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��Hon. Daniel Clark.
��ognized as their peer. His practice was as varied as it was exteusive. "Whatever he undertook was thor- ouo:hlv done. He was loval to the court, faithful to his clients, cour- teous to opposing counsel, and kind and magnanimous to the younger members of the profession. In his arguments to the jury he was nev- er wearisome. He seized upon the weak points of the other side and the strong points of his own, and made them prominent to the jury. He wasted no time on immaterial matters. AVhile he did not possess the personal magnetism of Pierce, or Atherton's power of sarcasm, he could put before a court or jury his ease with convincing power and in its strongest light, aud if success did not always attend his efforts, it was not because he failed to present all the favorable views of his case. Le- gal papers drafted by him were models of accuracy and clearness. They were also remarkable for their brevity, all useless verbiage being avoided. In his writs the cause of action w^as brietly and clearly set out, aud it was rare that he had occasion to apply for an amendment. His clients became his fast friends. His charges were moderate, and no client went away feeling that undue advan- tage had been taken of his position, or that his interests had not been fully protected.
It is unfortunate, perhaps, for his legal reputation that Mr. Clark was drawn into politics. But it was his fortune to live in times when ques- tions of great public interest vvere being discussed aud settled, and it was inevitable that a person of his ability, education, and temperament should
��not entertain pronounced views on public questions. In the early part of his professional life there was a difference of opinion as to the wis- dom of encouraging the extension of manufacturing and railroad opera- tions in the state, and, unfortunately, the question got into politics, aud the two parties took opposite sides. With the acquisition of California came, the question of the extension or restriction of slavery, the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, the civil war, the abolition of slavery, and the reconstruction measures after the close of the war. As a rule, the law- yers of New Hampshire have very generally taken an active interest in political questions. Thus circum- stanced, it was hardly possible for Mr. Clark not to have some inclina- tion towards political life. In 1842 he was elected one of the representa- tives from the town of Manchester to the legislature, aud was reelected in 1843, and again elected in 1846. In 1854, after the adoption of the city charter, he was elected representative from his ward, and reelected in 1855. In 1849, 1850, and 1851 he was can- didate for the state senate, but, his party being in the minority in the district, he failed of an election. He acted with the AVhig party until its dissolution, when he helped to form the Hepubliean party, with which he has since been identified. He was often upon the stump during the campaigns preceding the elections in 1854 and 1855, speaking in every j)ortion of the state, from the sea to the mountains. He also took part in the election contests during the decade which immediately followed. Party feeling ran high, the contests
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