Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 11.pdf/499

 464

Edelstein, now retired from practice — all of whom were law pupils of Vanderpoel in their younger days — could be approached as to all of the foregoing statements they would heartily echo them. There was always a grateful look of recog nition on the faces of the judges of a court when they saw Vanderpoel rise to make an argument. Judges are fond of hearing facts concisely summar ized and logical posi tions taken and en forced. There never yet was a judge who was bored by Van derpoel. If the latter was thought to be sophistic there was an ingenuity in it. If he quoted a case the judges knew that it fully bore upon the controversy and was not stated as a mere makeweight. If he stated a fact they felt sure that it would be sustained on reference to Case or Bill of Exceptions. Vanderpoel was as accurate in speech ROBERT as in thought. It seemed ever a race between him and Cuming which of them should best respect the ethics of the profession. Green con strued those ethics more liberally than they, and being almost a born politician could skillfully steer his legal bark, freighted with points or argument, between the Scylla of doubtful representation and the Charybdis of evasion. He excelled the other two in policy, and thought more than they of suc cess in a case through an end justifying means. I have said Green was a born politician;

while yet a young lawyer in his native New Jersey he locally entered the jousts of Dem ocratic politics and sought and obtained a local judgeship. This was previous to his entering the partnership just outlined. Nor did the new phase of duty dull his keenness for politics. While practicing mainly in New York City he continued his residence in Elizabeth City, New Jersey, and a practical suburb of the former metropolis, where he remained industrious in politics. He was elected to Congress and served in it one term, but like many other parlia mentary lawyers from the time of Erskine down, he did not shine in the national forum with lustre equal to that which he exhibited in the legal forum. But, although inter rupted by politics, his contributions to the work of the firm continued, yet his absences threw more of its burdens upon S. UREEN. Vanderpoel and Cuming and gave opportunity to Almon Goodwin — a silent member in the firm style — for greater public appearances and a winning of experience. After his congressional career Green was elected governor of New Jersey, which brought practically his retirement from the firm. That old State has been ever happy in its lawyer governors — more so than in those chief magistrates whom it has selected from business circles, and these have been many. Green completed an admirable trio of legal governors for New Jersey, as witness, Joel