The National tribune., 1900-02-01

ture gave him great clearneSS and acute
ness of intellect and vast fund Of common
sense, and, as aGconsequence Of these
much sagacity in Judging of the motives
and springs of human conduct. With {
voice by no means pleasing, and, indeed
when excited, in its shrill tones sometime.
almost disagreeable; without any of th'
personal graces OF the orator; without much
IN the outward man indicating superiority
of intellect; without great quickness o.
perception-still, his mind was SO vigor
Gus, his comprehensionss so exact and clear
and his judgments so sure, that he easily
mastered the intricacies of his profession
and became one of the ablest reaSoners anc
most impressive speakers at our bar. With
a probity of character known to all; with ar
intuitive insight into the human heart
with cleaFness of statement which was
itself an argument; with an uncommon
power and facility of illustration, often, il
is true, of a plain and homely kind, and
with that sincerity and earnestness of man.
ner to carry conviction, he was perhaps one
ever had in the State. He always tried a
case fairly and honestly He never in
tentionally misrepresented the testimony
of witness nor the arguments of an op-
ponent. He met both squarely, and if he
could not explain the one or answer the
mlsstated the law according to his own
intelligent view of it. Such was the trans
parent candor and integrity of his nature
that he could not well or strongly argue a
side or cause that he thought wrong. OF
course, he felt it his duty to say what could
be said, and to leave the decision to others;
but there could be seen in such cases the
inward struggle in his own mind In try
| ing cause he might occasionally dwell toe
| long or give too much importance to an in
considerable point; but this was the ex-
ception, and generally he went straight to
| the citadel of a cause or n question, and
struck home there, knowing if that were
won the outwork would necessarily fall.
He could hardly lie called very learned in
his profession, and vet he rarely tried Il
cause without fully understanding the law
| applicable to it. | have no hesitation in
saying he was one of the ablest lawyers
have ever known. If he was forcible before
the jury, he was equally so with the court.
He detected, with unerring sagacity. the
marked points of his opponents argu-
| mentS, and pressed his own views with
overwhelming force. His efforts were
quite unequal, and it may have been that
he would not on some occasions strike one
as at all remarkable; but let him be thor
oughly aroused. let him feel that he was
right and that some great principle was
involved III his case. and he would come out
with All earneStneSS of conviction q power
OF argument, and a wealth of illustration
that have never seen surpassed.
Simple i'll his habits. without pretensions
of any kind, and distrustful of himself he
was willing to yield precedence and place to
others, when he ought to have claimed them
for himself; and he rarely, if ever, sought
office except at the urgent solicitations of
his friends. In substantiation of this,
may be permitted to relate an incident
which now occurs to me. Prior to his
nomination for the Presidency, and, in
deed, when his name was first mentioned
IN connection with that high Office,
broached the subject upon the occasion Of
meeting him here. q His response was: i
hope they will select some ADLER man than
myself. N
Mr.. c. S. Parks, a lawyer associated with
Mr. Lincoln for some years, furnishes the
following testimony concerning his more
prominent qualities: 4 have often said that.
for man who was for a quarter of GEN.
tury both lawyer and a politician, he was
the most honest man ever knew. He was
not only morally honest, but Intellectually
SO. He could not reason falsely; if he at
tempted it, he failed. In politics he would
never try to mislead. At the bar, when he
thought he was wrong, he was the weakest
lawyer ever saw"
Hon. David Davis. afterwards Associate
Justice United States Supreme Court and
United States Senator, presided over the
Eighth Judicial Circuit of Illinois during
the remaining years of Mr.. Lincoln'S
practice at the bar. He was united to Lin
coin iii close bonds of friendship, and yeaI
after year Travelled with him over the cir
cult, put up with him at the same hotels,
and often occupied with him the same ROOM
This simple life" says Judge Davis, Mr.
Lincoln loved, preferring it to the practice
of the law in the city. In all the clements
that constitute the great lawyer, he had
few equals. He seized the strong points of
cause, and presented them with clearness
and great compactness. He read law
books but little, except when the cause i'm
hand made it necessary; vet he was I'M
usually self-reliant depending on his own
resources, and rarely consulting his brother
lawyers, either on the management of his
case or the legal questions involved. He
was the falreSt and most accommodating of
practitioners, granting all favors which he
could do consistently with his duty to his
client, and rarely availiDg himself of an
unwary oversight of his adversary. Hel
hated wrong and oppression everywhere,
and many man, whose fraudulent con-
duct was undergoing review in a court of
justice, has withered under his terrific !
Indignation and rebuke."
MIR. Speed says: "As lawyer, after his |
first year, lie was acknowledged among the |
best in the State. His analytical powers
were marvellous. He always resolved |
every question into its primary elements, |
and gave up every point on his own side |
that did not seem to be invulnerable. One |
would thlnk, to near him present his case in |
the court, he was giving his case away. !
He would concede point after point to his |
adversary. But he always reserved a |
point upon which he claimed a decision i'm |
his favor, and his concessions magnified |
the strength of his claim He rarely failed |
in gaining his cases in court"
The special characteristics of Mr. Lin |
coins practice at the bar are thus ably |
summed up: He did not make specially |
Of criminal cases, but was engaged fire. !
quently in them. He could not be called a |
great lawyer, measured by the extent of |
his requirement Of legal knowledge; he
was not an encyclopedia Of cases; but in |
the textbooks Of the profession and in the |
clear perception of legal principles, with
natural capacity to apply them, he had |
great ability. He was not a case lawyer, |
but lawyer who dealt in the deep phlos- |
ophy of the law. He always knew the cases
which might be quoted as absolute au-
thority, but beyond that he contented him
self in the application and discussion of |
general principles. In the trial of case he |
moved cautiously, and never examined or |
cross examined a witness to the detriment |
of his side. If the Witntss told the truth, |
he was safe from his attacks; but woe be-
tide the unlucky and dishonest individual |
who suppressed 'theafruth, or colored it |
against Mr.. LincollIts side. His speeches |
forensic oratory. He talked the vocabu-
larry of the people, and the jury understood
every point he made and every thought he
uttered. never saw him when thought
he was trying to make lin effort for the sake
u