The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-08-26

Key says he was never Do1Or0 so gla0 10 ge
anything. 1t was unexpected, and all tn
| belonged to his family, to whom he is YER,
devoted, and that he could 90 TO work anC
make them living without government
| hindrance. That was then the height of hi:
ambition. He fully accepted the situation
and the line of his argument from that day
to this can be embodied in a few words
namely: We staked all and lost all; the
controversy has been settled by the highest
tribunal known TO man; there is
but one government and one
flag, and that is our government and ouI
| flag" He returned TO Chattanooga and
commenced the practice of law, without a
thought above providing for his family.
Shortly afterward he visited Washington on
business, taking his wife. he took lodgings
in quarters compatible with his purse, which
was not at that time in very "infiated''
condition. By some means the president
found him out, and sent an invitation to
Mr.. and Mrs. Key TO dine at the White
House. Col. Kev was trifle surprised at
this, considering that, three years before,
either party would have been glad to have
hung the other. There was largely more
banging talked about than was ever done,
however. The lady of the house where
Colonel Key and wife were stop
ping was amazed, not to say Gin
Hated" !" to see her guests go to dine at the
White House. In ali her experiences in the
clearinghouse business the like of this
never before occurred. johnson received
his old friends most cordially, and TO the
day OF his death was an admirer Of Col.
Key. Could he have appointed his own sue
cessor, the charge might have fallen where il
did. After the war northern people began
to settle in Chattanooga, until nov perhaps
bali the white population is of this class.
Col. Keys attitude toward them as ina
tive" and a Southern man, has won their
warmest admiration, and none will rejoice
more heartily at bis appointment than
HIS NORTHERN NEIGHBoRs.
Although Key is democrat, any ran as
such for chancellor in 1870, and for congress
in 1872, very many of the Northern republi-
cans in Chattanooga supported him, to the
profound establishment of the native repub-
licsns, who could not understand how they
could leave their party merely to vote for
one whom they considered the best man on
the ticket. But tie intelligent, independent
voter, democrat or republican, or neither, is
up to Just that sort of thing, to the
great good OF the country, be 1t said.
And the more of it the better.
from it as any man i ever knew. He claims
that the Office should seek the man and not
the man the Office, and has acted upon it
strictly. 1t took great deal of pulling and
hauling, and applications irrespective of
party" TO get him TO be candidate for the
constitutional convention in 1859. He did
not want it, but his fitness as leading law
yer and conservative man was so palpable
that he could not avoid the candidacy, and
was elected. His record in the convention
was good. He took q liberal and advanced
stand, advocating negro suffrage, negro
schools, negro testimony, and going to as
liberal a length in his official dealings with
the unfortunate blacks as any Republican
could ask. BE is not q believer In
the capacity of the blacks, as body,
ever TO amount to much, but he de-
sires that they Rave fair trial.
In 1870 he was elected chancellor or the third
division by handsome majority. The di-
vision is very large: at rough guess, l
should say fifteen counties, but he has
cleared the docket, and keeps it clear, and
very few OF his decisions are overruled by
the supreme court. In 1872 he was urged to
become a candidate for congress by the
liberal republicans and democrats. He did
not want to. He refused repeatedly. he
said to me often, 81 claim to be a lawyer. ]
don's want any Office, and if have one /
want it to be in the line OF my profession.
The office have (chancellor) suits me, if
want TO stay as long as 1 am satisfactory. 1
don't want to be
CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS.
lively that, il remember correctly, his
name was not put before the convention
until they had failed to agree on anybody
else. Then A. A. Hyde, a liberal republican,
and well known member of the bar placed
d. NJ. Key in nomination. and the elements
united upon him like flame in straw. He
accepted. It was hard year for democrats
in Tennessee. The candidacy OF Greeley on
their ticket filed the hard heads in the
mountains with such profound astoDish-
ment that they did not recover from their
confusion until after the election. Then the
candidacy of Andrew Johnson for congress
from the state at large, split the democratic
party into more fragments than Carter had
oats. Everything was in confusion, every
body demorslized, and the very Old Scratch
was to pay in the democratic
canp. Only the republicans were long
cared, cocl-headed, sharp-eyed, and at them
selves; they aimed low and shot we'll. To
the amazement of themselves and every
body else, they defeated Key, and elected
Crutchiield, although the district is reliably
democratic by 1000 majority. But the DEM
ocrats did not turn out. In districts contain
ing fifty democrats to FIVE republicans the
polls we're not open. In that contest w. z.
Rsthburn, Xenophon Wheeler and Gen.
Wilder, all republicans, who are well known
in Ohio, and many other republicans, voted
for Key; so you can Judge what they tnlnk
of him When men like these turn from
their OVID party and vote tor the enemy's
candidate, so to speak, you can inter that
they appreciate him highly. The de-
moralizstion of the democratic party of
Tennessee in that campaign can be inferred
when one knows that, in state containing
fifty thousand democratic majority, the
democrats only succeeded in electing three
congressman out of ten. This should have
consoled Colonel Key in the hour Of defeat,
but he refused to be comforted. he felt the
blow keenly. He did not want TO be can
didate, but after being dragged in, to be set
mp and slaughtered was not in the nature oi
amusement. He was defeated only by 9
small majority, and would have been elected
but for the candidacy of Johnson from the
state at large, which threw the democratic
party into a condition of confusion never
before equaled. And now Johnson's death
makes vacant
SEAT IN THE SENATE,