The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1877-01-28
Remarks of Hon. w. a Percy

quaintance with Capt. Barksdale was limit
ed to the brief period of the last session of
this body. That he was a gallant soldier.
an accomplished conscientious lawyer. and |
patriotic, honorable and honored citizen,
is the general verdict OF all who have known
him we'll and intimately.
shall corfine myself to his career as
member of this body. and leave 70 those who
have knowd him longer to speak of him in
other walks of life
The political revolution of 1875 assembled
in this hall for the first time in many years.
the representative men OF the people ana OF
the material interests OF Mississippi-mos
of them wholly inexperienced in practical
legislation, but all earnest in the desire for
thorough reform in that and other branches
of the State government. From the outstart
Captain Barksdale occupied q foremost
rank among our members. His SlnglenesS
and honesty of purpose, his utter contempt
for petty or partisan interests, when Ia con
fiict with great general principles, his merry
and vehement zeal in the advocacy OF right
and truth, at once impress ed itself upon the
House and commanded the thoughtful at
tention of all to his utteranceS. The quality
of his mind and character OF his temperament
titel him pre- eminently for the highest
fields of legislation. His perception of the
| principle underlying any proposition, ms
ability to fasten upon the very core OF a
! question under discussion, in quickness and
| accuracy, resembled rather the operations
| of intuition than of reason. Let the real M
| tent and meaning of proposed measure be
ever so carefully and artfully ohscured by
verbage and phraseOlOgy, or supported by
| arguments the most plausible and perSua-
sive, if in conflict with fixed principles OF
| right and the true interests OF fhe state,
with unerrng certainty and unhesitatng
courage he detected and exposed to view
the hidden error. His capacity for analysis
was almost unrivalled. and was combined
with powers of generalization Ofn0 common
order Added to these he possessed the
splendid gift of elOquence, in degree be-
slowed upon few men ofany age, ana
diction and command OF language une-
uualled. In the expression of subtitle shades
of thought, in the fastidiOus and appropriate
use of words. always clothing the idea in
! tended to be expressed in just that garb
| which best suited it, | have never known
! his equal.
His spirit was lofty and courageous and
as exhibited on this floor his single pur-
pose was to redeem and secure and protect
the best interests of the people OF the whole
State. To this end he gave his whole being,
the best efforts of his mind aud an industry
7 that never tagged, and in its pursuit he
was never warped or swerved by any SEEM
ing present benefit or party advantage.
from uufaltering devotion TO truth, to right
and the principl of the Constitution. 1t
was his political creed and the rule of his
conduct, thatsssteady adherence TO these as
as the pole-stars of legislation, even though
present hardship m ight be inflicted or have
to be endured, was the only path to the as
surGd protection and maintenance OF civil
and constitutional liberty. His one fault as
a legislator, if it may be called such, grew
out of a desire to lift, perhaps too suddenly.
the general legislation of the State to the
t same standard of exalted purity and virtue,
by which his own private and public life
was governed
In the general legislation undertaken by
hi bod of r. lost c-in Cunt oi Rarlyc-
dale bore his full proportion of the labor.
In the assault which was made upon the
corrupt officials then in control of the Ex
ecutiVe branch of the State Government,
he was ever III the front, intusing his own
courage into the weak and timid, cOnvinc-
ing, by his irresistible logic, the doubtful
and vacillating, and, with the white heat
of his fervid elOquence, moulding the vary
ing shades and differences of sentiment and
opinion into one compact and irresistible
purpose. Of the arduous labors imposed
upon this body by that assault, he prob
ably bore a larger share than any
other one member; one of the man
ayers for the House in the impeach
ments, both of the Lieutenant-Governor
and Governor, he gave himself unreserv-
edly and with all of the earnestness
of his nature to their successful prosecution
From the wealth of his legal lore, his assoc
ciates drew freely and with profit BY his
acute and judicious suggestions, he contrib
uted, certainly as much as any other one
person, toward shaping the proceedings
which resulted so happily for the State
Few who We're present will ever forget the
occasion In the Senate chamber when he ar
raigned the MISUNDERSTANDING before
that tribunal for high crimes and INSIDE
meanors in office. The scene was an inter-
estlng and novel one in this State. The
august character of the court, the high Do-
sitlon Of the officer on trial, the weighty in
| terests at stake, made it peculiarly i'm pres
sive; and when the slender form of our de-
parted friend rose to close the argument in
| favor of the people, his peculiar ringing
| voice and wonderfully distinct articulation
fixed the attention of the large audience
upon his first words, nor did that attention
ever falter or weary to the closing syllable
With the skill of an accomplished lawyer,
the accuracy OF thorough logican, and
a GOODNESS thoroughly nom partisan, he dis
sected and threw aside one after the other
the films OF doubt in which it had been Ia
| borlously sought to wrap the guilt of the
| accused, and when at length with consum-
ate ability, he had laid bare the fact that tie
great seal of the State had been purchased
with money, his indignant spirit, breaking
away from the mere sshackles of argument,
| poured itself forth in rebuke of the crime
so whitening, demand for the punishment
OF the guilty one, ana the vindcation of
official integrity, SO eloquent and impetu-
Gus, as to sweep from the minds of both
court and audience. every lingering doubt
| as TO what should be the verdict.
Captain Barksdale never seemed to think
of certainly never sought for that eyanes-
cent personal popularity: (which. in popular
assemblies, is too often the result of hearty
manner, general good-felowship. and
ready concurrence with the views of all men
on all questions. He pursued the even
| tenor of his way in the path of duty, as he
understood it. If a majority Of his
fellow.members agreed with him he re-
garded it as an evidence of the power
OF truth. Ii he stood alone In his position,
neither his courage or his zeal was abated
in the slightest. He never violated the
courtesies or amenities of debate-never
sought by the weight of his personal infiu-