The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-10-05


the late venerable chief justice. OF his judicial
career Mr.. II, said: THE monuments in West.
minister Abbey TO Lord Hale, to Mansfield and
Bacon, will long have persisted when their names
will be remembered through their works, Bacon
in his writings Mansfield in his judgments, and
Hale in his uprightncss Of character rs II great
magistrate The abors Of Judge Breesc while
member of this court, are In themselves monu-
ment OF learning wisdom, and Justice The Ia
bors and judgments Of this court will send down
the names of his associates, as well as himself, to
posterity And yet, it is not at all Improbable
that, had Judge Brccse succeeded in the career
he would have preferred at first, politics, his
life would not have been So fortunate for the state
or himself" He spoke :eelingly of the late Jus.
tice's beautiful characteristics commanding APP
pearancc his charity, his modesty; also his great
lahors AS Il iurist-a record of himself which sure.
Ily will be as immortal as anything connected
with our civilization or history.
The address of Hon. |. n. Arnold, of Chicago,
was confined chiefly to Judge Breese's political
career and "reminiscences of that period of the
states history and the men of those times, the
Judges contemporaries. He closed with this
=
another thought has been suggested. 1t is often
said that the days Of high moral virtue, of pure,
ldsintercstcd public service, have passed away,
and that this is IN age of mere moncy-gcttng,
vulgar display, and universal corruption. The
lives Of such us Brccsc, who wore the erminc for
more than fifty years without stain or spot and
died poor show how false is such an estimate OF
the present; and may not add that, when every
mornings newspaper brings to Ids the name of
some martyr for humanity, Of some physician,
nurse, or clergyman, such as Parsons, who glad
ly give their lives to alleviate human suffering,
while such costly services are being rendered,
and while such lives as that of Brcese are being
lived, we will despair neither OF the republic nor
of humanity
Mr. Robert lIcrvcy, OF Chicago, followed with
most beautiful and eloquent speech, in which
he said the resolutions presented are not empty
sound, nor the embodiment of mere words OF
course. They are the simple, earnest, honest
truth; no more, no less; as everyone who knew
the lamcntcd deceased we'll knew. lie was all
that these resolutions claim for him,-a states
man and iurist of the highest rank, the peer
and equal Of the intellectual giants who have
passed away; while rs judgc-hi' name will
live in remembrance, when not one particle of
of his mortal body can be distinguished from the
dust with which it has been commingled.
Judge Cation said it is now more than forty
wears since he first met Judge Brcese. Judge
Brcese was then in the beginning of his judicial
course. II had lately assumed the labors and
the responsibilities of Il lawyers life. On the
| 4 10. a a law,
| lcctnr me to defend "a innocent man who was
indicted for a great crime, the commission OF
which he had confessed, which was supported by
the positive testimony Of the real criminal
was so fortunate as To find the testimony which
established the truth to the entire satisfaction Of
everybody, and in dschargng the prisoner after
an acuuittal kind words for the counsel fell from
| the bench which were not only great encourage
mcnt to the ncophytc, but bore substantial fruits
thereafter From the beginning we seemed to
understand each other, and SO the friendship
which was that day born Of kindness has grown
with years, nourished and strengthened by Of
fetal and personal Intercourse, till the fiat of
time snapped the cord which bound us together,
and has left me only memory to love, but it is
a fragrant memory which shall be sweetly cher
ished for the time that shall be left me before
am summoned to follow him. O that may leave
such a remembrance which some kind friend
may thus cherish and so revere Judge Cations
long and intimate fellowship rs associate Justice
with him gave to the tribute made by him to the
ldcccased's intellectual and moral greatness
pcciul weight.
There being, after Judge Cation, no further re-
| fr,, IA, Mr. .IuS tipp Scott smoke in
behalf of the Court. He said it would be strange
| if the character Of such man, whose life had eX-
tended over three quarters Of Il century, (Judgc
b. was born July Is, 1907 was not affected in
great degree by the enterprises in the midst OF
which he lived. he csaaI IL the territory of Hi
nois in December, 1878, just before its admission
as state into the union. 1t was his privilege to
witness its rise and progress from small terri
tory with n sparse population. ilecould indulge
with Just pride in the reflection that he had con
tributcd largely to the great prosperity of bis
adopted state. Judge B. was the first judge the
speaker ever saw holding court. Then Judge
Brccsc wore his hair cut short and his beard close
~ shavcn-n direct antithcsS to his custom in
late years. He always dressed as became his po-
sition, abhOrring OstentatiOn. He was always
diiiidcnt man with all his abilities and culture
His first speech was II failure from ditiidencc and
the characteristic clung to him through life even
to the day-a few days only before his death
when he addressed the students at Mt Vernon;
bat his will power gave MIN strength to stand
among the greatest. His learning was great and
not confined to the law alone, being verscd in
literature and arts. His memory was wonderful
and it never deserted him even to the last His
social qualities were most pleasing, and his con
versation, especially on the subject of Illinois
early history, of thc greatest interest Judge
SCOTS impression 10 that the History he had
written, SO luXiou.y looked for by so many, was
not prepared for publication. In two particu-
| lars Judge Brccsc will stand ont prominently in
history: First, as to his character; and, second,
as to his ability as jurist. He was politician,
and it was the Judges belief that he would have
T. 10, I;,;. -