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with the people and promote his legal tain," says Ex. -Gov. Wm. Pinkney Whyte, practice. His political opponent was Judge " a record of learned opinions, delivered by him as the mouth-piece of the court, which French, who had already represented Wash ington County in the Legislature. The is the grandest testimonial of accurate judg ment, lofty principle and great legal knowl canvass, which was very animated and in edge of which any American judge may be teresting, resulted in a tic. At the second Judge Alvey has a marvelous election Judge French was elected by forty proud." majority. The next year, Mr. Alvey was capacity for labor, and his fine natural abil ities have been strengthened by years of again persuaded to enter the political field, In this time as a presidential elector on the patient study and laborious research. Franklin Pierce ticket. He made a thorough dispatch of business he is unsurpassed, and it would be a bold lawyer who would ven canvass of the State, and was elected. Dur ing the Civil War he was arrested as a ture to introduce any irrelevant matter when Judge Alvey was presiding over the court. pronounced Southern sympathiser, and im prisoned at Forts McHenry, Lafayette and One of the most important decisions ever Warren. At the close of the war he took a rendered in the Maryland Court of Appeals, prominent part in reorganizing the Demo was that of Judge Alvey in the case of the cratic party in Maryland. As a member of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, in October, the Constitutional Convention of 1867, he 1890. Judge Alvey said in his decree in •this case : — was active in framing the present constitu tion of Maryland. The same year he was "And it is represented by petitions filed that elected to the Court of Appeals as an as there are many claims due from the canal com sociate justice. He served for twenty-five pany, amounting in the aggregate to a consider years upon that Bench, during nine of which able sum, for labor and supplies furnished the he was the Chief Justice. His work both company before the great freshet of 1889 to keep as associate judge and Chief Judge of the canal in repair and operation, such as were Maryland's highest court of law has been payable out of the tolls and revenues if they had pronounced " invaluable " by the Attorneybeen sufficient under the authority reserved to the company by the proviso to section 2 of the General of Maryland, while one of his asso ciates on the Bench of the Court of Appeals act of 1844, chapter 281. If such claims are established and they be adjudged to be charges did not hesitate to say that in point of ability or liens upon the canal or its revenues superior and fitness for the judicial office, Judge to the liens of the bonds of 1844, they must also Alvey has no superior on the Bench of this be provided for. These claims, however, are not country or England. His opinions are now before the court, and therefore no definite quoted not only in the courts of the various determination can be made in regard to them." States, but are accepted with respect in the Supreme Court of the United States. Of Further on Judge Alvey decreed that the Judge Alvey it has been truly said that the failure of the canal, within four years from Chief Justice of England, with his wig and May 1, 1895, to earn enough money to pay gown, cannot maintain a greater dignity than any amount that may be determined to be a the Chief Justice of Maryland did in his preferred lien on such tolls and revenues for simple dress and natural manner; while in labor and supplies furnished to the canal point of legal learning, no judge in England company, such failure in tolls and revenues or America is his superior, and few his (along with a failure to pay other claims equal. His opinions, spread upon the re enumerated in the decree) shall be regarded ports of Maryland, from the twenty-eighth as evidence conclusive, unless the time be volume down to the seventy-fourth, " con extended by the court for good and sufficient