Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-11
sneezed on the Pacific" it was impossible


when he chose, and the sharp sarcasm
which made the Laidlaw-Sage suit cele-
brated was employed to the confusion and
embarrassment of witnesses in many an
earlier and less famous case No more cut
ting remark was made in court
room than Choate's utterance in the suit
of Architect Hunt against Mrs. Paran
Stevens. In summing up he sketched Mrs.
| Stevens rise to social prominence in elo-
quent terms, concluding:
And at last the arm of royalty wa bent
| to receive her gloved hand, and how, gen.
tlemen of the jury, did she reach this i'm
posing eminenee?" Can impressive pause.)
| Upon mountain of unpaid bills!
Why ChOate Succeeded.
| When / asked Mr.. Choate to what he at
| t. outed his success as lawyer, he said:
"To studying the books and fighting in
| the courts, principally to fighting in the
| courts
| The remark calls attention to another of
| Mr. Choate's characteristics He is a broad
gauge man. He does not win cases on fine
technicalities, but by appealing to the broad
basic principles of the law. He presented
this view in the celebrated case of the
Mylod election certificate, which involved
the control of the New York senate, when
he said
These questions of disputed elections
were not to be settled by technicalities or
by appeals to technicalities. They
were to be decided on their substantial fea-
lures" He has acted on a principle in
every important case in which he has ap-
peared-and the list includes almost every
| trial of national interest that has come up
since 1870.
Mr.. Choate threw an interesting light on
one cause of his success as lawyer when
he said:
Il have made it my rule never to neglect
a case, no matter how unmportant 1t may
seem. A doctor ownes it to the dignity of
his profession to treat a cut finger success
fully it,p.f h ft~an sim
The same thing is true of the lawyer, al
though, unfortunately. not all attorneys APP
preciate the fact" 1t is due to this devo-
ton to the interests Of even the humbleSt
clients that MIR. Chsate has won probably
a greater percentage of the cases he has ap-
peared in than any other lawyer in the
country
In spite of his love of fun and his free
and easy manner, Mr.. Chcate is stickler
for the dignity of his profession and he has
the courage to defend its rights, no matter
by whom they are ignored.
Rebuking n Judge.
On one occasion when Choate was adj
dressing a bench on which Judge Van
Brunt was sitting the latter turned his
chair around and began talking to one of
his associates. This habit, which other
judges have been known to indulge in, is
annoying to lawyers, but they think it the
part of wisdom not to notice it. Choate,
however, instantly paused in his address
and stood gazing at the bench with his
arms folded. When Judge Van Brunt, sur
prised by the hush in the court room,
looked around, Mr. Choate said:
"Yolr honor 1 have just forty minutes
in which to make my argument, / shall
need every second of the time. and also
the undivided attention of the court
And YOU shall have it." reptile the Judge
IL stantly acknowledging the justice of the
appeal.
These incidents give a fairly accurate
view of the qualifications with which
Choate started out on his career as law
vera profound belief in his profession a
reliance on broad principles rather than
hne technIcalities, keen judgment, ready
wit and genial manner. To these must be
added unlimited ambition and a studious
nature. These advantages soon outweighed
| the objections of a wealthy family, dis
tinguished cousin and partner famous as
a lawyer and public man.
There was no nonsense about Choate
he wanted to be successful lawyer and
he was never led away from that aim. He
said to one of his youthful friends:
Il would rather be the leader of the New
York bar than the President of the United
States.
Too Busy for Society.
He kept his ideal before him. When it
was suggested that he should enter politics
he SAID: Mo- When opportunities to go
into society presented themselves, he an
swered: Il am too busy" He studied
harder-not only law books, but the mas
tiers of English writing and speech
Studying the books and fighting in the
courts soon began to tell for Choate By
1870 they had made him one of the fore
most lawyers of the country. Since then
every year has made his position as leader
of the bar more unquestioned.
fet Choate is not a weil-known man in
the sense that Depew or dozen others
who have been no more constantly before
the public are To the citizens of the
country at large his name signifies man
who makes occasional brilliant speeches
and who receives large fees for his serv-
ices to wealthy clients. This is a singular
ly erroneous view. During the recent cam
palgn in New York Richard. Croker made
the charge against Choate that he had
never taken up the case of a poor man.
Choate retorted that one occasion he
mad appeared for man who by his own
sworn testimony, was poor. He alluded to
his appearing for Croker himself, after that
gentleman had declared before an investi-
gazing committee that he was poor This
may be hardly a convincing instance and
was inspired, doubtless, by desire to get
the better of Mr. Croker. But it is a fact
that Mr.. Choate's charges are very mod
crate, considering mis- eminence in the legal
profession 1t is said that he has received
fees amounting as high as $1OO 600 but he
probably has not made as much money
from his practice as have number of
other men of less eminence in the profess
sion. The reason is that Mr.. Choate has
devoted himself to general practice. He
might have made more money as a cor
poratfon lawyer, but he has preferred the
keen intellectual enjoyment derived from
the more diversified work of general ad-
vocate.
ChOate Defines Success.
Choate is man of sane ideals. His head
has never been turned by anything he has
accomplished. 1t was suggested to him
that his new honors formed an appropriate
| rounding out to successful career
Success" said he keenly, catching at the
word, ANY man is successful who has
plenty to do-as long as one can honestly
perform his fair share of the worlds work
he enjoys the only success it is possible for
anybody to achieve"
His advice to young men intending to
enter the law is characteristic of his own
career.
I'm the first place." says Mr. Choate, mo
young man should go into law unless he is
trresistibly attracted by it, unless he is
prepared to make of it profession instead
of a trade. Next, he should convince him
self that law is not thing of bubbles and
crotchets but body of truth broad and
well defined as human right. Next, he
should study hard; it is impossible to get
|