The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-05-25
A shadow OF the p..,.

Nooouy Out henry Waerson could have
drawn this faultless sketch OF Henry A
Wise.
1t is common to hear him spoken of
unless he be abused outrishtIas .ah.
venerable Henry A. WISE There is moth.
ing venerable about him. tall, thin.
little figure; fiaxen hair parted in the mid,
die keen, pale, clear cut visage; piercing,
ever-restless eyes, q shrill, treble voice, tue
veteran agitator does not carry about with
him any of the sanctity of sge. In his duel
with -Cocke-in 80, as Col. Starbottle
would say--his antagonist undertook to
jockey him as, they were placed yis-a-vis by
whispering to his second loud enough for
Wise TO hear, 81 call you and God Almighty
to witness that am guiltless of this mans
blood, to which Wise quickly rejoined,
''You had better leave GCd-a-mighty alone
and look to your own blood, damn YOU"
putting his bullet into Cookies groin as soon
IS the word was given, and coming of him
self without scratch. He shaped James
X. Polk in the faice for atrtling offense,
and he has bulled his way through life
sOmshow in spite Of undeniable genius and
courage. - 49, -.
The ex-governor has been in Washington
OF late, and appeared last Thursday before
the House Committee Rn Elections rs
counsel for Platt, who is contestiug the seat
of Goode. After he had closed his argument
he took occasion, by leave of a recent allu-
to him on the floor of Congress, to make
lengthy peroration, political and personal
IL was, the correspondent of the Cincinnati
Commercial tells US, 'full OF the old fire, y
Astounding in ''curious, quaint and strong
EXPRESSIONS tinted with the egotlsm that is
not unbecoming or distasteful in man of
the Governors fame aud years" As sum
married. by the same correspondent Cover
nor Wise's views are certainly entitled to
this description. He declared, to begin with,
that he was neither u Conservative nor n
Republican. He described the Conserva-
tive party of Virginia as old-fashioned
Democrats, old-fashioned Wings, Know
Nothings, Locofocos, Ned Veskit Demo-
Gratis OF the jefferson stamp, or sauer-kraut
Democrats, as they are called Ia Pennsyl-
vania, and Greeleyltes. He aSerred that
while he was governor of Virginia, IL he
could have caught Greeley he would have
hanged him and pardoned John. Brown
and yet Greedy was the man the Cnnserva-
tive party in Virginia voted for for presi-
dent. He said he had tried to krtp Goode
from going into the Greeley party, but
Goode had disregarded his advice and had
gone over to the Black Republicans and
voted for Greeley. Which is the worst,
cried the old man, black Republican or u
black Conscrvative9 Some one sked il he
was not fatIgued, and il he would not like
some Refreshments. He replied: III you
can bring me q glass of good, pure, sweet
milk, will take it, but i curse whisky,
brandy and rum" He praised Grant Tor
his honor and magnanimity in insisting that
the parole given at Appomattox should he
kept in good faith. He considered Grant a
great chieftain aud worthy TO receive the
sword Of Robert Z. Lee. His depunciation
of the Conservative party of Virginia was
t rribly seathing, and referring to the ac-
tions of GOode, against whom the contest
Is carried on, using one of old-fashioned,
fiery expressions, he exclaimed: : ''By the
Eternal Gods, would have my right hand
cut off at the wrist before | would hold my
pen to sign the test OATH" faL
The tenor of all this is not very credta-
BILE to Governor Wise's discretion, and
might be dismissed as first-class raving but
it is sincere, and, il its authorwere required
to support it by logical argument, he is
capable of making one that would be plau-
sible. There Is in 1t just that admIxture of
truth and error which enables shrewed
handler Of quiddites to confuse the simple
mind by dextrous play. That has been
| always the forte, the metier, OF Governor
! Wise. He Is an honest deluder Of himself
and other people. He came on the scene
as Randolph of Roanoke passed away, and
at time when the ambition Of every aspir-
ng young Virginian was TO initiate tilflt
eccentric statesman. None succeeded quite
so well as Wise. He had courage, he had
talents, he had an individuality. Among
florid, outdoor orators, of the cultivated,
semi-literary sort-modernjzed and provin-
cialized Queen Anne's msn-he was the
first and greatest. No man could carry an
absurdity so far, and save il. No man
could take such license with courts, jurics,
Legislative assemblies and popular gather
ings. He was sensationalIst indeed but
his tracks were not the tracks Of the
mountebank. He was an eloquent pleader
and a sharp, rattling debster. He took
liberties with everybody and nobody could
take liberties with him. Exacting in the
last degree, sensitive, squick- TO anger snd
forgiveness, but ready at all tlsSss 70 vtndi-
cate his exactlons and his pride, and d1S---cod
shot witbal, it is no wonder that he was-
formidable and hard to drive. The way be
stood by his friend John Ty Ter in the
stormy Congress OF 1919 was sight to
see, and is inspriting to think Of. But che
way he whaG ked the Know-Nothings IN
1856 was simply beautiful. His openiRg
speech et Alexandria in that canvass may
be ranked among the rare specimens Of
popular oratory. 1t was carefully studied
and cool piece of ge-play. His exor.
dom was an Idyl, hls argument a mel0-
drama; his ending compound OF an epic
and shrek. the pretty poetic thiRgs he
said Of Virginia prepared the audience for
his revelations OF the orderof Native Ameri-
cans, then profound mystery, and whom
he came TO his closing inYectiYe more ex-
cited, bewildered crowd never sat TO u
speaker. He beat Flournoy badly, and
made himself, besides Governor efi the Old
Dominion, the lion of the day. 4 adfsgqf
But he could never be a leader. lie was
sui generis, too much himself TO be followed.
People admired and feared him he admired
and feared himself His Seven Decades OF
American Politics Is one Of the most enter
tanning books OF its class. His everyday
| talk is odd, irregular and attractive. a
cross between q bookwor and knight
eTrsnt, his action Is brilliant only IN utter
snce. He was an unsuccessful soldier. He
resembles neither Toonbs nor Foote.
| Toombe is a coarse humorist, with a thrifty,
prudential turn. Foote is u man OF deep
and eager convictions, quick 20 quarreis
and changes. Wise is neither humofit
nor . cbangeling; ne is yitalized epigram.
TO0mbs represents Georgia no more than
be represents the Faubourg Saint Antoine
an Eaglish-speaking Danton. Foote rep
resents, when he Is representative, tie
current idea. Wise is Hirginian Of the
Nirginians, Col Esmond with political
aspirations and talents. Quite as much ~
the Barbours, the Psndletons and the Tuck
ers he is reflex Of that peeuiiar ancient
provincialism- self-respeetisR, GOd-feariDg.
home-loving- gallant 70 women, exscting
TO men-brsve, geneross, bookish and bos-
lpitable-provincislIsm did We sayf Yes,
certainly, provincial civilization, which the
untsught doctors Of looss latitudiasFisn-
ism seek to discredit and break down, but
which, tempered and adapted, involves ths
spirit and enshTines the Substance Of our
free fabric. Wise tears his passion toe
much IN tatters and is jerky. He has lost
the poise and balance Of thie moving.