The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-19
STORE
OPENS
9 A. VI.
COUNTRY LAWYERS.
Late Senator Davis Appreciation OF
Their Learning and Ability.


Their Learning and Ability.
Washington Letter to st. Paul (Minn)
Pioneer Press.
"Great lawyers do not come from such
places as Hominy Hill" was the remark
made by a Republican politician in March,
1885, Immediately after the nomination of
Senator Garland for Attorney General.
'Great lawyers are to be found only in
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago,
ST. Louis, and other cities of considera-
Bile size and extensive business interests.
They do not come from places like HON.
my Hill, which would never be heard of
hat for the elevation of some obscure man
to a position in either house of Congress-,
continued the partisan critic.
This statement was repeated to Senator
Davis of Minnesota only few days be-
fore the beginning of his fatal illness, and
the great lawyer-statesman said:
THAT is untrue, and it is the language
of nonsense. In the first place, Senator
Garland is one of the ablest Constitutional
lawyers that this country has produced
in q generation. He was one of the great
est of the Southern Senators, and he was
ii great attorney general, too. l have no
patience with any such sneers as that
at the country lawyer. AS a mere matter
of fact, many a city lawyer who is sup
posed by his clients, and by the general
public as well as by himself, to be a
great lawyer, has gone into the country
districts of his state to try case, where
he would have country lawyer pitted
against him, and has learned, sometimes
to his disgust. as well as to his surprise.
that the country lawyer was a great deal
more than match for him upon every
point.
Il have had some experience of that
sort, as a city lawyer, going out to meet
with country lawyers, and l know what
1 am talking about when 1 say that some
of the ablest legal lights of this coun-
try have come from obscure country
towns. or course, it is true that in small
Ter towns where business is less favor
able, the lawyers do not receive large
fees, because they are not retained in
great cases, involving large amounts of
money, but they are none the less studious
and interested in their own advancement.
Very often IL happens that a lawyer who
does not make more than $1,000 or $1,000
per annum is busily engaged all the time
in the study OF law, and becomes SO thor
oughly informed upon every branch OF
law, so thoroughly versed in his reading
of great presidents. that he is much bet
ter equipped for the management of inn
portant cases than a city lawyer who is
always engaged In practice. and does not
have a sufficient amount of time to devote
to reading.
Justice samuel +. Miller.
For example, one OF the greatest jur-
lists the present generation has produced
was the late Associate Justice Samuel +.
Miller who. when he was appointed TO his
position upon the Supreme Court by Pres
ident Lincoln, in 1852, was practicing
attorney In the little town OF Keokuk
Iowa, at the foot of the Des Moines Rapids
of the Mississippi river. That is by no
means an important city, and was as
small a town then as il is now.
During the first Administration Presi-
dent Cleveland appointed Bartlett Trpr
TO be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
of the territory of Dakota l know Mr.
Trip intimately, and am related TO him
and have no hesitancy In saying that
he is one of the ablest lawyers In this
country. He was splendidiy educated IN
New England. and ne spent number OF
years in Yankton, S. D., and became very
learned IN law.
"MoreovcrI can tell you matter a
fact. some Of the greatest lawyers tina
have been produced by the Eastern states
have come from country towns. Pennsyl-
vania an9 New York have had in ;hclr
country towns a great many lawyers OF
superior ability who would very readily
q and very easily outclass some OF the more
psstenious lawyers Of the cities Of New