Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-08-17

possession and calmness of judgment
and after the most careful study anC
| thought to decide that some of the
measures which he, as Secretary o.
the Treasury, had devised and enforc
ed for the salvation of the nation
during that terrific struggle for ma
tOnal existence, were unconstitution
al when brought to the final test ot
the law. For Is years prior to his a.
pointment by President Lincoln tC
the exalted position of Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court of the United
States Chief Justice Chase had been
out of practice of the law and had fis
ured in the great and stormy politi-
cal battles of his country Of that day
and as such Secretary of the Treas
ury upon his shoulders fell the re-
spOnsibility of financing the forces
and measures necessary to put down
the rebellion and by ways and means
never before thought of. That quail
ty in the man when sitting as Judge
which enabled him to pronounce as
unconstitutional and void the very
acts and measures for which he was
responsible when acting in another
capacity and which survived the test
of successful experiment is a quail
ity of which goes to make the great
judge, a quality astonishing to the
uniformed mind
1t has been at least once judici-
ally said by the highest court of our
land that Judges some times sur
render, with reluctance, a fayorite
opinion even when it meets condem-
nation at every turn, and find it well
night impossible to change it at all
when it happens to harmonic with
the popular voice or is gilded by the
rays of successful experiment
You will readily recognize that
Chief Justice Chase was not of this
class and all who are within hearing
of my voice will agree that Judge
Webb was also not of this caliber of
man. He was man of strong likes
and of violent disIikes of both men
and measures. He was a strong par
tisan in politics and his prejudices
were considered by some as at times
violent and unreasoning. He lived
in an era when strong men almost
necessarily were partisan. Yet up
on the Bench all these things fell
from him as though they were never
present and SO thoroly was this un-
derstood by the Bar of Wisconsin
and all people who knew him that
they were content to have their con-
troversies tried before him no mat
ter whether they considered him frien
or foe, personally or politically.
Judge Webb had the third great in
dispesnable quality to the great
Judge. He had great and a legal
mind. He was an original thinker
and of the highest integrity and in
dependence He understood lega1
principles. They were a part of his
being. He had the power of keen
perception and discernment. Fraud
could not escape him. He had the
rare faculty of readily distinguish
ing truth from falsehood. He was
able to and did universally obey
the divine command "Judge not ac-
cording to appearance, but judge
righteous judgment. In the admin
istration of justice in his court he
was not hampered by legal forms and
the phraseology of higher courts.
He gave expression to the law in
his own words and made every case
tried before him one of individual
living vital interest.
Justice with this nation is the sum
of wise constitutional laws honestly
and efficiently administered Our
political existence and the liberty,
prosperity and happiness of our peo-
pie depend upon this one word Gus
tice." Our greatest statesman and
orator once said Justice is the in
terest of man on earth. It is the
ligament which holds civilized be-
ings and civilized nations together"
So great was Judge Webb's reputa-
ton, early in his judicial career
established, for the administration of
justice that many important causes
torneys and often by the parties to
the litigation transferred to his cir
cult for hearing and decision by him
and | am sorry to say that during
the later years of his life, paritcu-
larly, he was too seriously taxed
in this respect, for he never shirked
work ALI htigants and their attor-
neys had a conscious feeling that in
his hands the liberties and property
rights of the people were safe.
Had he chosen to become a member
of the Supreme Court of the State
his judicial utterances would have
been perpetuated to posterity in the
printed volumes of the decisions of
that court, but for reasons of his Owl
he chose rather to remain circuit
Judge, close to the people. Although
his particular sayings and decisions
may be lost in the sense of pub
lie record to posterity, yet they are
not really lost because during his
% years on the Bench he so taught
and administered the principles of
justice that his influence and teach
ings will be an Inheritance of the
generations yet to come.
I believe the multitude cannot well
comprehend the loss which the Bar
of this circuit, and the leading mem
bers, of the Bar throughout the state,
suffer by this mans death. During
the 28 years of his services on the
ID H.