The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-03-15
THE NEW CAB4EEg.
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wM. NJ. EyARrs, SECRETARY OF sTATE.
william Maxwell Evarts, whom Preli-
dent Hayes has chosen to be his Secretary
Of State, is, like his predecessor in that
office, q resident of Second avenue in this
city and is the peer in every way, and
in legal learning and ability moro than
the peer, Of his distinguished neighbor.
II is little more than quarter of q CEN
tury since Mr.. Eyarts came to this city
and was admitted to practice in tho
courts of this, State, but in that time.
short as !. ;s, he has earned the first
place, not oaly ct the Bar Of New yorE
BUT of tho country. He was born in
Boston, February 6, 1918, his father,
jeremiah Evarts, being lawyer of fair
practice and good ability. He entered
Yale College ut an early ags and was
graduated In 1887. Subsequently he
Studied for two years at the Harvard Law
School, and in 1841 he came to this city,
where he Immediately entered upon tie
practice of his profession. In few years
his industry and idelity, as we'll as his
ability as an advocate, gained him largo
clientage, and before he was thirty years
of age he held high position in his pro-
fession. ln 1851 he was appointed Uni-
ted States District Attorney for this dis,'
trict, and the same year he was also one
of the commissioners Of the Almshouse,
now known as the Commissioners Of
anently urged for United States Senator
in 1861, but was defeated by Ira Harris.
who was made the compromise candidate.
From July Is, 1868, until the close of
esdent Johnson's administration he
las Attorney General Of the United
States, and in 1871 he was selected by
President Grant as the leading counsel
of the United States at the Geneva arbi-
tration. Last gear he was prominently
advocated for the Republican nomination
for Governor of this State, but tho same
spirit of compromise which defeated him
for the United Ststes Senat ate In l99rcon-
tributed to deprive him of the nomina-
ton for Governor in 1876. These are the
only public positions which he has, ever
held, or to which he was supposed to as
pire, and it is at the Bar where he gained
his most conspicuous and distinguished
honors. When Mr.. Evarts retired from
the District Attorneys Office in 1853 was
formed the law firm of Butler, Evarts C
Southmayd, now known as EyaTts, South
mayd & Choate, and it was as member
of this firm that he gained his high place
as lawyer and publicist. While he was
United States District Attorney his most
prominent case was that which grew out
of the Cuban or CLEOPATRA, expedition.
Early in61851 ran expedition vas fitted
out by John I. Sullivan, we'll known
journalist, which was to sail in the Cleo
patra to aid in an insurrection to be begun
in Cuba, Warrants of arrest were issued
to prevent the sailing of the expedition,
and we're served when the Cleopatra had
steam up ready to sail. The trial of the
flibusterers lasted @ month, but the jury
failed TO agree. MFR. Evarts' next famous
case was the celebrated Lennon slave
case, il 1853. A vessel containing slaves
belonging to Mr.. Lennon vas driven by
storm into this harbor, and thereupon
,writs of haoeas corpus were obtained to
have cause shown why the slaves should
not be yelefseI being ID "a free State.
Mr.. Evarts appeared to represent the
State of New York, and the case was
carried to the Supreme Court of the
United States, where he finally succeeded
in obtaining verdict against the claim
ant. He was counsel in the great Parish
viii case, "a which Al attempt wss s.ade
to break the will of Henry Parish on the
ground of the mental incapecity of the
testator. A still later case in which Mr..
Evarts was engaged was one in which the
will of Mrs, Gardner. the mother of the
widow of eS-President Tyler, was contes-
ted on the ground of undue influence oE
the part of Mrs. Tyler to obtain the max
ing of the will. Although Staten Is
land jury found against the will Mr..
Eyarts finally gained his case before the
Court of Appeals. When articles of i'm
peachment we're brought by the House
OF Representatives. against the late Presi-
dent johnson Mr.. ,Evarts was called to
Washington as counsel for the defence,
and his effort on that occasion is almost
as fresh in lthesmi11sl Of tho lpebple as
his arguments in the Tilton-Beecher case
two years ago. For his legal champion
ship of President johnson he was re-
warded with a place in the Cabinet, as
his recent championship of Hayes before
the electoral tribunal gives him the first
place in the Cabinet of the new Presi7
dent; In person Mr.. Evarts is tall and
slender. he is fragile almost to attenua-
ton, and SO far from suggesting the idea
OF vehement orator, he impresses one
as as man of retired scholarly tastes, gen.
tie manners and academic belongings.
square and prominent forehead, dark
haired and dark skinned, with face per-
feectly smooth but thin, cadaverous,
shrunken, deep-set gray eyes, promi-
nent nose, and O square, decisive, finely
chiselled chin-such is VIM. NJ, Evarts,
me new Secretary of State In none Of
his ways has he the magnetism of q great
speaker. He has clear, sharp, ringing
'oce, Though, ,itis not,ppFerful py .musi-
cal. Hisla9tion,is 6pafangll 6ut etaetive.
In making his points he is lucid, precise
and cogent, seldom rhetorical or orna-
mental. He has an easy, colloquial way ;
ne ne. Is never III haste and never hesitates.
His style is classic in its correctness.
nus sentences are long and faultless, and
ireighted with words which show thet
profound thought is selecting felicitous
vocabulary as it goes along. He has 2
hhe humor, but it is the humor of culti-
yy3ation, not the coarse fun of the vulgar.
Ills appeals to the intelligence Of juries
are the highest in their ton5,f the broad
est IN their scope and the deepest in their
power OF any made in modern times.
Meoster Nas not more logicsi,- Story was
not more thorough lawyer, Choate not
g more billiant verbalist, nor Sumner a
lrmer believer in pure moral power.
MS argument in behalf of the election
VI hayes was the strongest in the late
h;.T"is", anu 10 his subtlety of intellect,
nls strength of character and kia frmnesa
anu rectitude Of purpose will the new
aulninistration owe much of whatever
success it attains.
JOHN a,rpo,. ..s