The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-03-01

Not meaning any offence to the great
ness OF the component parts of the Com
mission, pencil first some of the great
lawyers, for the simple reason that they
rather than the Grand Tribunal have al
tracted most OF the eyes of the spectators.
(Which is Charles O'Conor ?" "Where
is he ~ is that Evarts2" "What little
fellow he is" These were the first and
most frequent questions on the first day OF
the Commissions open session. They
have been of repeated since.
Nearly in front OF Morton sat, on the
first two days Of the session, Il keen-eyed,
watchful. benevolent looking old man.
You may see an hundred such in Boston
on any bright. sunny afternoon, save the
bright eyes and the firm, yet kindly look.
ing mouth The face was devoid of hair
The skin too white OF hue for health, too
white even for the natural teebleness of
| threescorc and ten. The head was round
and full especially above and in front of
the ears. A few sparse gray locks still
fringed the base of the skull, but the top
of the head was bald. bare and white 1t
was O'Conor, the greatest constitutional
lawyer of our day There was an instant
hush the moment he rose to speak, and the
first feeling was that he was too old and
feeble to bear the brunt of SO great case.
Feeble in body he certainly was. The pal
lor of his skin showed it. The shaking
limbs eloquently reiterated the proof. But
the ieebleness of body has in no wise af-
tected the mind. The fire of intellect still
burns undimmed, and the strong will still
forces the weary body to do its bidding.
Before O'Conor had talked five minutes
the Commission, the attending lawyers
| and spectators had forgotten all about his
physical intrmities and were paying rapt
attention to his words.
In manner of speech OConor is one of
| the slowest takers | have ever heard In
| this respect he reminds me more of Wen
dell Phillips than Of any other public
| speaker Each word comes slowly, clear
| ly. distinctly, as though carefully weighed
before being used. Involved sentences are
carefully avoided and the simplest words
are used. Imagery is rarely INDUCED in,
but when he does indulge in a metaphor
it is beautiful, simple and apt. Under
his matchless simplicity OF expression the
most intricate law points stand out clear
to the comprehension of the average mind.
This ability to state with clearness what
| he knows is one of his chief attributes of
success as a lawyer. His voice is bari
tone, clear and pleasing. Ordinarily he
speaks with emphasis, though he never
mouths or rants When he made his great
speech before the Commission he had had
no sleep for two nights, thanks to the I'M
seemly haste of the Republican members
of the Commission, who would not allow
counsel sufficient time to prepare their ar
| guments AS q result his feeble frame was
SO exhausted that he had difficulty in get
ting through with his speech at all, and
was unable to speak with his usual en-
phasis. His gestures are always few. He
rarely removes his eyes from the Judge OF
jury he is addressing, more rarely glances
about him, and never caters to the throng-
| ing spectators. AS a constitutional and
civil LAWYER he unquestionably stands with
out peer in this country.
| NO. 3--WILLIAM n. EVARTS.
One rarely thinks of UConor without
thinking of Evarts. They have opposed
each other in so many hard-fought con-
tests, and have fought so many years for
the leadership of the New York Bar, that
their names seem almost inseparably
coupled together. Evarts is the opposite
of O'Conor, in looks at least. He is lit.
tie fellow, thin as a shad, with as narrow
a head as ever topped y full-grown pair OF
shoulders. and hatchety, Indian sort of a
face. He suggests nothing so strongly as
an animated tomahawk. A great SHARP
nose overshadows all the face except the
mouth. which is too wide to be over.
shadowed. Its corners CIe mouths, moi
the nose's) are pulled down until the face
is given an unpleasant, vinegary expires
J sion, which is not lessened by the black