Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-05-06
ST. MARY'S BEACON
LEoNARDTowE, ND.
THURSDAY MORNING, Nay CHI, 1875.
DFAru 81 cor rs 8 DowNa

day. issue, tells story OF unusual sad
ness. The Junior Editor of this paper
is no longer with the living. Sixteen
years have now elapsed since JAMES S.
DowNs first became associated with the
writer in the publication and editorial
management Of the BEACON. A great
civil war, now passed into history, cast
its shadows upon the very first years Of
this connection, and grave responsible
ties, increasing with the increasing mad
ness of the hour and involving ultimate
ly great personal risks, had necessarily
to be incurred by al Border State jour
nalists who were open in expressions Of
sympathy for the South. This was es-
pecially the case in our own State and
notably so in our own county which had
obtained perilous prominence by the
secession attitude of its population. II
may be claimed for the BEACON, with
out immodesty we hope, lhatit remained
fast to IFS own, wifi sh were the con-
victions of its readers, through prolong-
ed and bitter prosecutions aud fell, whcpI
it did fall, with its colors flying In all
these troublous times, the courage Of the
Junior Editor never faltered and hisI
voice was constant inspiration to thel
older hand which guided the destinies
of the paper to the date of its discon-I
tinuance in November so. In the Win-I
ter of SO, Mr.. Downs resumed its publ
lication, the writer then being absent /
and though the times bad become dark
er and more perilous than ever, be aba
ted i'll his editorial bearing nothing of
the patriotic fire which had distinguish
ed his old advocacy of the Southerns
cause. The paper was soon suppressed
by the government and the suppression
was followed by an order exiting Mrk
Downs from the State. Returning be- /
fore the close of the war, he again re- /
vived it, aud though he,grossest despo-
tism obtained throughout Maryland atE
the time and the paper was subjected tot
the strictest surveillance, we have failedt
in our examination Of It's issues fromS
the Fall Of '63 to the Spring Of 'G5 too
discern single unmanly thought wlichs
is traceable to bis pen. The war overS
with, its legacies Of oppression and ha- |
tired had still to be confronted, and, oncct
more joined with his old associate, hcs
threw himself with his accustomed i'm Z
petuosity into the apparently desreratcE
fight which was then Icing wagodk
by the democratic party for the re-
covery of its supremacy in the State
Upon this, as upon all important issues
which supplemented it, with tongue andI
pen Mr. DowEs fought the battles of I
his party, if not always with succcss,t
always at least with honor. And thiss
activity of public service and fidelity toE
principle continued TO the end OF hisE
character III other relations Of life, as
representative, lawyer, business man
neighbor, host and friend, we must dcuyE
ourselves to speak, as our thoughts, iuf
most of these regards, have been anti (
cipated by the eloquent tribute paid Ing
the Debating Society on Saturday even-E
ing last to the memory Of the doceageds
by Col. Crane, and which is here sub !
stantially reproduced as a fitting pen
dent to redeem the shortcomings Of thisE
most imperfect sketch -
Mr.. President AND FELLOW MEM.
BERs Since the last meeting of ourt
Society, death-that great destroyer of
the human race, the arch enemy oft
the happiness of man-has invaded
our little circle, and we have assembleds
here this evening to pay our last sadE
tribute of respect to the memory Of ourE
late brother, friend and COMPANION, /
JAMES S. Downs, who, on yesterday i
as the day was nearing its close, ands
when its activities and turmoils wereh
being hushed into silence by the ap-E
proach Of night, departed this life ats
his home in this Village.
The demise of our lamented friend \
comparatively young--only, believed
about forty years Of age--in the veryE
prime Of manhood, reminds us Of thcE
brevity and uncertainty of human life, K
and that we too are mortal and fasts
tending to the grave, our final rcstingE
place, and soon must pass away ands
share the same fate.
1t was my pleasure to have known
our deceased brother from early YOUTH
we were boys together; heg rewup in thes
family Of my relatives, where he was
ever treated, counseled and advised ass
enc of its own members; ! knew himt
as the little white headed clerk, whenE
lie could scarcely see above the counters
of his friend, Henry Watts, by whom
he was employed and whom he neyers
ceased to regard as true friend ands
benefaetofj ] knew him afterwards ass
the successful merchant and again ass
the rising lawyer and true business
man. He was twice elected by the peo-s
pie as States Attorney for this Coun-
ty and served out, by election in 1911
the unexpfed term of the late G. |
Fred. Maddox in the Senateof Mary land. /!
Our departed friend was truly a re-
markable man and rose by the dint of
his own energy, industry and good
sense to wealth and an enviable positionl
among his fellow men. Kind heartfelt