The Irish standard., 1901-01-19
Delivered in the United States Senate by Hon.
Charles A. Towne Of Duluth
Deemed be One of the Finest Panegyrcs Ever
Over Any Celebrated Statesman
Grand Euogy of Minnesotas Favorite as Patriot
Scholar, Diplomat and Christian.

siVe acquaintance with the literature
of Jurisprudence, although the struc-
ture of his mind inclined him toward
the exposition of principles, rather
than the mere aggregation of cases.
Ills arguments to courts were mod
els of legal reasoning and logical me.
thod; while, in addresses to jures, his
intimate knowledge of human nature.
his faculty of illustration and his fe-
licity Of speech made him an opponent
to be dreaded.
"As a trial lawyer he excelled in the
arrangement OF the order of his proofs:
In his command of the rules of evil
dence. and in the art of examining
witnesses, exhibiting, with other mer-
its IN this last department, that rare
discretion which knows how to resist
allurcments toward excessive cross
examination.
"Senator Davis was conspicuous
example of the scholar in politics. His
! reading, both in history and in general
literature, was comprehensive and
minute; but in this respect, as in 9th
ers, he followed the instinct of his own
taste and preference rather than any
li;lrd-and-fast program of study.
His library was his most congcninl
habitat. Thlther with uncrrinr ccr-
tainty he might bc traced in the inter-
walls of professional engagements or
public business.
Ills books had gathered about him
In answer to tic cnll of his mind for
companionship and COUNSEL He bought
no volumes by job-lot to fill shelf-room
and make Il brave appearance.
He knew each one or them like n
friend. He handled them lovingly. He
felt at home among them. Could they
be mhrshnled In the order in which
they came to him, their character and
sequence would be ut once an index to
his many-sidcd capacities, and II his.
tory Of his growth.
"On his return from Paris. two ycors
ago, he brought with him, as Il trophy
priced scarcely less than the famous
trenty itself, n French edition of the
entire extant Latin literature
MANY senators will, no doubt, re-
member his remarkably happy and
ready rendering of passage in one Of
Juvenals satircs which he made i'm
promItu during the Hawaiian debates
| in the Fiftythird congress. Having
| quoted as follows:
Scd quo cecidit sub criminc: ouisnam
D"lator? uuibus judiciis; quo teste
probnvit?
MI hOrum; vcrbosa ct granLis cDistolo
VENT
| A Capreir. Dene habet; null plus infer.
rogo,
lie thus DrOcceded:
my friend from Massachusetts
(Mr. Hoar) requests me to Translate
that. He does not need it, of course.
But another senator (Mr. Washburn)
suggests that some Of the rest of us
do
81 will not attempt to give literal
translation, but will give an accurate
parnphrase, which will show it's appli-
cation: Into what crime has he fall
en-? BY what informer has he been
accused? What judge has passed upon
him? What witness has testified
against him? Not one or any of these.
A. verbose and turgid message has
come over from Capri. That settles
it. 1 Will intcrrogatc no further
"fhose who have not forgotten the
circumstances under which this speech
was made will understand that this
passage Is Il good witness to much
more than a familiarity with Latin
classic.
'With all his various and wide ex,
cursions in the domain of general lite
rature, there were some spots he es-
pecially loved to visit, few books he
made almost his own. A boyhood en-
thusiasm for Napoleon stimulated an
interest in that wonderful man and all
that concerned him, and led to the col
lection of many rare portraits of the
great Corsican and of several hundred
volumes dealing with his life and
times.
"It is probable that no other private
library in this country can show SO
large Napoleonic photography as that
left by Senator Davis; and question
whether any living American other
than Professor Sloane has at his in
stant command such rich fund Of
accurate information concerning the
! first emperor Of the French. us that