Year: 1868

Language With "A Hostile Ring in H..


The Chief Justice, interrupting


counsel can proceed by unanimous consent.


Mr.. Nelson-l beg pardon Of the Chief
| Justice, | inferred from the silence that the
Senators were willing to hear me. The


honorable gentleman speaks az to what he


supposed to be the knowledge and duty of


"trio in the law" and animadverts with
some severity upon the introduction of this
foreign subject by me in the course of the
| investigation. | beg leave to remind the
| honorable Senators that so far as | am
concerned, did not introduce that copy
without having, as | believe, canse and


reason to do it; and whatever may be the
gentleman's views in regard TO "a trio" in


the legal profession, | beg leave TO say 10


him and this Senate that have never seen
the day in my life, not from the earliest


moment when my license was signed, down


to the present time, when a client was as


sailed and, as believe, unjustly, | did not


feel my very highest professional duty on


the face of the earth to yindicaie and de-


fend him against the assassin. My views


may be, and probably are, different from


the views of the honorable Managers and


others, and il, without casting any reelection


upon nv associates, the duty had dey0lYed


upon me to condnct the investigation of


this case, if it had not devolved upon those


of higher standing in the profession than


myself, would have met the gentleman


in every case when he has made his as


saults upon the President of the United


States, and l would have answered him


from time to time as those charges were


made, and l would not have permitted one


of them to go unanswered so far as an


answer could be made on our side, and


when the honorable gentleman who closed


the argument, so far as it had progressed


(Boutwell) at the time he addressed the


Senate on the other side, saw fit TO draw,


in dark and gloomy colors, the picture of


the President of the United States and the


influence which he had over his Cabinet,


and when he saw fit to represent them as


" "serfs obedient to the control of their mas


ter" and to make allusion TO the with
drawal of Judge Black, deemed that fit


and proper occasion, and 80 considering it,
upon the most calm and mature reflection,


We, az one (the counsel for the President)
having the information in our possession
to meet and answer it and nail it to the
counter, have done so, and think we have
done it successfully. You all know land
If need be | can hunt up the newspapers
and furnish the testimony that when Judge
Black retired from the Presidents case, it
was published in the newspapers hostile to
the President, that Judge Black, seeing that
the Presidents case was desperate, had
withdrawn from it in disgust and the very
highest professional duty devolved upon
me, when this imputation was contained in
the address Of the honorable manager and |
alluded 10 in the connection in which it |
was, to vindicate the President of the |
United States from the aspersions which |
had been made upon him, and it was for |
that reason, and for no other, not with any |
desire to make any assault upon the man


ayers; and while treated them with civil |
ity, with kindness, and, | think, with great |
forbearance, the honorable gentleman has |
made imputatlOns upon me to-day which | !
hurl back with scorn. Understand me- |
gentlemen, l treated him with courtesy |
and Kindness he has rewarded me with |
outrage In the presence of the American |
Senate, and it will be for you to Judge, |
Senators, whose demeanor has been most |
proper, that of the honorable manager, |
who toully and falsely makes insinuations |
against me for my course in vindicati0g |
the President of the United States 10 the |
discharge of my professional duty here, or
my own. So far as any question which the |
gentleman desires to make of personal |
character is concerned this is not the place |
to make 1t. Let him make it elsewhere if |
he desires to make it.