Show EDWARD J PHELPS The late Hon Edward J Phclpa whose funeral was held In New 1laven on Sunday was a wonderful scholar and lawyer with that infirmity of disposition which Is noticeable in a good many New Englanders that disposition dis-position which seems prone to take the wrong side always at tho critical time Ho was a Webster Whig in the old days but when the war of Hie Rebellion Re-bellion came on he was almost insane in i his advocacy of the right of secession seces-sion or perhaps more properly speaking speak-ing l of the want of power that Is legal power under the Constitution to coerce a State If il pleased lo secede o lie was 1 violent in his denunciation of the war and came very nearl nearly expressing ex-pressing I the hope that If soldiers went out from his native Slate to fight the battles l of the Union the South would welcome them with bloody hanUa to hospitable h graves That altitude was practically j the political death of Mr PchIps in Vermont True the Drno crats later nominated him for Governor but he was not In the race When ifr Cleveland became President being of a kindred spirit be sought out Mr I Phelps and sent him as Minister to England lie tool to the English Immensely Im-mensely and they took to him und wo suspect Ihe four years that he WIlU there were the four happiest years of his lIfe after 1SG1 lie is chiefly famous as a great lawyer Tie was the peer of oxSenator Kdmundu us a lawyer arid the two were close friends each re lying l on the Judgment of theother J But i for the mistake he made In 1SGI j I the chances are ten lo one that he would have been nominated and uletted I when Mr Cleveland was for ho was the i very highest representative of Uic Democratic party at that time In the > United Stales I I |