The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-09-05
sPEECH OF COL. JOHN R. EDIE.
Nav Il please Your Honor

May 1t please Your Honor
did not intend to say anything
at this meeting, but, being one of the
older members of this bar, and look
ing around and seeing but single
gentleman now present who was o
lawyer in 1888, and but myself aud
another who were here in 1S4O, l
deem it my duty to say a word or
two on this occasion. When | came
here in 1888, there were FIVE gentle
men practicing members of this bar,
all of whom have since made their
mark upon the history OF their co IN
try. The last of them has lately
gone from amongst the people of
this State. They were Chauncev
Forward, Charles Ogle, Moses Hamp-
ton, Joshua f. Cox and jeremiah S.
Black. l name them in the order
in which they were admitted to this
bar, and not with any view of pref
erence for either or any of them for
if l did, / certainly would not name
Judge Black last, far as q lawyer he
attained higher honors than any of
them. Chauncey Forward was a
great lawyer, man cunning of
fence" and a willy antagonist. So
was Ogle, and so was Hampton ;
Cox was a combative man, but Judge
Black devoted himself to the acqui-
sitlon of a scientific knowledge of
the law. He studied it as science,
more so than any of them, and as
such lawyer he rose to be the ac-
knowledged head of the American
bar. Indeed, the distinguished Jno.
". L. McMahon, of Maryland, said
years ago that, in his opinion, Jere-
miah S. Black had the best legal
mind of any man in the United
States. l practiced law with him,
tried cases against him-not many,
because he was soon on the bench
after | came to the bar-and | tried
causes before him, as Judge, for ten
years, as Your Honor knows; tried
cases before him in the Supreme
Court, and it is my pride and pleas
ure to say to-day that in every act
of his as Judge, his conduct was
without spot or blemish. Every
body knows that Judge Black was
one of the most Jealous political
partizans that ever lived in this
country, but no man can say, and
no man dare say, that he ever
brought a single touch of politics
on to the bench, or suffered politics
to interfere with any decision that he
ever made. Indeed | know Of a case
which had somewhat partisan
aspect attached to it, in which there
was determination to make an ar
rest in such a way that it would
bring more disgrace to the defend
ant in the case than would have at
tached to an ordinary arrest, for it
was intended the man should be ar
rested in the Court House. Judge
1 Black, by some means, got to hear of
it, and he sent for the men that were
attempting to do this thing, and told
them that it must not be done. They
were his political friends, and the
man that was to be arrested was his
political enemy. he said "you must
not insalt the Court in that wav,
and, as the Lord liveth, if You do, |
will send every man of you to Jail. +"
As a politician | do not desire to
speak of Judge Black. He and l
differed entirely in politics-as much
as two men possibly could differ ;
but, as Judge, it is my great pleas
ure to say that he was as honest a
man as ever sat upon the bench ;
and. saying this, think that have
given him the highest need of praise
that can be given to any man-that
of being a Just and upright Judge.
To throw off the weaknesses of hu-
man nature and not suffer them to
influence him in his judicial conduct
( is the highest praise man can get.
Judge Black was made by Presi-
dent Buchanan, Attorney General of
the United States: and as q lawyer
he was fit for the position and his
management of that office, while in
it, shows that he was no less success
ful as Attorney General of the Uni
ted States than he was as Chief JUS
tice of Pennsylvania. | remember
another instance. | was in Philadel-
phia shortly after the time at which
Judge Black was reelected to the
bench of the Supreme Court, when
he ceased to be Chief Justice and be
came one of the puisne judges ofthe
court. He came to the city and we
were stopping at different hotels. |
called to pay my respects to him at
the Merchants Hotel. | came there
and | found him in consultation
with one of his then political friends,
Mr. John w. Forney. | attempted
to withdraw. but they said, Come
in, We are not talking any secrets y
and | did go in. l found while |
was there they were conversing on
the subject of the Attorney General
ship, and | soon ascertained for the
first time, that it was proposed by
Judge Blacks friends to make him
Attorney General of the United
States. | sat and listened to the
conversation and. after Forney had
withdrawn, | said to Judge Black,
lit is not possible you want to leave
the bench of the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania" He said his friends
talked of having him appointed At
torney General. i entreated him
not 10 give up his place upon the
bench. Said to him, Mature de-
signed you for Judge, and you will
acquire more fame and honor in
that than any of the political offices
you can get from any administra-
tion in this country" He differed
from me, but | think still | was
right; not perhaps in pecuniary
point, however, for he got reputa-
tion as lawyer which enabled him
to amass colossal fortune, at which,
Of course, all his friends rejoiced.
But he has gone, and. in my judg-
ment, it will be long time before
the State will see a Judge upon her
Supreme Court bench the equal of
jeremiah S. Black.
SPEECH OF HON. W. III. KooNTZ.