The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-11-03
RUFUS CHOATE
Orator and Advocate
BY
SAY

a. you have a memory. salmon +. Chase.
another young New Highlander. studied
law in the ofaoe OF Mr.. Writ.
Al Washington Choate >aw Marshall
PRESIDE on the bench ANA heard Pinkney
plead at the bar. OF the latter. ne said
He i q hit 6..6 o . - % S.
He IS the most Consummatc master o..
manly and exuberant spoken English /
ever heard. In 1923 Chuatc Wa admitted
10 the bar, and opened an office st Dan
vers. a town he represented IN botil
hrancherS OF the State legislature beio.c
he was twenty-seven. Il i curious 20 re-
late that he was discouraged and cont"ni-
plated failure IN the profession OF which
he was TO be 50 splendid an ornament.
There is 2 story TO the effect that ne
gained confidence BY his successful man
agement OF a case in which wa involved
something about a dog. Y vas said that
he treated the dog like It was an elephant
or lion. ana The trial justice a. though
h was chici justice.
AT the age OF thirty Choatn vas return
ed TO the Twenty-second Congress FROM
the Salem district, and among ms ool-
| leagues from Massachusetts We're Johr
Quincy Adams. Edward Everett. and Joha
Davis. From other states were George
| McDuffe, George Evans. James X. Polk.
and Thomas Corwin. The tariff was a
leading issue, and Mr.. Choate discussed
that question in a speech that attractcr
great attention and received great APP
plause. His elegant presence, classic feat
ures. beautiful voice, and wonderful die
ton charmed everybody. while his cogent
reasoning made him a foeman worthy
anybodys steel. The celebrated Zen
Hardin. Of Kentucky. was at that tire
a member OF the House, and a Wing, aS
was Choate. He told chat II was hls
rule to never hear a speech that We,
made on his side of a question that ne
expected TO discuss, and when Choate rose
he took his hat 10 retire, but was 80
charmed with the first few sentences that
he remained until the speech was COW
Guided. One of Choate's arguments would
!. sound very well in Congress nowadays. It
was that protection would make cotton
mills in New England. Cotton mills in
New England would make higher price
fer raw cotton. Higher prices for raw
cotton would make slave labor more pro.
ftable. But the Abolition party scarcely
existed in the early '30's,
"Old Ben Hardin" was an extraordinary
man. John Randolph, Ct Roanoke. de-
scribed him as "a kitchen knife whcttea
On a brickbat.'' He was as good a law
yer as Choate, or anybody else, and .
giant N debate IN Congress, on the stump,
or at the car. He was prodigaliy enGoM-
cd With that quality men call commo:r
sense. If one would see that illustrated
let him get the debates Of the convention
that formed the constitution Cf Kentucky
OF 1S49 and read Hardin's speeches.
IJa ,raC NOT = lCyehlo man Itp .1y0s. =
great many things that Rufus Chcate wa
rot. Proctor Knott relates an anecdotc
that is characteristic of him. Hardin
prosecuted the accused u the amCd-
Wilkinson trial at HarroGsburg. Ky, and
there he met s. s PrentesS. the cher
counsel for the defense. Hardin Wa
never very famous for very good man.
1ers. and he did not stand IN any awe
of the great Prentiss, and let that gentle
man, the bench, the bar, and spectators
know it.
Some years after that, Hardin had pro-
fessional business in Mississippi, and was
at Jackson. The legislature wa in ses-
sion, and somebody offered a resolution
to invite him to address the two houses.
Before the vote was had, Prentiss Went
Oh the floor and exerted his influence to
defeat the resolution. and he succeeded.
"a IL viii ' ~ INAoCt y I q NJ
a boat for Louisville, and while waiting
at his hotel the arrival of the boat from
New Orleans, he saw a bulky legal record
in the office and picked it up and found
i the transcript of a suit that had been
decided by the State Court of last resort,
and an appeal had been made to the SUI
preme Court Of the United States. He
soon became absorbed in it, and read it
very carefully. s. S. Prenuss was one OF
the parties to the suit, and his whole es-
tate and more, too, were involved.
Hardin remarked to q gentleman in the
room that it was a most interesting case.
Il so happened that this gentleman, a to-
tai stranger, was a party to the suit with
Interests adverse to those of Prentiss. He
had been defeated in the State courts,
was much discouraged, and had resolved
to abandon the appeal. He asked If Har-
din was a lawyer. and when he got reply,
he asked his name. Ben Hardin, OF
Kentucky" was not a strange name any
where in the Mississippi Valley, and tins
man had heard Of it. Before they separ-
ated Hardin was engaged to prosecute
the appeal. John J. C~rittenden. another
Kentuckian, appeared for Prcntiss, but
Hardin gained the case. It beggared Prem
tiss, and shortly after he moved to New
Orleans to regain his fortunes. 1t i SAID
that old Ben had some communication
with him after the final order of the Su-
preme Court, in which he was not very
chlvalrous, but proclaimed woe to Tho
vanquished.
Choate served one full term and a part
OF another in Congress, and resigned q
go to Boston and engaged in the practice
of his profession. He was now a famous
man-celebrated for his intellect hi