Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/478

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COLUMBIA AXD MOa TOUR COUNTIHS N

awanna & Western Railroad Company, the Philadelphia & Reading R ailw ay Company, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, the llnladelphia & Reading Coal and Iron ComI>any, the Lehigh Valley Coal Company, the American C ar and Foundry Com|>any, the to high Coal and Navigation Company, and a great many other concerns, smaller perhaps in size, hut %*aricd in scope, ivhich are dis­ tributed in various localities throughout the State. The relinquishment o f criminal practice w as but the evolution due to his sptKializing on corporate law. M r. Ikeler, however, has for­ saken his resolution in this matter when occa­ sion warrants, as when prosecution against some personal affiliation has arisen, going into the criminal courts and by the brilliancy of his masterly defense acquitting a client. He is known throughout this great State as an attontey. H is utterances to fo rc a court o l justice are tinged with the bitterest satire, the most profound truths, and the essence o f cor­ rect jurisprudence. Political preference came to M r. Ikcler early in life. H e served a s solicitor for his native town four years, twncc being named to that appointive office by the councilmcn of Kloomsburg. loiter, through the suffrage of his townsmen, he represented his district in the legislative halls of the State. I l i e en­ croachments o f a growing practice necessi­ tated, how'cvcr, a strict attention to clients, and long ago M r. Ikcler withdrew as a can­ didate fo r public office, although he is and has liccn mentioned a s the logical successor to O iarles C. Kvans, the presiding judge o f Columbia county, whose incumbency of that elective office expires at the end o f 19 16. M r. Ikeler w as appointed president of the recently dischanted commission ap|>ointcd to investi­ gate certain phases of the granting o f liquor licenses in Columbia county, his fellow mcmto rs toing Hon. II. M. Hinckley, George E. Elw cll, A. W. D uy and II. Mont. Smith. He and his associates fullilled the functions of tliat ]>osition in such a manner as to win the ap]datisc of the community. During his past career, and still occasion­ ally. through the desire to do some institution a favor, or to conform to a personal rc<|ucst, M r. Ikclcr has appeared on the lecture plat­ form. A s a lecturer, he has been a factor in many past political campaigns, and consist­ ently lias lifted his voice for Democracy in local an<l State activities. A s an example of personal magnetism, one citation o f what Fred T aylor Ikclcr can ac­

complish is sufficient. He assembled a Men s Bible class in the F irst Presbyterian Church o f Bloomsburg. T hat class o f religious or­ ganization had not then achieved iu present vogue. The Ikclcr Bible class, as it began to be known, therefore w as essentially small at its inception. But the drawing powers o f its leader’s eloquence, his broad humanity and sincere teachings, soon attracted scores of men, o f various denominations, to the or­ ganization. M any came who were not in the liabit o f attending church, until the mem­ bers numbered over two hundred. The fame o f this class spread. A t each meeting, through the sterling tnith and G iristian ity preached by M r. Ikcler. an immeasurable amount of good w as accomplished, and while business conditions causing ]>rotractcd absences from Bloomsburg eventually led to the termination o f his connection with the class, many of his former students stil! arc marked with the im­ press o f his utterances. When Vancc Criswell McCormick, Demo­ cratic candidate for governor of PcnnsyU*ama. and A. Mitchell Palm er, Democratic candi­ date for United States senator, appeared in Bloomsburg in the spring o f 19 14, M r. Ikcler presided as chairman of the meeting at the courthouse. H e knew neither of these gen­ tlemen. His speech o f introduction w ill to long rcmcmtorcd as one of the finest orations that had ever been delivered within the con­ fines of the courtroom. It received a sus­ tained and continuous ovation, and as Mr. Ikeler turned away, his duty done, both candi­ dates rose to thcir feet and greeted him, a perfect stranger, with the utmost cordiality and gratitude for his masterly effort. A mcmtor of the Columbia County Bar Association, and actively interested in the ad­ vancement o f tiiat organization, a mcmtor also of the State and Nattonal B ar Associa­ tions. us an atlomc)* Fred T aylor Ikeler heads the Columbia county bar, and his townsmen watch and will watch his future career with the utmost pride, as his achievements have alw ays reflected credit on his native community. JU D G E E L I J A H R . I K E L E R passed aw ay .Aug. t, r>k)K. while serving the tenth year o f his term as presiding judge of the courts o f Columbia countv, to which high office he was elected in H is elevation (o the supreme office of the county at the hamis of the people came at the tennination o f a long and useful period o f active public life. Ju d ge Ikcler was typically a production