The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-24
LAWToN's MEMORY H0NoRED.


LAW lOle - Ht-MObtl ttONQnEOs
Continued from Eighth Page)
10 had only a few years ago. let us pause
10 heed the protest OF ms lie against these
eheap unworthy methods, and let US by
conduct and speech discount enance and
5jenredit them. What a sad commentary
T. Is that the solicitation of business and
he ragement of suits have become SO
Common in Georgia that a recent legisla-
tTre of our State has found it necessary to
paes a law making such conduct in law
Yers a crime and cause for disbarment, as
:? ought to be. What a contrast between
creatures guilty of such practices and law
Syars like Gen. Lawtoni 1t is not easy to
think OF thSiil as AAie - u e.-e sotiS CALI
iH Gen. Lawton's mental characteristics
1rere strong, clear, common-sense. the
sbility to grasp quickly, even intuitively,
obe salient points of a case, and to press
them home with singular clearness and CO.
gency. His speeches were short, pointed
and Dithy He wasted no words, went st
once to the heart of his subject, never
foundered or wandered; and, when he was
through, realized that he was and sat
down Even in the most important cases,
involving large amounts, he never made
what might be termed a long speech. He
simply could not discuss trifing or imma-
ferial points, and confined his entire
thought and effort to the salient and con-
trolling features of his cause. He used in
his arguments very few law books This
does not mean that he did not consult a
great many, if necessary, but that he Sc
iected the best and used only them. He
loved to argue from reason and principle
and was not a Save to mere precedent He
was not a case lawyer, but one we'll
grounded in the fundamental maxims of
which dealt in these basic principles In
these days of digests and ready-made
briefs, when the merest tyro, without any
learning or, perhaps, the capacity to learn
can make show of eruditon by citing in
Vulnerable decisions without having really
read or understood any of them, this plan
1xyT
ton is worthy of special mention
But gentlemen OF the bar, the necessary
brevity of this report prevents us from
saying much that we would like to say
We think of Gen. Lawton to-day not so
much as the conspicuous citizen or as the
eminent lawyer to whom came honors
like that of the Presidency of the Ameri-
can Bar Association, and distinguished
career, but rather as a member of our
own, the Savannah Bar, which is indebted
to his stainless life In our.midst for whole
some and ennobling lessohs for the honor
his connection with us has done us, and
for the rich legacy of his example. Let
us gratefully cherish our proud recollec-
tons of him and let US be stimulated by
his career to truer appreciation of the
duties and dignity Of our calling and of
our obligation to its demands and respon-
sibilties. Let US never disgrace it by con-
duct or word, and let us, as he did, mag
Nifty our Office"
!. That this Bar recognizes that in the
death of Gen. Lawton our profession has
lost one of its real ornaments whose long
and illustrious career has shed honor upon
our profession and made it his grateful
debtor
2. That copy of this report and of
these resolutions be spread upon the min-
utes of our Superior Court, and another
be sent by our Secretary to the family of
General LaWton
3. That the Superior and City Court
Rooms be draped in mourning for thirty
days, and that the Judge of the Superior
Court be requested to adjourn his Court
aV4a1 T.erxrr kzase saRras,
Saml B. Adams,
Walter G. Charlton.
William Garrard,
Pope Barrow,
T. w. Meldrim,
Committee.
Following the report remarks appro-
pirate to the occasion were made by Mes
3 srs, Walter q. Charlton, Pope Barrow, Gen.
Henry R: Jackson, Judge Norwood and
n Judge Falligant.
Gen. Jackson was Gen Lawton's law
n partner for many years and his address
was listened to with deep interest. He said /:
4 May 1t Please Your Honors: The very
81 effective report of the committee, and the
very eloquent remarks, which have fol-
lowed It, leave it proper for me to say
but little. | will attempt to illustrate,
with Drlef statement OF facts, what has
Gen. Lawton had but commenced his ca
leer at this bar. when he and | became
Of our youth would have been the part
n nership of our lives, had not circumstance
forced me to the bench, displacing, for a
Tune, the most consummate judge Of a
nlsi prius court | ever saw. When the
war had restored most things south to
initial points Gen. Lawton and myself
nj from the beginning l knew him as part
ner For three years judge of this court,
knew him as practicer before myself;
and, finally, knew him again as part
ner If 1 be not the most familiar with
III his professional characteristics, it is, as
suredly, from the lack of something else
A searcher of the records of the courts
III IN which he and l appeared together in
our cases might be in the way of observ-
ing that invariably q recall not one in
stance TO the contrary, although junior
70 myself in the firm, he made the con-
GUIDING argument on our side. This was
not because of suggestion from him q re-
eau not one such suggestionl, but because
OF lnslstance by me-; and l insisted be-
cause | wished to gain the case. 1t did
not take me long to determine for my
sell what were the strong points in my
partner, as lawyer. Thetprofessional ad-
lective learned born of the ''viginti an
cable to him. If he had one trait of the
nooK-worm about him l never discovered
H. He belonged to that class OF our pro-
lession to whom the law seems to come
from within rather than from without ;
Gomeseas came to the prophet of old that
Inspiration which enabled him to foretell
events in the remote future with more GER
j Iainty than can the historian recall them
from the remote past; comes as comes in
sllnet to the loaded insect that makes the
pee-line straight to the hive. OF this
class we had a notable example in the
Judge to whom have just referred. Who
u US, that is old enough, does not re-
member how common was the remark at
ms bar, why Fleming knows no law
Iemlng himself was won't to say, III l
Pc of any account as judge / am made
py my bar Made by his bar? Admira-
pc work of his iod Produced BY the
presence of one colossal intellectual force
N constant communion with the sll-
reme word" of the moral universe; in
ne absence, comparatively speaking, Of
snother imperial mental faculty; born OF
analytical power comparable, perhaps.
Nth that of William II. Crawford him.
eH welded to innate truthfulness, pure
the freshly-fallen midsummer snow
Pa Orizaba's lone-towering, top; with va
sncy, conn aratively speaking, where a
lacaulayan memory could alone have
ept fit companionship with them. Does
ny one in his thought, exclaim what
anomaly! Be that as 1t may, not one
q us, who practiced before Fleming does
10y know that just such an anomaly, for
ldny years, gave transcendent diStinc-