The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-07-13
JUDGE NICHOLS ADDRESS.

| Chief Justice Nichols, of Louisiana, in
his learned and able address delivered
last week before the North Carolina Bar
Association at Asheville, paid a very
graceful tribute to North Carolina, in the
! following words:
"The people of Louisiana are connect
| ed with those of North Carolina by very
close ties. They are united. not only by
| the recollection of common sacrifice ana
| brilliant achievements, but by the fact
| that many of our citizens are either
| themselves from the old North State. or
are the descendants of men who, going
| to Louisiana from here in days past,
| have helped to make her what she is.
And l can say to you that one of the
most marked characteristics of those
whom l have known, is the tenacity and
strength of their affection for their old
home.
Three North Caroliniaps have pre-
sided over the Supreme court of Louis
| lana. One as Presiding Judge and two
as Chief Justice. l say three, for while
| Francois Xavier Martin was born in
| France, he came as a youth to the United
States and at once established his resi-
dence at New Bern, in this State
After telling briefly and simply of
Judge Martins life, how he worked his
way up from a boyhood of poverty and
manual labor, Judge Nichols referred to
| Martins History of North Carolina. and
his Old and New Series Reports of the
decisions of the Superior and Supreme
courts, saying that these latter are ex-
ceedingly valuable, both to the lawyer
and the seeker after historical informa-
ton. He mentioned also that Judge
Martin wrote a History of Louisiana and
| translated into English Pothiers' ia
NOUS Treatise on Obligation and Digest
of Louisiana Laws.
| The two Chief Justices referred to
| Manning. The latter Judge Nichols
spoke of in the following manner:
Manning became Chief Justice in
January, 1877, at a very critical period
of Louisianas history. In accepting the
office rendered him. he placed his flu
| ture career as lawyer in jeopardy, for
| had the effort made by the better ele-
ment in 1876 to assume control of po-
litical affairs, been unsuccessful, it re-
quires no great discernment, to know
what the effect would have been upon
his personal fortunes.
"He was an excellent lawyer and grace
full writer; man of profound integrity
and one who commanded universal re-
! To hoc ho 20
of his nativity and honor to the State of
his adoption"
! Judge Nichols address was upon the
system OF law prevailing now in Louisi-
ana, upon which subject he said a very
general misconception existed, as it was
believed to very great extent that the
laws of both France and Spain, though
more or less blended, continued opera
tive when the territory passed into the
possession of the United States, until re-
pealed either directly or by implication
The speaker explained most clearly
and interestingly wherein lay the miscon-
ception in this belief, saying that, as a
matter of fact, after the delivery of
Louisiana by France to Spain in 1869 the
! Spanish code was introduced and the
French laws were thereby repealed, so
that when Louisiana was coded to the
United States the colonial laws of Spain
existed as the prevailing system. After
the purchase these remained operative
until abrogated.
The address was greatly enjoyed by all
present, both for it's subject matter,
style and diction, and for the personal
charm of the speaker.