Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-06-24
Eloouent New Yorker De
livers Thrilling Speech
Magnificent Audience Hears
Great Orator at Armory

Madison, June H.
In an eloquent defense of the much
decried commercial spirit of the pres
ent age and a soul-stirring plea Tor
honest lawyers as the hope of c1vlllza'
+ion av-Congressman William BOurke
Cochran. the distinguished political
and legal orator of New York, Mon,
dav electrified the audience of 1000
people that crowded the great armory
hall to the doors. On the platform
with the speaker sat many OF the
most prominent legal lights OF the
state. among whom were ex-senator
w. F. Villas, Judges j. Fl. Carpenter,
Romance Bum, J. B. WinsloW, J. 3.
Cassoday, ANTHONY Donovan, G. Y.
Bardeen, George H. Noyes of MilWau-
kee. and B. F. Dunwiddie of James
vile. Senator J. H. Stout of Menomo-
ME. Profs. Burr w. Jones, 3. 3. Bry-
ant and Charles Noble Gregory OF the
law school faculty. Many members
of the university faculty were also on
the platform.
Joseph, E. Davies, president OF the
senior law class, introduced the dls-
tinguished speaker of the evening IN
a short and brilliant speech in which
he referred to the law as the preserv-
ing and protecting influence in our IN
situations, as the most potent force
that mas worked to the rounding OF
our present day civilization and to the
aid. comfort and social benefit OF men
and women. Referring to the speaker,
Mr. Davies said: 1.-The gentleman is
forerunner of conservatism. His lie
history is a story of human sympathy.
He is a. man of national fame, an ora
tor. lawyer, scholar unsurpassed
Mr.. Cochran spoke with wonderful
eloouence; his strong personality
the deep orotund of his powerful voice
and the beautiful figures and graphic
word pictures with which his speech
was replete, completely captured the
large audience and held absolute at
tention during the hour and quarter
during which he spoke. Great DIP
ulause interrupted the speaker several
times, especially when he arralgneo
Great Britain for her warfare in south
Africa and when he spoke OF the
working man as the real dictator OF
orr government. After the close OF
the address the members of the grad
uating law class passed upon the plat
form and were individually presented
to the speaker
Mr.. Cochran said in part:
esteem it a very high honor that nave
been selected to welcome you, the nIsl ; le,
err1its of the new century, TO pr01essl.oln
which, as your chairman has Wen sdlu =
links ali the centuries since the dawn Oh
civilization in one steady cnalh OIL human
progress. 1+ 70 ontar is
a commercial age and that fact has given
rise to many gloomy apprehenslons III the
minds of some good people. In IacI, the
word cOmmercialiSm has assumed porter
lions signlficance which would appear TO
nortend grave disasters to the republic. we
are warned of commerclallsm IN law, VI
.OmmercialiSm IN p0llJlcS, OIL COu1HlSl Cltti-
ism in religion, and | am not sure but some
people fear the influence OF commerclallsli
Now this fear of commercialsm does not
nroceed from any one class The note of
anprehension rises from all classes. Labor
ers cole re presidents, div1nes and even
miionai IS seem TO De ahae f iiIeg and ID
melancho in foretelling 1t. Laborers at
tribute tt commercialiSm and capitalism
the condi ons that bring on strlkes; t' C4I-
Iege prof sors attribute to it those trusts,
of which one of them declared that unless
they we checked by the social ostracislml
of thej promoters would subvert republic
titutions and erect an empire upon
aelr ruins. And even the millionaires
themselves seem to nave struck an apollo
getc attitude for their millions, IN the ian,
9uaoe of one of them who declared that to
die rich was to die diSgraced. In addresses
10 college graduates this apprehension OF
commercalism seems to have found a
prominent note, If we may Judge by the
reports that we have read. And when 1t
comes to the graduating class of the law
school, they are congratulated because the
law is supposed to be free from CONNER
cialiSm and because the new recruits in
selecting that profession are supposed to
have turned, from high purpose, their
backs upon the pathway that leads to for
tune Indeed, if a stranger TO our GUS
toms and our institutions were to read
these addresses delivered to classes such
as this during the last year he must have
come to the conclusion that the graduates
of the law school were about to engage in
lives of ascetic contemplation rather than
of active competition, in life of rigid
remuneration rather than of ambitious en-
terprises.
Now to me this notion that the bar is a
kind of sacred priesthood, which is bound
to look with Indifference upon the objects
which other men regard as the priesz of
life is based upon total misconception of
the lawyers relations to the other members
of society. For you must perceive, gentle
men, that if you are to lead lives of isola-
tion if loyalty to your profession compels
you to renounce the ordinary pursuits of
tho theory that society is totally depraved.
and if society he totally depraved. why
then the members of the learned profess
sions. indeed all virtuous men. should with
draw from participation in Its contentious.
rs the hermits of old sought the solitude of
the desert rather than the Injuries and COR
ruptions Of the great cities.
ut I think 1T Is VOL fiat we Shnuld n