Smyrna Times

Lincoln's First Meeting With
Stanton.

In the Summer of 1857 Mr. Lincoln
made his first visit to Cincinnati. He
was original counsel for the defendant
in a patent reaper suit pending in the
United States Circuit Court for Northern
Illinois. The argument of the case
was adjourned to Cincinnati, the home
of Judge McLean, at his suggestion
and for his accommodation.

Mr. Lincoln came to the city a few
days before the argument took place.
and remained during his stay at the
house of a friend. The case was one
of large importance pecuniarily and in
the law questions involved. Reverdy
Johnson represented the plaintiff. Mr.
Lincoln had prepared himself with the
greatest care; his ambition was up to
speak in the case, and to measure
swords with the renowned lawyer from
Baltimore. It was understood between
his client and himself before his com-
ing that Mr. Harding of Philadelphia
was to be associated with him in the
case and was to make the "mechanical
argument." Mr. Lincoln was a little
surprised and annoyed after reaching
here to learn that his client had also
associated with him Mr. Edwin M.
Stanton of Pittsburg, and a lawyer of
our own bar, the reason assigned being
that the importance of the case requir-
ed a man of the experience and power
of Mr. Stanton to meet Mr. Johnson.
The Cincinnati lawyer was appointed
"for his local influence." These
reasons did not remove the slight con-
veyed in the employment, without
consultation with him, of the addition-
al counsel. He keenly felt it, but
acquiesced. The trial of the case came
on: the counsel for defense met each
morning for consultation. On one of
these occasions one of the counsel
moved that only two of them should
speak in the case. This motion was
acquiesced in. It had always been un-
derstood that Mr. Harding was to
speak to explain the mechanism of the
reapers. So this motion excluded
either Mr. Lincoln or Mr. Stanton
from speaking-which? By the cus-
tom of the bar, as between counsel of
equal standing, and in the absence of
any action of the client, the original
counsel speaks. By this rule Mr.
Lincoln had precedence. Mr. Stanton
had suggested to Mr. Lincoln to make
a speech. Mr. Lincoln answered,
"No: do you speak." Mr. Stanton
promptly replied, "I will," and taking
up his hat, said he would go and make
preparation. Mr. Lincoln acquiesced
in this, but was deeply grieved and
mortified: he took but little more in-
terest in the case, though remaining
until the conclusion of the trial. He
seemed to be greatly depressed, and
gave evidence of that tendency to
melancholy which so marked his char-
acter. His parting on leaving the city
can not be forgotten. Cordially shak-
ing the hand of his hostess, he said:
"You have made my stay here most
agreeable, and I am a thousand times
obliged to you; but in reply to your
request for me to come again, I must
say to you I never expect to be in Cin-
cinnati again. I have nothing against
the city, but things have so happened
here as to make it undesirable for me
ever to return here."

Thus untowardly met the first time
Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Stanton. Little
did either then suspect that they were
to meet again on a larger theater, to
become the chief actors in a great his-
torical epoch.-Philadelphia Evening
News.