The record-union., 1899-04-11
THE LATE STEPHEN J. FIELD.
WHAT SACRAMENTO LAWYERS
SAY OF HIM.
One OF the Greatest Jurists That
Ever Honored the Supreme
Bench.

Justices of the United States Supreme
Court, has naturally caused some of the
members of the legal profession to DIS
cuss the great jurist's public life AS
there are yet living here some of the
old-time lawyers who knew Justice
Field personally when the latter lived
In Sacramento, and who have since
been familiar with his career on the
bench, a "Record-Union' reporter yes
terday obtained from few of them ex-
pressions regarding the dead Jurist
Nothing but words of the highest praise
We're spoken of him, and these by men
who knew him well, both in his public
and private life:
ABLEST SINCE JUSTICE MAR
SHALL.
81 knew Stephen J. Field said Judge
S. S. Holl, "as early as 1857, when he
was appointed to the State Supreme
bench. I think he succeeded Justice
Heydenfeldt. The court was then COM
posed of David S. Terry, Peter Fl. Bur
nett and Stephen ]. Field. Charley
Fairfax was Clerk of the Supreme
Court, and William T. Wallace was At
torney General The Supreme Court
was then held in the upper story of
what is now known as the Rhoads &
Townsend House, at Second and
streets in this city.
Justice Field was one of the aolest
jurists we ever had in this State, and
he belonged to a family of able men.
In 1929 he practiced law in Nevada
and Yuba Counties. He became Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court in 1863,
when President Lincoln appointed him
to the United States Supreme Court.
T +faa
Field only through the decisions of that
court, in which he displayed great abil-
ity I doubt if we have had as able
a man on the bench since the days of
Marshall. Justice Field was noted as
much for his dissenting opinions as
those of an affirmative character. A
remarkable instance of this kind was
what became known as "the New Or
leans slaughter house case,' one in
volving constitutional principles OF
great Importance
Justice Field was a man of most
sociable temperament. He liked good,
congenial company, and there was
plenty of it in the days when he was
a conspicuous figure in the current po-
litical history of California"
HAD NO SUPERIOR ANYWHERE.
OQQSC D. H. MGIN utity WIZ ~ CO yCdlS
of age and one of the old guard of
California lawyers and jurists who
helped make State history a, generation
ago, was found willing away pleasant
hour in group of Pioneers. When
asked to say something regarding his
personal recollection of Justice Field,
he said:
''No man, in a brief newspaper inter
view or article, could do justice to the
public life of Stephen ]. Field, who was
one of the greatest jurists this country
ever produced.
II will say. however, that I knew
Justice Field back in 80, when he lived
in Marysville, Yuba County. He was
a prominent lawyer even then. My at
tention was first called to him by his
being before Judge Turner for alleged
contempt of court. l do not recollect
all the circumstances of the case, but
] do recall the fact that Sield stoutly
: resisted the charge, and my opinion is
that he emerged from the controversy
with flying colors.
I'm 1851 I was a member of the Leg
fslature. before which Justice Field was
candidate for the United States Sem
ate. and a. one time it looked as if
majority of the legislators might center
on him and elect him. 1 was for Brod-
erick. The struggle took such a turn
that it became narrowed down between
Broderick and Gwin and the Field boom
fell, SO intense became the fight be-
tween the other two.
Yes, I knew Justice Field personally
and in many ways When l had busi-
ness in Washington I used to visit him
at his home there and passed many a
pleasant hour in his company. In
1854. when I was member of the
Code Commission. Justice Field, by re-
quest and appointment of the Governor
was, with Judges Dwinelle and Temple,
one of our advisers, and we were
brought frequently in contact with him
No man was ever more studious or
1abored harder than Justice Field IN
matters pertinent to his profession or
official duties. The language employed
by him in his decisions was of the
purest diction and clearness. It was
unexcelled in these particulars In
deed, I know of no man prominent in
American or English courts who ever
used the language with greater effect
and force than Justice Field. Even
Judge Sanderson, who was regarded as
a model in this respect, was hardly his
equal
His opinions, while on the Supreme
benches of this State and of the United
States are the best monument to the
memory of Stephen J. Field-betterthan
any man of the present day can build
And, While lawyers may disagree as to
the general trend of those opinions on
some subjects. no one will disagree with
me when I say that in the framework
of his judicial opinions no man in the
country was his superior.
Il could talk for hours about Justice
Field" concluded Judge McKune, "but
to do anything like justice to his mem
ory, for publication. would require more
time and research than I can now
give"
A GREAT LAWYER.
Judge A. C. Hinkson said there were
personal characteristics of Judge Field
that he did not admire He was in a
large degree revengeful. especially
when he thought he had received in
jury. He was unrelenting in that re-
spect. Judges Hinkson added: But
he was great lawyer. and the pro-
fession recognized him as such. He
had the courage to do what he conceived
to be his duty fearlessly. For instance,
he had a vaulting ambition to be Pres
ident. He was a Democrat and knew
he could not even approach nominal
ton by his party without the Cali
fornia delegation being for him. Just
at that time there came before him. as
Circuit Judge the ANTIQUE ordinance.
Popular feeling ran high upon it in an
10 !, Il =