The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1894-01-13
Memorial Session Of the Court.

The resolutions were reported to the
Court on Wednesday by William J.
Jones, Esq, and were ordered spread
upon the records. The memorial session
was held at 3 p. m, appropriate
addresses being delivered by his Honor
| Judge Wickes and Mr.. Jones.
Judge Wickos made feeling tribute
| to Mr.. Groome's manly and noble char
acter, his devotion as friend, his abil-
ity as lawyer and to his deserved sue
cess in public life
ADDRESS OF W. j. JONES, ESQ.
Nay it please y0ur HonOrs:
1t becomes my painful duty to give
formal notice of the death of Hon. James
B Groome an honored member Of this
bar, who has died since the September
sitting oil this Court,
. While | have known Mr.. Groome all
his life, he being several years my junior,
may say that | really bscame acquaint.
ed vita him in 1858 when | entered the
office of his father John G.. Groome as a
student of law. He was then hearty,
ner was not always conducive to study,
but he''needed only to;be reminded of this
TO insure quist or his vacation of the
office, and my remonstrances were always
received with SO much good nature, and
he was so impulsive, honest and unselfish
that he drew me towards him in an
unusual degree.
recall with some pleasure little Cir
cumstance which occurred during this
peri 3D.
One day when his father and were the
only occupants of the office, l noticed that
the old gentleman appeared very serious
and said to him "Col, you appear to be in
brown study" Yes" he replied, Il am
worried about my boy, James. | am
afraid he will never succeed in life, his
manners are 80 brusque and he has SO
little of the SuaDitcr IN m0d0 in his com.
position, that am afraid he will never
make friends" 1 said 81 think you are
mistaken. james manner will never
repel any one whose friendship is worth
having, and if the tims ever comes when
he needs friends to stand by him he will
have them in abundance; and certainly
no man ever had more friends or more
useful ones than james B. Groome. He
was not magnetic man, but men knew
that be was not only an honorable man
but also en honest man, and that he
could be trusted in any place in any
emergency.
Mr.. Groome was admitted to this Bar
in 1861. He did not engage very actively
in the practice of his profession, yet, not
withstanding his extraordinary success
in politics l feel sure he made mistake
in giving up his profession. The sharp
experience at the Bar was the very thing
he needed, in my opinion, to trim down
the corners of his characteristics. A
large aud profitable practice certainly
awaited him. The great confidence
that people had in his father they were
ready to transfer to him, aud he WAS i'll
every way worthy of it. He had great
natural ability and he needed only the
] incentive of PROFESSIONAL work to train
and discipline his mind. His SUCCESS in
politics was 50 rapid hs Walked into one
place aud out of it and into another SO
easily that the necessity for training and
| discipline was never apparent to him.
He would have been wealthier man, a
happier m au, a more useful man and l
| doubt not would have been living among
us today if he had not been carried away
by politics. He WAS just the sort of man the
legal profession wants. He was above all
meannesses, he never would have turned
sharp corners, he would have been just
and honorable in all his work at the bal
as he was just and honorable 10 all his
dealings with his fellow men.
His brethren take a just pride in his
political successes and l suppose no sue
cesslul politician ever excited less envy
Member of the Constitutional Convention
twice in the legislature, Governor of the
State, member of the United States Sen
ate for full term and Collector of thu
! Port of Baltimore, all in the brief space
} of little over 20 years. formed re-
markable career He inherited an hor-
orable name aud he left it untarnishet
by single dishonorable act.