John Van Buren. the appellation, but I have often heard his political and legal compeers familiarly greet him with a "How are you, Prince?" Al though much sought after in the matrimon ial markets of Albany, New York, and Wash ington, he finally made a distinctive love match in becoming the husband of the daughter of an Albany judge who had passed her maidenhood " far from the mad ding world's ignoble strife," and to whose alluring memory he remained faithful as her widower all of the years succeeding her un timely death. He practically rejoined the Albany Bar on his father's retirement from the Presi dency, and entered upon a prominent legal career. At that time Albany sustained to the rest of the State of New York the juridi cal relation which London holds to Eng land as the capital wherein appeals from nisi prius are heard, and where reside agents for lawyers practising at interior towns or cities. He was, therefore, extensively "briefed " before the Court of Errors, as Wendell's reports show. At that time he was about thirty-five years of age, and pos sessed every physical advantage and charm which can grace the orator. He was tall, and of rosy complexion, with magnetic eyes, a graceful poise, and a voice that could at will and in accordant effect drop to the social and confidential purr, or rise to the alto in vehement denunciation, or use the basso of objurgation or recrimination. I once heard him before the United States Court opposed by Rufus Choate, while I was a law student; and it was difficult to decide whose tones of the two were the most flexi ble or melodious. Each possessed equal flow of Saxon diction, and each a natural animation of manner. Perhaps Mr. Van Buren was the more logical, and Mr. Choate the more persuasive. But persuasion at tached to the former's powers before a jury early in his career. Albany County and two adjacent counties lapsed into the throes of organized rebellion
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against legal procedures that were instituted by farm landlords against tenants in the matter of evictions and non-payments of rents. Feudal incidents appertained to ten ures that were founded in colonial times, and sought to be continued under republican government. Some tenants resisted — much as is now the case in Ireland — upon strictly legal incidents; but their great majority fought the landlords out of sheer brute re sistance and in hopes to escape paying rent at all; and these fought, not only with forms of law, but with political weapons. The contest has passed into the law reports, and into the political history of New York, under the name of " the Anti-Rent War." Antirenters finally formed a political party, and elected local prosecutors, constables, sheriffs, and even, in time, selected judges and panels of jurors. John Van Buren was early re tained as counsel by the landlord — or as it was popularly termed, the "patroon" — interest, and for several years he actively engaged before juries and appellate courts in proceedings against the anti- renters. "Ah! " sometimes exclaimed a few of the cynical and demagogical, " Prince John is displaying the aristocratic sympathies that he acquired in London." In his legal con flicts similar expressions often taunted him, but he repelled them with inexhaustible humor and wit; for he was ever master of repartee, and it was always proverbial advice to his antagonist: "Don't interrupt Van Buren with sidewise parentheses, for his retorts will put you at a disadvantage." Mr. Van Buren possessed three qualities that are regarded as inestimable to the advo cate — retentive memory not only of ideas but verbally accurate, and quickness of ap prehension with readiness of speech on the occasion sudden. In those Anti-rent conflicts he always confronted a very strong bar, for the combined tenants claimed Parnells in the legislature, and received large subscrip tions of money towards bettering their or ganization and objects. The shrewdest
