Lincoln And Douglas As Lawyers

No two men could be foUnd more unlike, physically and intaUectually, in mannen, and in appearance, Uan they. Lincoln was a vory tall, spare man, six eet four inches ,, balflht, and would be ustautly receftiized as belonging tothal jjrpe ot t'ill, large-boned men, produced in he northern part of the MisaJssIppi valley, in the most marked degree in Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois. In any court-room in the United States, he would have been insta-ntly plcked out as a western man. Iüs stature, gure, dress, marnier, voice and accent, indícate that he was of the north-west. In manner, he was always cordial and frank, and, although not without dignity, he made every person fet'l quite at liis ease. I think the first impression a stranger would get of hini, whetksr in obnversation, or by hearing him speak, as. that this is a kind, frank, sincere, genuine man; of transparent truthfulness and inbagrity; and before Lincoln had uttered many words, he would be impressed witL his clear goodsense. bis romarltably simple, homely, but expressive Saxon language, and ïH-xt by liis wonderful wit and humor. Lincoln was more familiar with ihe bible than any other book ih the lanrua!jo, and this was apparent, both from his style and illustrations, so often taken from that book. He verified the niaxiin that t is bctter to know thoroughly a few good booksthan to read many. Douglas waa littlc more than live feet high, with a strong, broed chest and strongly marked features; liis manners, also, were cordial, frank and hearty. The poM" ist a ml humbluat iouiwl üiui íiieiidly. ¦',' . . ., unit -icuurt - eltmet with the rudest and poorestman in the coiut-room. Those of you who practlaed law witli him, or tried causes before liim, whea on the bench, will rememher that it was not unusual to see him come ofl" the bench. 01 leave his chair at the bar. and take a eeat on the knee of a fríend., and with om thrown tamiliailv around liis frioTs i(' 'k. have a tricn.lly talk or a Tal or politiea) consultation. Buoh tamiliarity wonld liavc Shoeked our English cousins and dfsgustcd OUT Boston brothers, and it. lias, I think, diMppeared. In contrast with this familiarity of Douglas, I remember an aneedote illustratinj? Colonel Benton's ideas ot' liis i)vn personal dignity. A dlatingUhad incniber of oongreas, who WOB a greal admlror of Itenton, one day approaciied and slapped him, familiarly and rudcly, on the shoulder. The Senator haarbtily arew himself upandsuid: "Thati8a fainiiiarity, sir, I never permit niy friends, mucb lesa a comparativi' strunger. Sir, it must not tM repeated." Lincoln and Douglas were, as wc know, botb self-educatcd. and (.-.u-U the linihlcr of lus ow ii fortune. Eacli bccatne very early tlic racogul- d toader ot the polltloal party to whlch he belonged. Douglas wa bolo, unfllachlnr, impetuous, denunciatory and detexmlnedj lic posaessed, in an eminent degree, the quallties which créate personal popularity, and he was the idol of his friends. Both Lincoln and Douglas wen slrong jnry-lawyurs. Lincoln, on the whole, was the strongest jury-lawyer e ever had in Illinois. Both were distinguished for their ability in eiaing aml bringing out, distinetly andclearly, the real points in a case. Botip very happy iu the examination of witnesses; I think Lincoln the -tronger of the two in cross-examination. He could comjjel a witness to teil the truth when he moant to lic. Ho could make a jury lauh and, jrenerally, weep, at his pleaBure. l.incoln on the rij;ht side, and cspecially when injusticeor fraud were to be exposed, was the stronirest advocate. On the wronjr side, or on the defence, where the accused was really irnilty, the cliënt, with Douglas for his advocate, would be more fortúnate than with Lincoln. Lincoln studied tuteases thotooghlr and exhaustively. Douglas had a wondorful faculty of extractine from hi aasoelates, from experts and others, by conversation, all they knew of a subject he was to disUld then niakingit so thoroughl that all seemed to have originated with hlmself. He so perfcctly assimilated the ideas and knowledge of others, that all seemed tobe his own, and all that went luto his mind came out improved. His ablest speech In the house was made on the 7th of January, 1844, on a bilí to refund to General Jackwm the tine ini[)osed upon him by Judge Hall, during the defence of New-Orlean. In this naaaterly rgnm-t; he took the then boMland novel round that the fine was Imposed in violation of law. It is acuriousfact that, in hia speech, Douclas claimed of General Jack son many of tlic wnr powen exercfaed by lent Lincoln and his gencniN, dnring the rclH'llion, and lor whic-h the president was 80 bitterly denounced by his politica) opponenU. This speech gave him a national reputation. Af ter the death of the nero of New-Orleans, a pamphlet copy of the pech was found among his papen, with an indorsement in Jackson's hand writlng, and signed by him, in these vrordt: "Tliis speech ennst tutes my defence. I lay it aside as an inheritaucc tbr inv randchildren." Mr. l.ineoln rcniained n active praetice at the bar until hla nominatioii lor the lency In 1860. HU reputalion as a lawyer mul advocate wfeg mNiiifr hlgtier and higher. He liad a large practice on tlie circuit all ovt-r the central part of this Mate, and he wt employed in moat of the hnportanl cases In the federal and supreme courts. He went on special retaineri all OTer Illinois, una occnsfonally to Sc! Xouïs, ('iicinnati. tut) Inilian.i. Mis law arguaddrened to thetadgei irere nlways (leur. rieoroua and logfcal ; Beeking to convince rather by Ihe appHcation oí principie, iIkim liv the eit.ition of initliorities and On the whole, I always tliou"lit liini rcl:itively stroner to eonvlnce rather liy ihe appllcabon of principie, than by the eitalion of autlioriticx and cases. On the whole, I ahviiys thooffht him relatively atronger before ajaiy than with thetourt. lle as ¦ j iiick and accurate reader of, character. und understood, alniost intnit .- ively.thujury.witnessfs, pnrtiusaud adföt, and how lest to addres, OOOTIMM, and influence them. He bad ¦ power of concillatittg and nipressin everyone in his favor. A strauger coming into court, not knou ii" liini oranything about his case, llstenlng to Lincoln a few moment, would flnd liimielf involuntai-ilv on hiside. and wishnjrhitn success. Bis manner wassocanlid, so direct, the' spectator was mpn Ihat lie was seekiiiff only truth and justice lic i Actllcil all I ever lieard in the .-lalciicnt of his cu.se. Howevor compOoatad ie would d8entangle il, and preteol the urnlne point In a uay bo simple and cler hal all eould understand. Indeed, his ntatement oftea rendered argmneot anoeo ssarv, and uiten the Court would Stop him "ld 8lV, " ll'lhal is the case, we Will liear '"' rfde." He had, in the highesl lie" ,'', '!'-; '''¦'' ""¦ :irl rf peisnaMoii veré ,,„ ,,'' nTlctlon' llis llnstration.s uní api ,'ard generally eonclusivc. He never d evidence, hut stat'j; clearly, and net fairly and qorely Jfa opponent's llis wit and hnnioi.and inexhanstble stores of anecdote, ftJwaysWthe point, uldcd iintnunselj Tó his power a.s :i jury 'ocate