The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-03-15

the Democratic party into a eOndi-
ton OF confusion never before equal
ed.
And now JohnsOn's death makes a
vacant seat in the Senate, and D. NJ.
Key is elevated thereto.
PERSONAL TRAITS.
Judge Key is comparative'y a poor
man. He does not love money, We
can not imagine him, under any pos
slble circumstances, selling his vote or
lending himself to any corrupt or
even doubtful combination Whatever.
He will be as honest Senator as ever
set foot in the Capitol. doubt il any
man who knows him will deny this.
We would be the gamers if we could
pitch the CamerOns out of the Senate
and put in the Keys. We might, per-
haps, lose in ability, but we would
gain in honesty, and the rings would
dissolve like smoke.
Judge Key is very simple and unex-
pensive in his habits of life. He as
sumes nothing for display. Until re-
Gently he lived in a small, One-stOry
house in Chattanooga. remember
going to this house some few years
ago, and his meeting me at the door
with two children hanging to each
leg. He now lives in q more impos-
ing brick, surrounded by shade and
shrubbery, where his half dozen chill
dren romp and play, and where he
enjoys degree of happiness that the
honOrs of the Senate can add little to.
Judge Key is not a man OF great
ability. He is not 8 johnson, q Sum-
ner or a Conkling. But he is an able,
upright, honest man, one who will,
among the chosen great Of the Nation,
do abundant credit to bis State and
himself.
1 have not been in Tennessee nor
seen q Tennesseean for two months,
but l can imagine that the verdict of
each citizen of the State will be when
he hears of it, "Well done Key is q
good man." And he is.
The party papers, or some of them
in the North will be sure to mention
that be was an officer in the Southern
army, and comment unfavOrably up
on that, adding his name to the five
dozen and odd who have been elected
to Congress, and work themselves in
to fear that the ex-COnfederates are
about to take the country. Now, il
representative men are selected in the
South, this can not be avoided. The
great mass Of them went into the
army, and nineteen out of twenty OF
the leading men of the South-the
representative men-Rre eX-Confeder-
ates. Until this generation passes
away-the Southern people being
allowed to send to Washington whom
they choOse-I don't see how this is
to be avoided, nor do see any harm
in it, or anything to make political
capital or comment upon. 1t is bet
ter that than the Southern people
should be sulky and disloyal, refusing
to take any part in the Government,
and yielding but tardy obedinee to
force. II we are not to be one Gov
ernment and one people 'sin all that
the name implies" each State repre-
sented by such representative men as
the people choose to send, what was
the use of the vast outlay of blood and
money to maintain it as one Govern
ment?
The Southern soldiers are passing
away the generation that took part
in the war is disappearing like snow
upon the hills, and to see them, in
their day, taking an active interest in
the Government again, so far from be- !
ing anything to complain about, is
one OF the hopeful signs of the times. /
Looking back to the years of the |
war, recalling the names OF the South |
ern leaders and officers, we find them /
being gathered with the silent ma
jority so rapidly that probably the |
coming Congress will contain more OF
this class than any other session of
the future.
Another point worth remembering
is that the war has been over upwards
Of ten years, and Colonel Key is the
first ex- Confederate that has been sent
to the Senate from Tennessee. OF
Union men there have been five
Patterson, Fowler, BrOwnlow, john
son and Cooper. When we reflect
that the proportion CT Union men to
in Tennessee was only
about one to five, it can not be
claimed that the COnfederates have
crowded themselves forward to the
sxtent that their numbers would JUS
tify. Even in Congress, from Ten
lessee, there have been more Union
men than ex-rebels, Notwithstanding I
hoy outnum Der the Union men five
70 one.
Judge Key is not, believe, q cOJn-
nunicant in any Church, but has
profound respect for the great truths
Jf Christianity, and in his daily walk
tracks closely the Christian course.
have never heard him swear an oath,
and he is not, in any sense, a profane
Dr. vulgar-mouthed man. He has a
high sense of justice and right, in
addition to his knowledge OF law, and
lis decisions on the Bench usually
give satisfaction, and stand the
of the Supreme Court.
In Marion County, after the war,
here was large number of damage
Iuits instituted by Union men against
heir rebel neighbOrs, for false impris-
lnment, loss of property and the like.
4 Southern ex-soldier was held to be
liable in damage for anything that his
command did to Union man or his
property. Orders from his superiors
lid not protect him. He was left
With the bag to hold after the COnfed-
,racy collapsed.
These suits dragged their slow
engths along for years. The ex-
-ebels, stripped of all but their fence
ess lands, iawed with the vigor Of de-
pair to save these. They had, in
Iced, to fight two wars, one on the
and the other in the
Courts, and between the two their
was pitisble and fOriorn.
After a good deal OF lawing and
and ilI-feeling and expenses
III the cases were finally submitted TO
Mr.. Key, on the Southern side, and