Ex-United States Senator John M. Thurston, of Nebraska, delivering his impassioned plea to the jury in
behalf of Senator Mitchell
Up to the time Judge Tanner made the serious mistake of committing perjury in order to shield his old law partner, no man in Oregon enjoyed a more enviable reputation for truth and veracity, or stood higher in public estimation. That he suffered the consequences of his indiscretion in many ways is self-evident, because it is reasonable to suppose that any high-minded person of Judge Tanner's caliber would very naturally feel the utmost humiliation on account of the degradation that had been imposed upon him almost unsolicited. It may be contended that the only open course for any honorable man under the circumstances Page 219
