The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-04-07
HoYT g. CO., Proprietors.
!, ,Eson. The Nea0 YORK Tribune, Aarck 26, )
!. ss PROGRESS I'm THE SOUTH. -
JUICE JAMES Z. ORR INTERVIEWED.
ASpEasoN, IS. SC., March II. :

.JTDeE JAMES &. ORR INTER VIEWED.
-. AEDERsoN, Sc, March IL
sgThsrei gentle eminence IN Che upper part,
of South Carolina, whereon stands the home of
ex.Member of Congress, ex-senator ex5Speak-
er Of the United States House of Representa-
tiyes, Ex-Governor of South Carolina, and now
plain Judge James L. Orr. 1t is in that region
of the State where the rugged outlines of the
Blae RIDGE terminate in the graceful undula-
lions of country fertile enough on the one
hand to yield the farmer the greatest abun-
dance, and on the other hand mountainous
enough to have produced a class of men whose
hardy brain and Drawn made them dangerous
antagonists on every field and rostrum. Wheth-
ar il be the influence of air or muscle, of blood
or association of food or training, some law of
nature is unquestionably at work, developing
here as in other hilly countries, superb physi-
CUES. with mental energies to match, which,
put forth In the work of life, tell with wonder
fulpower on the veal orswoe of mankind. You
may distinctly trace these characteristics in
nearly every public man born in this section
Calhoun, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson,
Perry, Burt, Warren Davis, Waddy Thompson,
Or, and scores who are yet upon the stage of
action. But this only en- passant.
Knowing that ex-Goy. Orr is regarded as a
representative man of South Carolina, and one
thoroughly identified with the best interests of
the people; that he was first among her public
men to recognize the new situation, and labor
cofiscientiously in behalf of true reconstruc-
: tion--in other words, that, he promptly accept
ed the results of Congressional legislation; and
knowing, further, that no Southern statesman
possesses larger experience in public affairs,
orscan apply to passing events ripper judg-
ment, your correspondent recently sought an
interview with him for the purpose of deriving
such information as would enable the people OF
the North-her agriculturists, merchants, man
ufacturers, capitalists, and polticians-to draw
truthful conclusions as to the condition OF the
South, seen and described by one ITO the manor
born.
THE HOME OF EX-Gov. ORR.
Taking the night train at Charleston you on
" arrive at Anderson---the terminus OF short
branch of the Greenville and Columbia Rail
road--M hours thereafter, albeit the distance is
less than $50 miles. In the suburbs of this
pretty village resides the object of my visit, and
the conductor being requested, very kindly
stopped the train on the edge of the spacious
grounds which environ the mansion, thus re-
ducing the walk from one mile to something
like 200 yards. The first glance of the house
there's a great deal in an outside label, you
know-was cheering. 1t looked comfortable.
There was something in the great walnut grove
through which you had to pass before reaching
it; in the tall pillars of the portico the broad
yerandah; the observatory the long avenues;
the library building on one side; the spacious
Kitchens in the rear the welf-houses, stables
and corn cribs; the garden patch and neighbor-
ing fields, we'll fenced and thrifty, which con-
yeyed to the mind anything but sense OF aris-
tocratic exclusiveness, and recalled memories
of that old-time hospitality which we have
been wont to associate with the home-life of
tie Southern planter.
y Before reaching the door my attention was
attracted by the clear falsetto notes of "Whoo-e!
Whoo-eI Whoo-ew and, looking in the direc-
ton from which they came, 1 found they ema-
mated from the musical apparatus of no other
than the old statesman himself, who, with hat
and coat off, was calling up and feeding pigs,
ocratic style imaginable. These, next to his
children, are the household pets.
Although had not met him for more than
twelve years, he instantly called my name, and
in a moment more was asking after every lndl-
vidual in the little company gathered around
him at that time in the Speakers room of the
former House of Representatives Indeed, the
Judge is celebrated for his remarkable memory
of names, faces, and places, to say nothing of
his fine ability as social story-teller: and
fancy that this peculiar. power of payinga del
icate compliment to thehumblest acquaintance,
is one of the Influences through which he has
made himself one of the most popular men
with the masses now living in South Carolina.
Under such circumstances it was scarcely ne
cessary to present letter of Introduction, or
be astonished at the graceful dignity with which
he claimed comparative stranger as his guest.
Entering the mansion, a look revealed the fact
that the same generous conception of comfort,
space and breathing room which had been OBJ
served without, applied within. The halls are
at least twenty feet wide, here and there hung
with picture or ornamented with bust; the
stairways broad the apartments large, the cell
ings high with plenty of daylight flooding in
through the windows. When the Governor
told me that the premises had been sacked by
detachment OF Federal troops, and nearly all of
his furniture, together with the clothing of his
wife and children, destroyed or carried away,
looked in vain for the finger-marks of ruin, and
wondered at the evidences everywhere visible
of rapid recuperation.
After tea we repaired to one of the parlors
where the Judge lighted his corn cob pipe, and
taking couple of young romps on his knee,
for an hour entertained delightful home circle
with "reminiscences of the past. Now and then,
too we had music, in which, with voice or
flute. the father mingled in the chorus OF his
five children. Time, indeed, has made but lit
tie change in the man as he was known ten or
twelve Years ago. There is the same rotund
physique, erect pose, elastic step, and ruddy
complexion as Of old; the same merry twinkle
Of the eye; the same social tonhommie that
carried its charm into every circle. His hair
has grown gray and thin; buthe illustrates the
remark once made by N. ?. Willis that 1T
takes handsome mountains and handsome men
to look well bald;;" and there is not youth in
the country who can work more constantly or
effectively with pen or pickaxe than James L.
Orr.
LIKES AND DISLIKEs.
It may be added parenthetically that in
fyhorleston and among the low-country plan-