The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-19
Some Light ON the Character of Senator
Edmunds.

Some Light on the Character of Senator
Edmunds.
The Hon. GEORGE f. EDMuSDs OF YER
mont was lawyer before he was Sem
ator and candidate for President As
much might be said for many Of his coll
leagues, but none of them has hitherto dis
covered so shrewd a knack for turning the
dual qualifications to account. In the Leg
lslative chamber the Vermont statesman
expounds the principles Of law with an as
sumption Of authority calculated to over
awe his non-profcssional brethren, while at
the bar he has long managed to buttress an
er rdrtc statement with the weight and dig
nifty belonging to his political station.
1t Is essential. however, to the continued
success of such performances that the per-
former should bee credited with tolerably
fair character; that he should cOntrivc to
keep his reputation at least up to the stand
ard of professional morality. He may, If he
please, degrade his national Office 10y lend
ing its prestige for money to the defence of
rogues in a court Of law He may, after the
manner Of advocates, consent to blacken an
innocent witness, or even wink at the sup
preston of awkward evidence; yet there
are certain things that no bar can afford to
practise. and that not even the bench Of n
police court would endure. Counsel must not
falsify the record; he must not trick and
cheat the court; he must not In adducing
the facts brought out in given case, pcrpe-
trate a deliberate lie. If he do this, II mat
tiers not whether he be Tombs practitioner
or a senator of the United States, he cannot
escape the stigma Of disreputable lawyer
and dishonest man.
1t was Just this charge Of elaborate false
statement and intentional fraud upon the
confidence Of the bench that was lately
brought home to the Vermont Senator.
The charge was made in open court
by Mr. EDWARD n. DICKERsoS of the New
York bar. 1t was made with the blunt
| ness and the vehcmence which the pecu-
| liarly iagitious character of the circum-
stances required, and 1t was completely
substantiated by the production Of the ste
nographer' report which the eminent coun-
sci for the plaintiffs had wilfully and totally
falsihed. We incline TO think that printed
copies OF Mr. DICKERsoN's reply, in which
| an Ubiquitous attempt TO victimize the Court
| is squarely imputed and fully proved, will
prove useful works of reference to Mr.. Ed
| MUNDs's colleagues in the Senate Chamber
at the next session Of Congress. Meanwhile
the facts established by Mr.. DGcKEBsoN
and not disputed, throw so much light on
the character Of the Vermont Senator that
we propose to give them wide circulation.
The argument, in the course OF which Mr..
EDMUNDs may be said to have revealed him
self took place in this city on the 3lst OF
| la. Tl.. II, hal.
Of BCKDETT re-. EsTEY Il di, involving the
right to make certain kinds Of organs, and
to Use certain alleged improvements The
case came up before the Circuit Court Of the
United States, with Judge BLATCHFoRD and
Judge WHEELER on the bench, on appeal
from District Court before which an inn
mense mass Of testimony had been taken
1t j. important to bear in mind that the rec
ord spread before the appellate court, which
the briefs If counsel were supposed to SUM
marie, and upon which the argument was
to turn, embodied accumulations OF matter
so huge that the most hasty and perfume
tory review would involve the work Of weeks
II was almost certain that court In such
an instance would accept the contents Of n
brief and the statements Of counsel unless
TIE same were contradicted. or course, too
a disposition to accept positive assurance
as to the purport Of testimony would be ma
terially affected 10y the professional or public
eminence OF the advocate. Perhaps this fact
was not lost sight Of by the plaintiffs in THU
case when they went to the Senate Chamber
for their counsel. 1t will appear at al
events, that Senator EDMUNDs who was
retained did not lose sight of it,.
Tho Nartr,ut Sauot,,r hnUau lv urgt.eti n q
to the Court that his statements OF the eyi
dence We're strictly true; that if anything
was oycrstated it was against his client
that he had read every word Of the testi
mony twice. and knew whereof he spoke, a.
HoU Lonors ,couM ind il Mey erer took h'
hoi,ble to read IT, The task to which he ther
addressed himself was to establish that q
certain organ made by one DAYTON in lsGG
just like the thing patented by BuRDErr il
1869, was not, in fact, made at the first
named date but was a forgery manufactur
ed 10y or for the defendants and supported
by conspiracy and perjury, For this pur
pose it was needful to undermine the char
actcr Of the principal witness for the de
PENDANTS and this senator EDMUNDs under
took 10 do by an explicit and solemn
statement to the Court Of what the rccort
showed. He avolred that the witness
DAYTON had been twice called HnC
asked 10 name single man who had eve
had an organ made by him OF tho kind il
question; that the memory Of tho witness
had been ransacked to indicate any sucl
instrument, and that the testimony of th
witness had closed in this weak condition
lie then told the Court that the defence nov
| ~ "A " Al