The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1870-05-07
A Congressional Character.


} life, 4 man who, with unusual
ability, exhibits it to less advan-
tage than the Kentucky Senator.
There is not man who has to
contend against a. greater amount
of prejudice in his disfavor-a
prejudice which is strong because
it is unreasonable. as most pop
ular prejudices are strong in pro
portion to their unreasonableness
1t was the lot Of NIr. Davis to
incur the especial hatred of the
Republican party at an early pc
Rod OF the war, because he was
bold and fearless in his denuncia-
ton OF that gross perversion of the
strife on the part of the North
which SO early characterized NIr.
Linco1n's administration.
Unable to refute his arguments
or disprove his assertions, they
voted him a ''bore,' and the pub
lie ear quickly caught up tho
contemptuous epithet and fasten-
ed it upon him. 1t is very true
| that he used to make some very
long speeches, and that he used
to make them very often; yet if
I this be a sin, it is ono which may
be charged to most cf-our public
men, and to many with more
| truth than to Mr.. Davis. 1t is
safe to say that during the past
ten years AIr. Sumner has oc-
| cupied more than twice as many
columns Of the Globe as Mr.. Da-
| Wis. And if there are those who
feel inclined to discredit the as
sertion that on all questions Of
American politics MIR. Davis is
infinitely better informed. and
therefore infinitely better quali-
| fled to speak than Mr.. Sumner, I
beg to inform them that they
misunderstood the men.
| Nobody has less love for long
speeches than I have, and nobody
| gives audience to them less fre-
quently; but I'll swear that if I
had to choose between five hours
| Of Sumner and five hours of Davis,
[ would take the latter. There is
| not a man in the Senate to-day
whose mind is better stored with
tsuch information as is best adapt
ed to the discussion of politics
than that of Garret Davis. One
of the ablest men Oh the Radical
side Of the chamber admitted as
much to me. not long since, and
added that "old GARRETT as he
called him, was the most useful
man in the Senate, because he
served the purpose of a legal and
political cyclopedia for both sides.
His legal information is immense.
IT TO hn Int tn
contents Of any great decision of
England. France and America,
on any question, and as for the
decisions and opinions of Marshall,
Story and Taney, he has them at
his tongues end in whole pages.
In the nature Of his knowledge,
if not in the amount of it, he
differs from Sumner, who is sim
ply a walking cyclopedia of USE
less and Misunderstanding knowl-
edge, and a constant parader of
the easy and elegant imbecility
Of classical pala%cr.
I do not profess q warm admi~
ration for all the traits of MI.
Davis charaCt ter, ts q public man;
but am glad of the opportunity
to inject into this series of sketch
es good word for him on some
Of his good points, and he has
many of them. His weakness as
q statesman is his irratability Of
temper, which is too apt to crop !
out in debate and obscure his
Judgment. He is apt to get an
cry and petulant; though, if prov
OcatiOn be an excuse, he has it |
often. But let him sit down
coolly to the preparation of an
argument on a great constitution
al question:, and he will produce
something which would not have
sounded out Of place if delivered
in the palmy days Of American
craftsmanship, and before the
arena OF intellectual giants had
been possessed by pigmies.
Mr. Davis must be upward of
seventy years Of age now, yet he
seems hale and hearty as any
time within twenty years. He |