Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-27
LIFE AND LETTERS
OF JOSEPH H. CHOATE
Edward S. Martin Has Made
an Interesting Book Out
of His Material

Edward q. Martin, brilliant essayist
and commentator on contemporary life.
has assembled in The Life of Joseph
Hodges Choate' some of the materials
from which a defnitive biography may
ultimately be written. Mr.. Martins
book is made up largely from the let
ters Of Mr.. Choate and from newspaper
clippings preserved in a scrap book. The
whole Is arranged chronologically and
1t gives an excellent picture Of the man
and Of his many activities, not only as
a lawyer, but as a public spirited citi..
zen of New York interested in all good
works.
The book contains the story Of some
| Of the most famous Of the cases with
which Mr.. Choate was connected. in
cluding the Cesnola libel suit, the Petty
John. Porter case, the Laidlaw suit
against Russo Sage. and the argument
on the constitutionaiity of the income.
tax law. And extracts from many OF
Mr.. Choate's famous occasional ad-
dresses are given. Notable among them
are his address at Harvard University
when Governor Butler attended the
commencement exercises and his famous
speech to the Society of the Friendly
Sons Of st. Patrick in New York, IN
which he recommended that all tho
Irishmen in America go back to Ireland.
Lawyers will be particularly inter.
ested in the description of the modest
Offices in which the leading attorneys OF
New York did business sixty years ago,
when Mr.. Choate first began to prac-
ticc. Mr.. Choate's fipst fee was ~,
earned by pleading the case Of two YER
mont farmers who sought damages from
the railroad company because two car
loads of potatoes had been ruined by
frost. When he was taken into part
nership with William NJ. Evarts, with
guarantee Of 16 per cent Of the profits.
Mr.. Evarts told him that his share
would be not less than $4,000 year.
At this rate the earnings of Mr.. Evarts
and his partners, constituting one OF
the most prosperous legal firms in the
city, were only about $50. 900 year,
As Mr.. Choate was able in later. years
to support the dignity Of his ambassa
dorial Office in London, it is evident that
. he lived to profit by much larger fees
than his distinguished early partner ever
. received.
, The book confirms the general i'm.
I preston about Mr.. Choate that he cx.
emplified in his own person the oh
/ maxim, suaviter in modo, fortiter in re,
for there was never an attorney or Q
| public speaker who could make his
: points with greater suavity, and few
who could cling more tenaciously to thu
real points at issue. But as biogGph,
It leaves much to be desired. Mr.. Mar
, tin admits rs much in his introduction
Indeed. the book forces one to regre
that Mr.. Choate himself was not abl'
i to finish the autobiography which HI
began in 1914. Whnt he wrote of tina
autobiography is given in the first vol
ume. The manner and method IL
.: such az to promise much for what th'
man did not have time or strength q
write in the remaining years of his life
THE LIFE OF JOSEPH HODGES CHoATE
as gathered chiefly by his letters; B'
III own story Of HIS bow hood and youth, Tw
| volumes. New York: Charles Scerioner'
| Sons. SO