Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-07-04

H"U AhooC CCAACO VI nPPoAhI
ments, and upon reaching Shelby
vile, Colonel Coe was too unwelI
to speak, and young Bright was
called on take bis place. This eff
fort inspired his party with such
confidence in his ability that q
committee of them addressed him
a letter requesting him to accom-.
pany Major Henry through the
canvass, should Colonel Goes
health fail him.
When barely eligible, he was
called upon by his Democratic
friends to run for Congress but
not desiring official position, be
declined. He was prevailed upon
to become a candidate for the State
Legislature, and was elected, serv-
ing one term in 1047-48. During
the session, he served on several
important committees, including
the Judiciary, Special Bank, and
Lunatic Asylum. The present
grand structure of the Tennessee
Lunatic Asylum may be regarded
as the result of his efforts at that
time. A contemporary writer says:
"The matter was brought before
the Legislature, but the question
was STAYED eff from time to time,
until the last day of the session
had arrived. Four-ffths Of the
members were opposed to it. But
as an honest man, Mr., Bright felt
bound to press the bill and ris-
ing in the majesty of his strength,
though it were at the eleventh
hour, he forced'it upon the Legis.
lature, and to the astonishment of
even its friends, carried it by
storm The institution will stand
as noble monument of the great
ness Of his intellect and the be-
nevolence Of his heart, long after
the selfish projects of vaulting
ambition shall be forgotten"
In 164S, he made a canvass for
Cass and Butler in the presiden-
tial contest. A leading journal at
the time wrote that it s'would be
hard to exaggerate the power and
briHiancy Of his speeches. "
On three OCCASIONS in 1S48,
1851, and 1858, Mr.. Bright was
called upon by his political friends,
to permit his name to go before
the Democratic State conventions
for nomination for the office of
governor but he persisteDtly de-
clined. While he refused office,
yet in every presidential canvass
from 1914 to 1860 he entered the
field and advocated the claims of
the Democratic candidates. In
these canvasses he made a State
reputation. "It was sometimes
our fortune" says a friend of Mr..
Bright, in writing to the author,
''to listen to these efforts, and to
see the effect upon the people, and
we have never seen either sur
passed. Well do we remember
how truthfully and graphically
he pictured the dangers of the
republic in 1856 and in 1860, and
foretold the horrors of the war be-
tween the sections /; and with
whatrapt attention he was listened
to on these occasions"
Mr.. Bright has delivered nu-
merous speeches which have been
published. One of the first of
these, entitled "The Obligations
of the American YOUTH" was de-
livered before the Literary So
cieties of Erskine College, South
Carolina, August 10, 1858. A
prominent journal thus con men,
ted upon it at the time: "His
theme is treated with masterly
ability. The vast fund of histor-
ical knowledge, the strength of
logic, the charm of eloquence, and
the beauties of rhetoric, embod-
led and tastefully blended in the
address, render it a production en-
tirely worthy of the high and
seemingly eXtravagant encomiums
lavlshed upon it by the Southern
press. Mr.. Bright is one of the
ripest scholars and most finished
orators in the State. He is dis
tinguished at the bar and in po-
litical debate; and had henot per-
tinaciously resisted the importuni.
ties of his friends, his distin-
guished talents and requirements
would ere this have placed him
in high official position" His,
speech against Nothingism,
September IL, 1855, at mass
meeting in Bedford county, Ten
nessee, was regarded at the time
as one of the ablest and best
speeches made against the order.
Charity" was the subject of an
Grafton before the Robertson AS
sociation, IA charitable associa-
tion,) Nashville, Tennessee, Oc-
tober IA, 1858. 1t was repeated,
upon request, at Fayetteville,