The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1858-11-20

city for the duties of leader, when bat
ting upon the field for his country's hon
| or, the testimony Of one who had the right
| to speak, and speak knowingly, Is conclu-
slye and to the point. Says Gen. BUTLER,
ms immediate commander, i'll alluding, in
! hls official report, to the brilliant achieve
ment OF QUITMAN in the conspicuous part
he was called upon to perform in storm
| ing the city of Monterey, General OUR
| MAN had before him field, in which mil
ltary genius and skill were called into re-
| QUESTION, and honors could be fairly won
and but echo the general voice in saying
| he nobly availed himself of the occasion"
This, indeed, may be put down as an epi-
| tome of the testimony furnished IN behalf
OF the noble bearing of our hero upon
| every field in which he was called to act
| from the time he entered the Mexican
war lathe end of that most eventful cam
paign. As to the truth of our proposition,
when applied to the adaptation of his Wig
orOus mind to the duties of statesman,
the testimony is equally conclusive. No
| calm, dispassionate and unbiased man.
who has made himself familiar with the
productions of his mind in the civil and
| judicial affairs of his State and the coun-
| try at large, from the time he consented
TO serve his fellow-citizens in the lower
branch of the Legislature, which was done
at the age of twenty-five to his last effort,
can fail to esteem him in intellect equal to
| the emergency of every occasion. But
again this strong mind must be drawn out
and fitted for the appropriate sphere by
| proper education, before any man may
| hope to attain to the position of human
| greatness.
There are doubtless this day many
| minds of the first magnitude buried in OBJ
| scuritv, and whose strong powers must
ever be concealed from the gaze of an ad-
miring world, simply for want of proper
| culture. The intellect is there. but it
/ needs to be drawn out in mental discip-
| line; and there are not a few now shining
| in positions of honor and emolument. in
| the State and in the Church, who would
to-day have been hid from the applause of
! their fellow-men, had it not been for an
education. For our hero statesman we
not only claim strong mind by nature,
an intellect which in youth and manhood
| proved itself equal to every demand, but
| we claim for him no ordinary advantage
by way of cultivation, and that mental dis
cipline which afterwards gave full devel-
Opment to the powers of his vigorous
mind, and eminent success in the high po-
sitions assigned him by his countrymen.
| In the Providence of God, JOHN 4.
! QUITMAN was given as a son to distin-
| guished clergyman, who carefully in youth
| instilled into the mind of his noble son
| those principles of temperance, sobriety,
patriotism, philanthrophy, and manly
virtue, which proved barrier to the lux
| ury and dissipation to which he was ex-
| posed when he first entered upon the
busy stage of life, and upon which the
hopes of many a noble hearted young man
have been forever stranded. Under the
vigilant supervision of distinguished pa
rent, he enjoyed the very best advantages
for early training. Hoping that at proper
age the heart of his son might be turned
towards the functions of the sacred desk,
the father spared no pains in placing with
in his reach the means of making him at
once a finished scholar. In proof of this
fact and of his educational attainments
of thorough and varied character, it is only
necessary to submit that in his nineteenth
year he was called to a professorship in
one of the colleges near Philadelphia,
where he was held in the highest estima-
ton for his talents and requirements
His mind, however, in prediction was
turned to the profession of law, and hav-
ing selected this as the profession of his
future life, in the twenty-hrst year Of his
age he launches his bark upon the ocean
of life, and first turns it towards the rising
and expanding West. Destitute of for
tune-being in fact what in worldly
sense is denOminated poor young man,
without potent and influential friends to
open the way and give him position, he
felt that he must be the architect of his
own fortune, and with confidence in his
| o,r,, oparut- and Y,arSayaranpa and his
ability to achieve it, he fixed for himself a
career of usefulness and honor. To see
how eminently successful he was in achiev-
ing this high end, short notice of his
public life, both as a statesman and war
rior, will fully indicate. Two years hav-
ing been passed in the State of Ohio, since
leaving New York, the State of his nativi-
ty, he located in the city of Natchez, this
State, where he resided for the thirty-five
remaining years of his life, when not alb
sent in his country's cause. Here his pro
, fessional career may be said to have had
its beginning; here by close application to
his profession, in his characteristic energy
: and fidelity, he both made his practice
profitable, and at the time gained for him
self commanding position among the
members of the bar. Whilst thus rising
| | in his profession. his active mind was wide
: awake to the civil, political and social in
: terest of his community and his adopted
e State; and hence we find him usually
: mingling in the discussions which theI
f excited the public mind relative both t
l State and national affairs.
