Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-05-02

monies of your court house. deeply
regret this for many reasons. With
each passing year the desire increases
to look upon the spot which / knew in
my boyhood days, under conditions so
widely different from those which now
surround it and me.
AS a tenant of the Indian chief Ap.
panoose. my father, assisted by my
brother and myself, raised corn on the
present site of your city, before the
advent of the white man in Wapello
county. I saw the Indians pass away
and the white men take their places.
l knew your county in that period of
! it's history, when there was absolute
equality of fortune among its settlers.
by which I mean, that they were all
recognized by all, because all were
compelled to labor, and grades and
ranks in society were based on charac-
ter, not on gold. That epoch of pris-
tine simplicity is passing away. The
conventional social distinctions and
the disparities in fortune, that always
come with high state Of civilization,
are rapidly making their impress upon
you but happily without diminishing
your patriotism, your love Of Justice.
your respect for and reliance upon the
law as long as this Is the case the per-
petuity of our institutions is assured
You will have with you, in your cele-
bration, men who were active in lay
ing the foundations Of your great COM
monwealth, and in establishing it's
jurisprudence. They did their work
well; it will endure, unless the vices
which spring from wealth and luxury
shall bring liberty into disgrace, and
undermine the foundations of the re-
public; such a fate will be averted as
long as the descendants Of those who
laid the foundations prove worthy ct
their sires.
May your court house stand, for all
time, as the symbol of the law, sa.
cred temple of justice where the good
shall be protected, and the bad shall
be punished; where the person, the lib
erty, the reputation and the property
Of every citizen shall find ready and
effectual protection; where an injury
to the humblest citizen will be punish.
ed as wrong inflicted on the state;
where no precedent, however, hoary
with age, will be admitted to justify
absurdity or to work injustice, and
where no hair splitting technicalities
or refinements will be allowed to delay
or to defeat. the enforcement Of those
principles of eternal and inviolabla
Justice which were, before all courts,
and which ought to be their constant
and nDvarvinp p1Ii6p
Yours truly,
Henry c.. Caldwell.
Colonel Of Cavalry.
Judge Caldwell served in the civil
war for a period of three years. He
was major, lieutenant colonel and col
onel of the Third Iowa cavalry. He
served In the cavalry division that was
in the campaign that resulted In the
capture of Little Rock. General Dav-
idson who commanded the cavalry d.
vision, comprising 5000 cavalrymen.
at the end of the campaign, in his Of
fetal report says, Lieutenant Colonel
Caldwell, whose untiring devotion and
energy never flags, during the night
or day, deserves, for his gallantry and
varied mplishments, as cavalry
officer, promotion, to the rank of
general officer"
After this report reached Washing
ington, Judge Caldwell received tele-
gram from Senator James F. Wilson
of Fairfield saying, "You can be brig
adier-general or U. S. district judge
for the district of Arkansas. Which
do you prefer?" The Judge took the
judgeship and resigned from the
army.
An interesting little anecdote is told
of the time, when President Lincoln
was considering the appointment of
Judge Caldwell to his position on the
United States bench. Senators Grimes
and Wilson and some union men from
Arkansas requested the president to
settle the appointment and Mr.. Lincoln
said that he would send the application
in. A few days later, Senator Wilson
was calling on the chief executive
about other business and as he was
leaving, the president called out to him
saying, Wilson, l can't appoint your
friend Caldwell to the United States
iudgeship after ALL. Well" said Mr..
Wilson, what new light have you had
on the subject. Mr.. PRESIDENT" oh
said the president, 'he parts his name
in the middle and never appoint any.
one who parts, either their name or
their hair in the middle" and handed
Senator Wilson the proper recommen-
dations FOR Caldwell in which the
name had been filled in as H. Clay
CALDWELL Mr. Wilson quickly assured
the president that that was not Mr..
Caldwell's official signature, as he al
ways signed himself as Henry C. Cald- !
we'll and then showed the executive |