Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1902-04-24

to the State Senate from the district
composed Of the counties Of Wayne
and Duplin, in 1878, 1880 and 1882,
and was chairman Of the judiciary
committee; was president pro tenn.
of the Senate in 1879. When The
Code Commission was organized in
1881 to revise and consolidate all the
laws of the State, he was one Of the
three members of that commission
and was elected chairman.
Let me speak of him as a lawyer,
as a statesman and as a citizen. 1t is
as a lawyer that he won his greatest
success. He recognized the fact that
the law was a Jealous mistress, and
he never allowed anything to divert
his attention from his practice. I
have known him to enter political
campaign and make speeches and as
soon as it was over he returned to
his Office and resumed his business,
with as much system and method as
if there had been no interruption.
Participation in politics is calculated
to demoralize most lawyers, but it
was not so with him. Mr.. Dortch,
while not classical scholar or elo-
quent orator, was the best practitioner
cases in the court house before .juries
that ] have known in my day. He
was noted for his honesty and integ-
rity and had the confidence of his
clients. In personal appearance there
was a striking resemblance to Mr..
Blaine, only the latter was taller. and
a little heavier, but they both had
the same caste Of features and the
same thoughtful, dreany look. When
I was reading law with Judge Pear
son, [ frequently talked with him
about the prominent lawyers of the
State and he said that MIR. Dortch
was one of the safest counsellOrs and
one Of the best attorneys who prac-
ticed at the bar of the Supreme
Court. Judge FairclOth, who prac-
ticed at the Goldsboro bar with him
for more than thirty years, told me
that while he had had some hard
fights with him and had to fight hard
for every inch of ground that he won
in the court house, yet Mr.. Dortch
was the fairest and most honorable
man he ever encountered. This
means a great deal, coming from a
man like Faircloth,. who was not in
the habit of ,bestowing compliments
upon anybody. His addresses to the
jury were plain, practical and full OF
common sense, and, like the great
Stephen A. Douglas, he never used a
metaphor, made a classical alIusion,
Or quoted line of poetry. There
was no poetic sentiment in hisnature.
1t was not given to him to ''soal
above the clouds, to bathe in the
Elysian dew of the rainbow, and to
inhale the balny smells of nard and
casia, which the musky winds of the
zephyr scatter through the cedareo
| alleys Of the Hesperides." While he
| did not possess the Establishments O
| the orator, or the graces of the elo
cutionist, or the romantic sentimen
| of the poet, yet he had what was fa1
| better-the great genius of common
III i.
! deliver commencement addresses a
!; the University and Wake Fores
! College and other Institutions, bu
having no taste for such things, h,
! declined them all. He never courtet
the muses.. He spoke in a smooth
conversational tone Of voice, but a
he would warm with his theme, h,
| would become animated, and hi
| face, radiant with the fires of genius
would glow intellectual beauty. Thi
was all natural with him. Their
was no effort at display, or stage ef
feet, or playing to the galleries. Il
none of his speeches did he ever sa,
anything to elicit applause, but b
spoke to convince the reason AM
Judgment Of men. His favorite ges
ture was with his index finger, an
| when he would pointit at the jury
give emphasis to some point he wa
making, or to clinch the argument
it seemed the words were SO pointed
the reasoning so cogent, and tn
thoughts so powerful that they woul
penetrate to your very soul with tn
force and directness of cannen bal
81 He was hard worker, as indefat
, igable in. labor as Napoleon, an
. ' LII. L,