Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-07-16
VISITING BANQUETERs
IN REMINISCENT MOOD.
CONTINUED from Page 81

spirit. age could not wither, nor
when comparatively an old man he
wrote and gave to the profession two
standard and highly priced works,
'Rorer on Judicial Sales and "Rorer
| on Railroads." He tried the
first case to be found in your reports. In
re Ralph, Morris. page 1. Though
| southerner, he took the side of the slave,
i Ralph, whom his master had permitted to
| come and live in Missouri and by reason
OF which the supreme court, composed OF
three democratic judges, with the
gifted Charles Mason at the head.
declared Ralph to be free man.
And throughout our great civil war
otism and loyalty. He used frequently
to visit this bar. 1t was in the old court
house which has given way to your splen-
did new one. But 1t was not old when I
first entered It, 1t was new-not entirely
competed. When I first passed its portals
I beheld engaged in argument two young
intellectual giants. 1t was in the case OF
Elk rel 'Wapello county reported in 18th
| Iowa. and in which it was held for the
first time that the counties had no
power to subscribe stock to build rail-
roads. These young giants We're Henry
Clay Caldwell and James r. Wilson. Sem
ator Wilson has paid the debt of nature.
Judge Caldwell full of years. and full Of
horors. has recently retired from the
federal bench after n service of forty
years. His service had been the longest
| of any federal judge then on the bench,
and 1t had been as illustrious and benea.
cIal to the country. as it had been long.
1t would have been a saving grace could
1t have continued. He exerted all of his
great powers to hold the jul
: diciaf course to just and proper
1 lines. His wonderfully strong
, tt1, ic hirrf, oto ,fo !, To-
keen and exalted sense of Justice, and
the extraordinary vigor with which he
i enforced his views. gave him n national
reputation His virie opinions have been
far renchirr in their Influence and will
increase In interest as time passes. They
are distinguished for their entire CON-
sistency, for the profound knowledge Of
the law which they exhibit, and for the,
heroic applcation of those great princi-
pies of Justice upon which our jurispru-
dence Is founded.
IIc may be said to be an Iowa product.
as he came to 1t while child with his
father and family. when 1t was n terri
tory: and pnrt of your city Is built upon
land which members of his family nc-
nulred upon the departure of the Inl'ans
In May. 1S43 His father. Van Caldwell.
had been a wealthy Virginia planter. Tie
came to the territory at very early day
and was known up and down this Leanti-
full valley for his old-fashioned hospitality
and his great admiration for Henry Clay,
for whom his son was named.
Had Judge Caldwell remained at the
bar. he would beyond question, have at
tanned great distinction as a lawyer: for
he strilingly displayed. while young
man. the essential qualities necessary for
that purpose. He was member of the
legislature in 1850. made chairman Of
the judiciary committee on account Of his
legal attainments. and attracted general
attention bv his impetuous and Etrong Off
hand speeches. But on the breaking ont
of the war; he entered the army where
he served with distinction MS major. and
afterwards MS lieutenant colonel and. col
on"l of the Third Iowa cavalry. nd Mt
the close of the war was appointed fed
cral Judge by Abraham Lincoln, which
changed the course of his career.
But I must bring these "reminiscences
to nm end. would like to say few
words more of the lawyers who have
passed away: of Colonel s. w. Summers,
with whom I finished my studies and who
deserves honorable mention; :. u w.
Dixon. A. w. CASTOR, Thomas Big
ham, Charles Fulton, A. A.Stew-
art. Edmund L. Joy Judge Ed
lo"cd while living, and whose memory
affectionately reverence while dead; in
many respects he one of the greatest
lawyers l have ever seen: of John A.
Johnston: of J. c. Hall, n great LAWYER
and great man: of Charles Necus. with
n head like Webster and front like love:
of Samuel +. Miller. the greatest constitu-
tional lawver-always excepting John Mar
shall-wc have ever had: of Christian Sla-
gle. that most amable and loveable nf
lawyers and mon. and the many others
whose names I have not mentioned.-but
want of time forbids Their sketches with
those of others who have passed away in
the state, will have to he reserved for
the work which undertook at the re-
quest of the judges of the supreme court,
and for which ] commenced to gather ma.
terial in 1881. I have. l believe. the rich
est material that was ever collected for
a like purpose among which are manu-
scripts from the hands of Judge Mason,
Judge Wright. Judge Wilson. Judge SAM
ue f. Miller. Judge Dan Miller, Judge
Springer. Judge Beck, Judge Rorer, Z. S.
Parvin, Judge Woods Familiarity known
as "Old Timber Dan Finch, and MANY
others; but I have been so closely en-
gagged with other duties that 1t has been
impossible for me to complete it in the
careful and thorough manner in which
it must be. But I have now resumed
work upon it, and hope in the near
future to give it to the public under
the title of Sketches of the Judges
the Lawyers and Leading Public Men
of Earlier Iowa.
I hope I may be pardoned for the
length of these remarks. I trust that
what have said of my brethren may not
he likened to what Sidney Smith said Of
the English electromagnetic they resem-
} bled potatoes in the field, because the
best part of them was under the ground
; AS l stand here tonight and look in
vain about me for the professional COM
panions of my youth, 1 realize that am
growing old.
feel like one who treads alone
Some banquet hall deserted,
Whose fires are out, whose lights are
gone
And all hut me departed.
How many glorious spirits have passed
on to the unknown. But feel that
shall see their bright faces again.
1t must be so; Plato thou reasoneth we'll:
Else whence this pleasing hope, this fond
desire,
This longing after Immortality?
Or whence this secret dread, this inward
horror
OF sinking into naught?
Why shrinks the soul back on itself
And startles at destruction?
!, tbs the divinity that stirs within us:
tc hoo,