Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-08

AMERICAN LAWYERS.
What Lord Chief Justice COleridge Said
About Them at Louisville.
The following is the speech of Lord Col
eridge at the banquet given him by the
! LnllisNiIln har Inst ThmrsdaN.

The following is the speech of Lord Col
eridge at the banquet given him by the
Louisville bar last Thursday:
Mr. Chairman and GeHHemeR: As in
the State from which ] recently came. the
State of New York, the State of Grant
and Of Sheridan, it would have been pre-
sumptuous for anybody to lecture upon
law. 50 | cannot help feeling that way in
this state, the State of Henry Clay
Within sight almost Of that great statue
which had the pleasure of looking upon
%O-day, | feel very much in the position in
which | remember to have seen a gentle
man OF my time once. 1t was in London
in a dancing ground This gentleman
was deaf and he would take up his
trumpet, and when he heard one feature
of the argument he dropped his
trumpet, and after little while
he gathered it up again and listened a
while and remarked: The same old dog
in different dOublet." have really
nothing to say, but that am very deeply
grateful to you. | have received from
every one since ] came to America that
hOspitablC welcome which has made the
name of America famous throughout the
world. But coming, as | do, as the guest
of the New York Bar Association, and
passing, as | have passed, not always,
perhaps, but generally. from the care of
one Bar Association to another, il has
been almost inevitable that my American
experience should have been chiefly,
though not exclusively, an experience
with the American bar. Now | do not
regret this. Indeed, ! am very glad of it,
For professional reasons and reasons that
are not professional. | am ALWAYS clad to
meet my profession. | am delighted to
have become acquainted with number
of gentlemen in every State, and almost.
! may say, every great city, who are
maintaining the dignity and the honor of
the profession to which it is my pride and
privilege to belong; maintaining il i'm the
best way, showing by example the I'M
written code of honor and independence,
which is, after all, the best foundation Of
our profession. The unWritten code
which we both hold in common is perhaps
the best and surest foundation of our com
mon freedom. | have another reason,
which, as ] said, is not professional, why
| am delighted to have seen so much Of
the American bar. You have not in this
country an arlstOcracy of birth or posi-
ton; and, believe me. il is the expression
of the prayer, of the earnest hope, Of a true
friend that you may be long preserved
from the curse of teudalism But in eY-
cry country there must be an arstocracy
that Is, some better than Othprs-and
whether YOU recognize il or not but.
whether You recognize it or not. it is
here. You have an aristOcracy of intel
lcct and letters, and in that aristocracy Of
intellect and letters it is undoubted that
the lawyers of this country have a very
prominent position. They are there by
virtue of their abilities; they are there be-
cause they have right and have achieved
a right to be there. If there is an aristOc-
Nl.atu 81
the high-minded, accomplished and we'll
bred, whom it has been my pride and de-
light to become acquainted with in nv
passage through the States and cities
through which | have passed. If there be
such an aristOcracy, all can
say is that you are the most
favored, most fortunate and most
happy upon the face of the globe And
with such aristOcracy you have a better
claim to the admiration and generous
envy Of other nations than from your size.
were 1t twice as great, or your wealth,
were it ten times multiplied. In passing
through America, ! have learned not only
its greatness, though upon that subject.
if | had had any doubt, my kind Ameri-
can friends would have solved 1t for me:
but | have also learned of the infinite
variety of America. have passed
through many States and seen many
cllleSs every one seems 10 me 10 nave 4
character; every one has distinctive fea-
lures each differs from the others. One
has beautiful streets, and charming
islands in its bay; another has
unparalleled splendor in its build
ings, stately and costly; one makes good
leather one deals in cotton, one makes
horses and one kills pigs, but in every
one of these great cities, no matter how
different their commercial relations NAV
he, have found accomplished, admirable,
highly educated men; gentlemen in every
sense OF the word; men of whom any
capital in Eurohe, Asia or Africa, if there
be capitals in Africa, might well be proud;
men not always, by any means, distin-
guished in one profession only, men whom
/ have learned only to esteem in the short
time allowed me to make their acquain-
lance; men OF whom long to know more;
men of whom it is a true sorrow to an
Englishman of my years to think he can
never see again. Now, this is true of all
places which have visited, and ii is
equally true OF this great and prosperous
state Of Kentucky and the beautiful city
of Louisville. Indeed, you may justly be
proud OF it for many reasons, but chiefly
because you have made it for yourself:
and as none gave it to you, so none can
take it away.