Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1874-05-28
RecOlIectiOns of Randolph of
Roanoke.
BY REV. WIN. S. PLUMER, D. D.

BY REV. WIN. S. PLUMER, D. D.
John Randolph, of Roanoke, wai
one of the most remarkable men o
our country. He has now been dead
almost forty years, yet all over the
land, in Virginia particularly, yor
hear his sayings reported as if they
had been uttered but yesterday.
In early life Mr.. Randolph was fire
quently thrown into the company o.
men more or less poisoned with
French Infidelity. Then appeared
the power of material love and piety
He once said: Il should have been
French atheist, if it had not been
for one thing: and that was the
memory of the times when my de
parted mother used to take my little
hand in hers, and cause me on my
knees to say. Our Father which art
in Heaven.
Many instances of Mr.. Randolph s
great eccentricity of character are
still retailed throughout the country.
But in them the public generally is
but little interested.
In pure Anglo-SaxOn, and in
Latin, Mr.. Randolph was good
scholar. He was very familiar with
Virgil. His ear was easily offended
by the use of a wrong word or the
mispronunciation of the right word.
Even in his last sickness, some one
said, "Mr. Randolph, do you lay
easy?' II lie as easily as perhaps a
dying man can"
Mr.. Randolph often crossed the sea.
He highly valued British honesty,
British manufactures, and British
laws. He admitted very readily our
Indebtedness to the British Constitu-
ton for many of our liberties, civil
and religious. He carefully studied
the writings of Edmund Burke. |
have seen a copy of that statesman
writings which once belonged to Ran
dolph. 1t was often underlined, and
in many places the margin was Gov
cred with pencil notes. Mr.. Ran
dolph's great speeches gave unmistak-
able evidence of his intimate ac-
quaintance with Burke.
From early bOyhood | had read
and heard much of Mr.. Randolph.
His early speeches were commended
by Patrick Henry and other great
men. He was wholly opposed to the
war of 1912. This made him many
enemies. For time it cost him his
seat in Congress. He never spoke in
high terms of Mr.. Madison's admin
istration. This was one of the
points on which he and Mr.. Clay
widely differed. But Randolph great
ly admired Mr. Monroe and his pub
lie measures.
In gaining prodigious' influence
over his constituents, Mr. Randolph
very successfully used two arts. One
was to make young men afraid of his
tongue. The other was to win over
all the old men by special attentions.
He greatly praised-he even fiattered
old men. But his tongue was ter
ror to the young. Often at the hust-
ings and sometimes in Congress he
said, ''No man ever had such constit-
uentS,
At one time Mr.. Randolph seemed
intent on vieing with others in raising
fine horses. At a heavy cost he made
one or two importations. The re-
suit was not satisfactory. He had a
few fine animals for the saddle and
the sulky; but his own statement was
that his horses were ''too light for the
draft and too slow for the turf"
l was once in a company of gen.
men from Virginia and North Caro-
lima, when some one said Mr.. Ran
dolph seemed to have very little self
knowledge. One present replied
However that may be, gentlemen,
think you will admit he knows deal
about other people"
Through life Mr.. Randolph seems
to have been stranger to fear; nc
man ever saw his face blanched with
terror. When a young man he was
in Petersburg, Va. Being on the
street some one told him of a desper
ado near the market, who had com
mitted some outrage and refused tt
surrender to the officer of the law.
"Where is hep said Randolph, ant
Immediately started down Sycamort
street. A number followed. Com
ing near the. violent man, he fixed hi
eye on him, marched fearlessly up Il
him, laid his hand upon him and said
Constable, do your duty
Early in- life Mr.. Randolph took :
lively interest and participation in th'
disputes and troubles arising out o
the alien and sedition laws. Thi
was in the days the elder Adams wa
President. The election of Mr.. JET
ferson brought with it the early re
peal of those odious measures, an,
was therefore hailed with Joy by MI
Randolph. To this time Mr.. Ran
dolph referred during the admins
.. tration of the younger Adams, whel
he said: 81 bore humble part il
putting down the dynasty of job
the First, and by the grace of God,
hope to aid in putting down the dy
nasty of John the Second"
1t has sometimes been said this