e His first public position was assigned t.
r him in August, 1897, when he was choser
: to seat in the popular branch of the Leg
g islature from the county in which III
e died, by a large majority over all opposing
), candidates: and here, as a member of tn,
y Judiciary Committee, evinced great activ
d ity. sagacity, and legal knowledge, even b,
: the side of the distinguished Sharke.
e himself who was also member of tn
= same Committee. In this Legislature h
n gave the strongest proof of his capacity a
|. a ready business man, and secured for hin
& a reputation which designated him, tn
is very next year, as the man best qua
r, fled to fill the office of Chancellor of State
,r This, the most responsible Judicial otfic
y then in our State, he held without intel
p ruption for six years, and that too, unde
n circumstances most flattering to his ow
is pride of heart, and most commentators
~ of the long tried and profound jurist :
5, lst. By the appointment of the Cove
le nor; I'd. BY unanimous election by tn
N Legislature; Sd. By popular vote by tn
Of whole people without opposition. Thu
G, | when bv a change of the Constitution
ID | the State, he came to throw himself b
le fore the people for election, such was h
high reputation as a clear-minded, pr
st, | found, equitable, and answering juris
ed that no one dared to put himself in opp
e sition to him before the entire citizensh
tn of the State During the time of i
sh Chancellorship, he was chosen a memb
We of a aconyention to revise the Constitute
To- of the State. Here it was, that more cleI
cd ly than elsewhere before, QUITNAN ma
a development of that political cree
ri which well studied and matured, the u
ful changing man carried with him to t
he grave; and now, though the statesman
MS dead, still lives, and must live so long
IN there are to be found men in our lal
he who are willing to rally around a Constit
in ton, as a written agreement to be rigid
ere construed and faithfully executed. Or
he MAN was afterwards placed in the Sta
DIS. Senate During the time he represent
ch, his county in this branch of the Legis
va ture he was unanimously elected pre-
ISL ding officer of that body. While Pre-
me dent of the Senate, by virtue of the
in nure of his office, vacancy having occl
adj red by death, he became the ofhciati
- Governor of the State, and as acting G'
ing ernor of the State, he gave to the Legis
OF ture in January, 1886, a Message, viii
lel- was then regarded as a mastery prod1
ave ton, and challenges a comparison tav
act, able with any document Of the kind eN
f a delivered in the State. We would glaC
itu- occupy your attention in giving copiC
leir extracts from this able State documen
her so eminently indicative of sound stat
IAN manship as we'll as the course in the po
n a ical world pursued by its distinguished
in thor up to the last position taken by h
'art in the discharge of official duty lst.
tie the document referred to he showed hi
r to self to be the staunch advocate Of liz
ugh al system of education. He contend
snt, that in a government like ours, VIII
ion. every freeman partakes in the administ
him ton of the government, each one sho
not have placed in his reach, the means Of
the quiring general as well as political kno
lch, edge. He turned away in disgust and c
the tempt at the idea Of freeman coins
lon the ballot-box, perhaps holding in
and single ballot the decision Of one Of
en- most important questions that ever OF
the pied the attention Of any nation, and
ms destiny OF the whole people, when
tlon man is unable to read the ticket he de-
mat its, and by consequence, is dependent
)nly on an unprincipled demagogue to
but him how to vote and how he isvoting