The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1922-04-28

walk nome with his two friends VINO
had just returned from the North, be-
ing eager to learn of Samson's visit.
The latter gave him a full account of
it and asked him to undertake the col
lection of Brimstead's note.
"TIl get after that fellow right
away" said Lincoln. "Im glad to get
a chance at one of those men who
have beer skinning the farmers"
They sat down by the Preside in
Samson's house.
"Joe has decided that he wants to
be a lawyer" said Samson.
swell, Joe, Well all do what we can
to keep you from being a shotgun
lawyer" Abe Lincoln began. 'Tve got
a good first lesson for you. l found 1t
in a letter which Rufus ChOate had
written to Judge Davis. In 1T he says
that we rightly have great respect for
the decisions of the majority, but that
the law Is something vastly greater
and more sacred than the verdict Of
n majority. The law he says,
comes down to us one mighty and
continuous stream of wisdom and ex-
perience accumulated, ancestral,
widening and deepening and washing
itself clearer as it runs on, the agent
Of civilization, the builder Of a thou
sand cities. To have lived through
ages Of ~unceasing trial with the pas
sions, interests and affairs Of men, to
have lived through the drums and
tramplings Of conquest, through v
luton and reform and all the changing
cycles Of opinion, to have attended
the progress Of the race and gathered
unto itself the appreciation OF civil
lied humanity Is to have proved that
it carries in it some spark of immor-
tai life.'"
The face of Lincoln changed as he
| recited the lines Of the learned and
distinguished lawyer Of Massachu-
chusetts.
His face glowed like a lighted Ian
tern when he began to say those elo-
quent words" Samson writes In his
diary. HE wrote them down so that
| Josiah could commit them to memory"
"That Is q wonderful statement"
Samson remarked.
Abe answered: 1T suggests to me
that the voice Of the people in any one
generation may o. may not be In
spired, but that the voice Of the best
men Of all ages, expressing their sense
Of justice and Of right, In the law, Is
| and must be the voice Of God. The
spirit and body Of it's DEGREES are as
i~ndestructible as the throne Of Heaven.
You can overthrow them but until
| their power is re-established, al surely
it will be, you will live in savagery."
"You do not deny the right Of revo-
luton"
mo. but I can see no excuse for It
In America. It has remained for US
to add to the body Of the law the idea
that men are created free and equal.
The lack Of the saving principle in the
codes Of the world has been the great
cause Of injustice and oppression"
Honest Abe rose and walked up and
down the room in silence for a mo-
ment. Then he added:
"Choate phrased 1t we'll when he
said: we should beware Of awakine
the tremendous divinities Of change
from their long sleep. Let us think
Of that when we consider what we
shall do with the evils that affiict u.s.
The boy Joe had been deeply In
terested in this talk.
IF you'll lend me a book, I'd like
10 begin studying" he said.
"There's time enough for that" sale
Lincoln. First, l want you to under
stand what the law is and what thu
lawyer should be. You wouldn't wan
to be a p~ettifogger. Choate Is thu
right model. He has a dignity SUITED
to the greatness of his chosen master
They say that before a justice of tn
peace, in a room no bigger than
shoemaker's shop, his work is don
with the same dignity and are tina
he would show in the supreme cour
of Massachusetts. A newspaper say
!, that in a dog case at Beverly h
treated the dog as If he were a Ito
> and the Grabbed old squire with tn
: consideration due a chief justice"
s "He knows how to handle the Ems
fish language" Samson observed.
n "He got that by reading. He is tn
u
t best read man at the American ba
and the best Bible student. There
a lot of work ahead of you, Joe, befOr
you are a lawyer, and when your
admitted success comes only of til
q capacity for work. Brougham wrot
the peroration of his speech in d
n tense of Queen Caroline ninetee
tines"
+ 81 want to be q great orator." tt
# boy exclaimed with engaging fran
ness.
"Then you must remember tn,
# character Is the biggest part of 1t
~ Honest Abe declared. "Great though
# come out Of a great character ar
II only out of that. They will con
u even if you have little learning al