bar in Orleans county,
| to find all the important advocating in the
| hands of lawyers from other counties. And
| of this number, Gov. Mattoeks was far tho
most eminent, although there were many
others, such as Fletcher, Cushman, Pad
| dock 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 state of things, but We could not
| break it up, since the clients would control
| the matter to a large extent. in spite OF the
| advice of the local bar. Bat We could and
did seek redress ~ another way. Some oil
| the members of that bar attended the terms
| in the adjoining counties, and returned the
| favor they did us by arguing their causes
! This was always kindly received by Gov.
Mattocks. His position was too assured to
! feel any twinges of envy or jealousy. lie
said to his old companions OF the bar. that
il had something of the sound of old Roman
times. " delendo est CqrfhaqO," more in
sport or badinago than IN earnest, no
doubt.
The most effective and eloquent address |
ever heard from Governor Mattocks. was
the closing address to the jury on behalf Of
the Information in the trial of Clereidnd
| q } for murder in procuring an abortion.
| (P) The accused was connected by affinity.
with some of the most influential families
in the State, who naturally shrunk from be-
ing declared kindred with murderer, which
gave great interest to the trial in many i'm
portant aspects. The court was composed
of the Chief Justice and one other Judge OF
the Supreme Court. with two lay assistants.
The law was discussed at the bar from day
| 10 day, during the trial, and was supposed
10 be definitely settled before Mr.. Mattoeks
arose TO make his closing argument The
popular sentiment seemed quietly to have
settled down into the expectation OF ver-
dict of manslaughter. But Mr.. Mattocks
had not spoken twenty minutes before we
ali felt that he was carrying everything be-
fore him. with the power of the enchanting