Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-01-09

= ntNe failen INTO lneXtrlcable confusion
lie loved his profession; he believed
a with all his soul that his calling was a
high, noble advocation, worthy of the
highest intellect and the noblest and
purest OF men. He believed That the
foundation of all law was in the golden
rule OF doing unto others rs you would
have others do unto you, and that the
restraints OF law were necessary to COM
pei even a moderate observation OF this
y universal commandment.
As practitioner at the bar he was n
very knigh cbemlier In high courtesy
to bis adyersaries, 10 the Judge upon the
bench and the jury IN the box. he
was irreproachable, never guilty OF Il
sharp practice himself, he had pro
1 found contempt for whatever sayored of
1T. In his addresses tocourt or jury. he
was simple and direct. He INDUCED
" but little in the ornaments of rhetoric,
and had but few OF the popularity under
stood qualities of an orator. lie was
esthe most logical OF speakers.
In purely legal discussions he had
few equals. The graphic clearness Of
his statements, the simple logic Of his
style, the directness of his aims. the
sense of sincere earnestness that he
impressed upon his hearers, placed him
without the mere graces Of oratorv
fairly among the most powerful and
successful OF speakers.
l have seen him at times when he had
so thoroughly convinced himself Of the
8 righteousness of his cause, that his
earpestness and logic rose to real elo-
quebec, carrying all before him. His
influence with courts and jures was
almost unbounded. This was partly
due to his great legal ability, partly TO
his own high character, and partly to
the candid way he had Of yielding all
doubtful questions, and planting him
eelt upon the bedrock of his cause.
His4avorite courts were probably the
Supreme court and the Chancery court
though he was almost, if not fully, as
as much at home when before Il Jury
-He WAS a very wise man about the
management of case and here was a
4 great element of his strength. Inever
knew d man who had more thoroughly
the confidence Of his clients. He de-
4 served it, and he never would continue
ina cause where he was not entirely
coniided in. Ihaye known lawyers who
s in Il particular line OF business, were
hissuperiors. Ihaye known lawyers who
were very much more eloquent than he,
but taking him as Il general practitioner,
he was the best lawyer in my Judgment,
which this State ever produced. As il
Judge, in the formative period of the
law, he would have, in my opinion,
equaled Mansfield or Marshall, Kent or
Taney. With his great love for his pro-
fession, and his great practice, the lar
gest by far, which ever fell to any law
yer at this bar, it can not be wondered,
that alaelSe i'll life was unimportant and
secondary.
Politics afforded him but an occa-
sional interlude and final alterpiece.
4 lie was not politician in tie commonly
accepted meaning OF the word, but yet
in the higher sense, the true sense he
was a graat politician, lie understood
the science of government as he under
stood the science of law Springing
from the mass OF the people, he had a
profound regard for their wants, their
opinions, their aspirations. He was never
an arstocrat in habit or sentiment
speak whereof | know He believed
in the capability Of the people for self
government, and was profoundly in
sympathy with Democratic institutions
the world over. The Irish tenantry
and the Scotch crofters, never had a
1 friend who better understood their
grievances or more heartily sympathized
with their movements. Every speech
lie ever made upon the stump, or In the
halls of the Senate, indicated toward
which side his heart was turned. In
the Senate his effort In behalf OF the
restoration Of silver to the currency,
and his great speech upon the power of
control by the Federal Government
over the Pacific Railway are cited as
illustrations of my characterization Of
him in this regard Though thoroughly
imbued with their ideas and opinions,
vet he never shaped his course with the
! mere hope of catching the popular
breeze. Upon questions lnvolyingprin-
chile he stood firmly by his convictions
having an abiding confidence in the
ultimate judgment OF mankind upon
his motives and conduct. His high
} qualities as a deep and original thinker,
and his qualities as statesman Of the
DrOaueSJ tHpc, arc l'lSSiliiliOilVy Nl9-
PLAYED in his speeches upon the silver
question and upon the Kellogg Legsa-
fure of Louisiana, while his great re-
sources as a constitutional lawyer found
q conspicuous field for display in his
advocacy of the Thurman Railroad Bill.
The latter effort at once placed him
upon an equality with the great lawyers
ofthat great assembly. These speeches.
if he had left no other record of his life
behind him, will forever preserve his
memory from decay, and stamp him as
the greatest of Tennessee's Senators
since the days of John Bell. In many
Y respects the likeness to the latter named
statesman is striking. Neither had any
remarkably bright or shining qualities;
neither presented any angularatles Or
eccentricities OF character Both were
men OF depth full men, sober, cautious,
conservative men; both were very wise
men; both were men OF great reserve
force; both were men OF high regard Tor
principle and little respect for dema-
qogv. Neither were men of show or
shallow pretence. The great earnestnesS
OF one, found its counterpart in the
other. The solid and lasting qualities