The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-04-28
1,eat,of ZION wuliana q raves.

for many years; and in the whole country
tnr some part Of the time. No breath 81
suspicion ever tarnishcd it.. The most Sc q,
.;o,,s charge ever made against him, 80 far
as We know, was one Of inconsistency IN his
POLITICAL principles and associations e
charge which at this day roIa be regarded
as unworthy Of rsfssasion. That it Was
once considered q serious one, is evidence
that the Republic has had better and purers
DAYS. He was statesman as Iaistingqisshesd g
from mere politician. s Hes wassa man OF
fine sttainments, a great reader, large &c
ouaintance with the history Of the Govern
men, and its founders. and who thoroughly
understood the nature Of that Government
as it was intended TO bel the ffamcrHsof
the Constitution. No man in the country
ras mere familiar with the writings Of the
great men of the revolutionary erass He
was iawyer.as British statesnisss are isw-
rsrs-,earned in the history Of all nations
whose annals are worth studying, ana ca
pable of profting blythe experience OF those
who had preceded him. -a 1863 A'ass'' y
Mr.. RryEs was born in Nelson county, on
the 4th day Of May, 1898 /; 50 that he lacked g
only few days Of being seventy i've years
old when he died. He was educated at
Hampden Sidney and William and Mary
Colleges. He studied Law; and politics
"under the direction Of Mr.. JEFFERSON"
saws our authority, but we, do not under
stand that he had Mr.. JEFFERSON for q tu-
tor. There is no doubt, however, that Mr.
JErrERsoS's teachings had much influence,
unon his mind. He served as an aid-de-
camp in lSl4-'l5, during the last war with
England. In 1915 he was member OF
convention called to reform the State Con..
stitution. He was elected to the House OF
Delegates in 1917, 1878, and 1919, from
Nelson, and in 1922 from Albemarle. !. In "a
1928 he was elected to the House OF Repre-,
sentatiyes Of the United States, and served
for three successive terms. In 1929 he was
appointed Minister to France by General
JACKSON, and was in Paris at the time OF
the revolution of 1880, and the accession OF
LOUIS PHILIPPE to the throne. Heswas one
of the most efficient displomatists that ever
represented the country abroad. Hereturned
in 1882 and went into the Senate Of the Uni
ted States, but resigned his seat in 1884. In
1885 he was reelected, and served until the
year 1889. 1t was during this term Of his
service in the Senate that he.acquired the
title 6f The Little Expunger," from the
fact of voting for Mr.. BENToN's expunggingg
resolutions. The celebrated sub-treasury bill
was also before Congress during this term.
General WILLIAM F. GORDON, the patron of
the bill, represented Mr.. R1vEs's own dis
trict in the lower House of Congress. The
Democrats as party supported the bill,
while Mr.. RIFEs belonged to small body
of Conservatives as they were called,
who acted with the Wings in opposing the
bill. As small bodies always graTitate to-
wards larger ones, it is not surprising that
Mr.. RIvEs soon found himself uniting
cordially with his late opponents in op-
position to the reelection Of Mr.. VAN
buren, to the presidency. He support
cd General HARRISON, but without hay-.
ing ayowed himself in favor Of the
distinctive measures of the Wing Psrty An
1910 he was reelected to the Senate--thtas
time by the Wings. About this time he had
a furious encounter of wits with HENRY
CLAY in the Senate chamber, and dashed u =
the great Kentuckian in speech remark-
able for the bitterness Of it's personal AIN.
sions. In 1874 there was some doubt a 9. g
whether he would support denerai gas g :
(who was expected to get the Democrats Is
nomination, though Mr.. Polk did get IT.
or Mr.. CLAY, whom he had 50 hercely oe'
nounced on the occasion above alluded 70
He came out in letter depressing ! . re-
storation y as he termed it, and and drawing
lesson of experience from the corruption
and prodigality which followed the Eestora
ton of the SrUARTs to the throne OF England
The letter had considerable influence
hut all its teachings as well as all the cal
culations Of the Wings, were soon lost sigh
of in the one great question Of the annexa
ton Of Texas. Mr.. CLAY was defeated, ane
Mr.. R1vEs remained in private life unit
ls4s, when he vas second time appointed
Minister to France, where he remained fou1
years. He owed this appointment to Gen
eral Taylor, whose election he advocated IL
ls4s. Mr.. R1vEs, in these years of his Pc,
litical life, often took the stump in favor O
his principles and hiscandidates. In 1874
we believe it was, he trayersed Beth east
ern and western Virginia, and his speeches
are said to have been worthy Of his reputa.
ton. He was never in the service Of the
United States after 1853. -..-.... 80 49,.
Mr.. RIyEs was one Of the commission.
ers sent from this State to attend the
Peace Congress in Washington in 1851
When Virginia seeded from the Union
Mr.. RIvEs, though an ardent Union man
acquiesced in the decision made by the
Convention Of his own state and ratified
by her people. He was elected to the Con.
federate Congress in 1858; but even then
he had become so feeble that he did not ACT
conspicuous part in that body. He doubt.
less foresaw the coming calamity. i
Since the conclusion Of the war, Mr..
RIyEs completed his life Of JAMES MADIsoN,
and pasfiahea II. BE was an accomplished