He was a very successful advocate when at the Bar and he was always a strong antagonist in debate and very effective as a campaign speaker.

He stuck closely to his subject.

He had a gift of sarcasm with which he could make an adversary feel exceedingly uncomfortable, although he rarely indulged in it.

He almost never attempted eloquence, except so far as it is found in his grave and effective statement of his case.

One sentence of his which I myself heard deserves to be remembered among the best things in American eloquence.