Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-12-28

civil life az he was during the turbid period
that men on the wrong SIDE of sixty viii
recal as the good old days II Is true
that In the discharge OF his civic duties
he is less conspicuous and presents, prob
ably. a less entertaining picture than did
his pioneer predecessor Who clothed In the
indulge in ali the folbles and designations
Of his time, and stu retain position OF
leadership II he were 9 good Judge OF
debts, played an a4l-night game Of cards
and at an opportune time could quote
volubiy from Chitty, Coke and Greenief
These structures are not Intended as re-
Election that galaxy OF strong and
Nirlle men who EirOYe vaanty, almost
ferociously. for mastery under conditions
so crude and primitive that the applause
OF their constituents was almost their only
fee-but TO say that the glamour which
few exceptions the chief reason OF their
rescue from oblivion.
They were not creatures OF the law
bound like Prometheus to the rocks of Gus
tom and usage, and as such, compelled by
the best traditions Of their profession TO
conform with established practise. Dur
ing the first sixty years of the republic
politics was the chief field in which men
Of superior capacity exploited their talents
The building OF q republic, so far as IL
applied TO the form and administration
OF law differed only In degree from the
long established and proven laws Of Eng
land and save for its tentative head there
test came In adapting them to the rest
lessness OF an unsettled people, and In the
chaotic social conditions there prevalent
In this work the essentials were more often
found in the heroics OF an OConnor or a
Choate than in the profundity Of Wilson,
Marshall or Madison.
With the exception OF Daniel Webster,
the New England conugent and Abraham
Lincoln, who was In a class alone. there Is
no authentic evidence that any of the early
backwoods lawyers compared in erudition
or logical sequence or even In the more
common elements OF oratory with Cochran,
Bailey DolIiver or Beveridge of our day,
and certainly not With men like former
President HARRISON, Roscoe Conkling and
James c. Blaine of an intermediate period
Years ego theslate Senator Vest OF Mis-
souri, t9lf gs that Y Rs n9ylSsts prior 70
speeehes which. WITH slight variations,
served asylls repertoire diring his entire
lifetime OHo OF them was for Fourth Of
July celebrations, one funeral address and
one, the piece de Resistance, for political
meetings. 81 .rr
Politics may be either a pursuit or a di-
version, but the law Is a jealous. sleepless
taskmaster, The work OF the lawyer must
needs smell OF the lamp and while we hear
much OF the great genius and logic of the
office-taught pioneer lawyers who, as CIR
cult riders depended wholly upon the great
guiding principles OF the law and built
their structures without books or proceed
ents upon the broad foundations OF these
principles. ] am not convert to the doe
trine that, natural endowments being equal
the technically trained coilege-bred law
yer OF today Is inferior In power Of mind
and analysts 70 the earlier advocates, while
in the preparation safeguarding and con
only as q specialist, but as a general Pr ;
titioner. -tk