River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-01-13

strings eNtemporizing chords or melo
dies. He was truly great man, albeit
he was country lawyer from place
no more pretentious than Hominy Hill
the home of Garland.
There was Nicholas Hill, of Albany,
to whom just referred. He originally
lived at Little Falls, Hcrkimer county,
n. Y. AS a country lawyer he was 3
student, and when he branched out into
a larger field his attainments com.
manded immediate attention.
These arc enough instances to cite
TO show YOU that the country lawyers
are really learned men, and not class
to bc sneered at by careless gossip.
ers."
1t is really no wonder that Senator
Davis Indignantly resented the sheer.
ing allusion to country lawyers. lie
used to be one of that class himself.
He spent several years in his country
home in Wisconsin studying law, ant
reading Omniyorously, before he went
to Minnesota and settled at st. Paul
He was n young man, full of ambition tC
shine in his profession, and his WORK
was done as a master builder lays a
strong foundation for a great super
structure. In a very short time after
he hung out his single in ST. Paul he
made his mark He was looked down
upon as a country lawyer, but the old
timers soon found that Davis had been
doing lots of quiet and effective pre-
paratory work in his country Office.
He had not only studied law, but he had
become a classical scholar. He had
fitted himself for great affairs.
Ignatius Donnelly, the erratic genius
of Minnesota who is a very learned
man, once said to me: Senator Davis
first mastered the English language.
lie had not only studied law, but he had
Very few men do it. The average
lawyer learns only enough Of the
language to express his views in
some sort of way: but SEN
ator Davis took the entire English
vocabulary and made it subservient to
the calls Of his will. Very little words
sometimes express meanings vastly
different from their vernacular syn
onyms. Senator Davis has complete
command of his own language, and very
few men realize the Importance and
value of that requirement
Well in time, the country lawyer,
Cushman X. Davis, attracted atten-
ton. Consequently he commanded
large fees He became district attor-
ney, governor of his state and United
STATES senator. His wears of study as
country lawyer made him an encyclo-
pacdia Of constitutional and intcrna-
tional law He came into the senate as
a quiet unpretentious, modest man.
When he delivered ~ speech eight
years ago on the Nicaraguan canal
bill. the older senator's at once real
lied that no ordinary man was speak
ing. They listened. They crowded
about him. They learned something.
He said: TO issue bonds for this prof
Get is like taking mortgage on an
earthquake" Senator Hoar, the dis
tinguished chairman of the committee
on the judiciary, said THAT man is a
scholar ana a man Of unusual virility."
This Minnesota statesman is now re-
gal,Cled as the greatest authority i'm the
senate on international law. For that
reason lie was made chairman of the
committee on foreign relations. And
yet. he was long a country lawyer. His
own nell-earmed fame constitutes suffi-
Gent reason for his resentment of the
sneers at country lawyers which are
sometimes uttered. SMITH D. FRY.