Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-15

,-.Il z<azfSNE-Ek ging slowly around to
HTfS SYEA Init w 4, and the honorable
HEV WI court seemed to feel
that it must be at
least half-past >. One grave and reverend
seigneur Of the bench looked suspiciously
like being In doze, another was contem-
plating the ceiling with an air of abstrac-
tion and third was looking at a member
of the bar with an expression Of infinite
resignation.
This member of the bar was talking He
had been talking for nearly two hours, and
was still as fresh as daisy and rolling out
his words with keen relish. He had a
voluminous brief before him, replete with
facts and legal lore and was wailowing
about in his argument like an overloaded
vessel in the trough of the sea, making more
leeway than Roadway. He had been allowed
by the court time to argue in order that he
might, If he possessed the judgment to do
SO, pick out from the great mass Of straw,
to which his brief might be likened, few
kernels or wheat In the shape of some
salient points. Instead, he was overwhelm-
ing the court With demonstrat tons of his
lega! learning, attempting TO stud his argu-
ment with some glittering nails of oratoly.
and succeeding in nothing except to make
the court exceedingly weary.
Great guns! can't stand this" remarked
bar, who was sitting in the spectators
benches with Star man. THAT man af-
hicts me grievously and my soul Graves
rest. Let's get OUT AS the ancient and
honorable member of the bar, Familiarity
designated as the judge, passed out the
lawyer was just saying: with these few
preliminary remarks, your hcnors-" but
something like groln from the prosecuted
bench seemed to drown the remainder.
Times Are Changed.
outside, Il have practiced before this honor
able court for thirty years and more. and
now mark with sorrow and regret the
changing customs of the times 1 fear me,
the lawyers. of this day are degenerating
sadly. Not in ability, for they are able
enough, l grant You, but in their tendency
to tedious argument and long .nded
speeches, seemingly exchanging The more
precious jewel of brevity and pecspcuity
for the baubie of oratOry. The cases are no
more important now thin they we're thirty
years ago, for then there were many great
constitutional questions before the court,
growing out of reconstruction matters The
lawyers of today, l mean the your ger ones,
and not the Old fellows who sill hang on
Ike an honorable fri, ge Of gray hairs seem
To lack the knacli or cutting out their cases
IN few well-chose'i words, and submitting
the leading facts out of a great array of
MINOR assertions. -
You know, my son. that under the rules
hours are allowed fer argument, two Oh
each s.de. They always take advantage
Of the fun time end frequently ask for an
GEtsosIoh. IN my day, a man never
ths1gAt of taking two hours TO make an
ar@rment. and a suggestion for more than
tina time would have very likely made
h'cl unpopular with the court. And yet
the other day l was here when lawyer
had the assurance to suggest that either
one Of his two heads Of argument were
worth days consideration.
RcHcrIy johnson and Luke Poland
My mind goes back to the days of Rev
crdy johnson. All, there was a man for
you; short and to the point, no fr:lls or
fuckers on his argument; he was a plain
rlatter-of-fact lawyer and stuck close to
his case. He often spoke without brief.
hut always received marked attention from
the court. In his old age he became par
tally blind and was led about by an at
tendant. In addressing the court he stood
al the rail in front OF the judges and would
move up and down the bench from one
end to the other, peerrg into the faces Of
the judges and laying down his declara-
lions with earnestness and positiyeness
Catch Reverdy Johnson talking for two
hours, indeed.
There was Luke Poland of Vermont.
one time Senator, and all time jurist |
can see him now in his blue coat and brass
buttons pouring out his sentences at the
court, every one of them clear cut as the
tone nf a bell and pregnant with under
standing. He never made the court yawn,
| warrant you. When he had picked out
a few leading facts or statements OF law
he stacked them up, figurat:ve speaking
FOR the usa of the court, and then made
his bow and withdrew.
Jere Black Knew When to Stop.
Il remember Jere Black of PENNSYLVANIA
as another man who was popular with the
court on account of knowing when to stop.
He chewed fine cut tobacco and carried it
around in a silver box. 1t was his habit
when in converse ton or argument to tWrl
that box around in his fingers and manipu-
late it in lis gestures. When he put the
box in his pocket it would mark the close
OF his argument. and then when he sat
down he would take it out again to quietly
refresh himself with a chew of fine cut
In king his argument Jere Black aban-
doned all circumlocuton and took q short
cut for the pith of the matter. He pos
sessed the faculty, so rare in these days of
getting his leading points at once out of
| a great mass of matter.
| "Oid Judge Campbell of New Orleans
was one of the greatest lawyers of the
| later sixties. He was on the Supreme
bench up 10 the breaking out of the war.
| when he went into the confederacv. After
| the cessation of hostilities he took up the
practice of law and often appeared before
| the Supreme Court. H. always held that
good lawyer could make his case clear
by brief arguments and he carried his
theory into practice. lie never INDUCED in
| pyrotechnics, but was a plain matter-of-
| fact lawyer. He stood very high with the
court. and his legal abilities commanded
| their resrect.
benjamin r. Curtis of Massachusetts
was another man noted for brevttv. If
there was any fault in his arguments it
w2s that they were too short He was of
| Websteran Guild very compact, and II
used to be said that fis arguments were
| in that respect like his person How his
shade must shudder II it ever visits the
| Supreme Court during one OF the long
winded pow-wowso Of the present day.
| Speaking Of Curtis. syout know it used to he
| said that he left the Supreme bench on ac-
| count of the Dredi Scott decision. At arv
| rate he delivered the. dissenting oDinion in
| that case and very soon thereafter re-
signed his seat and went into practice.
Local Legal Talent.
Richard L. Merrick of the District Of
Columbia was always a brief talker His
remarks were pointed with persp,cu.ty
and fcathered with breyity, SO that they
never flew wide OF the mark, but ALWAYS
scored: Colonel P. Phillips of Alabarna
was another able lawyer, who knew whey