The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-01
SENATOR GORDON. OF GEORGIA.

Washington CORES pondence Boston Postl
| wish every reader of the Post and every
honest man in the country might see and
know Gordon. If such an impossibility could
might shout "fre-eater, - "unrepentant rebel
and other kindred lies until the crack Of
doom without affecting Gen. Gordons repu-
tation q hair. The honest people would
only say: would to God the country had
more just such fire-eaters and rebels"
Those who do know Gordon only laugh
at the attempt to make him out a
clustering braggart. If there Is one man of
all others in the Senate who does not buster
and who does not brag, that man is Senator
tender as child. l have seen him in the
Senate, on the street and in his family, and
never heard word or noted look that was
not both courteous and manly, and have yet
speak an i'll word of him. He is typical
Southerner and il the word ''chivalry' had
not become such q misnomer when applied to
the South [ would add that he is a perfect
type Of the chivalrous gentleman Straight
as an arrow, well formed and wiry, rather
above the medium height with straight black
hair, worn longer than the New England custom
is, but shorter than is the habit at the South,
with q prominent, high forehead and small,
keen, dark eyes, you would note him in any
assembly and locate him somewhere near the
Gulf coast at sight. Like Lamar, he is some
thing Of an ideallst, and esteems the the
Oretically right above the practically expe-
dent. Socially he is q combination In about
equal parts OF dignity, courtesy and affec-
ton He is one of the sort whom men esteem
and women worship, a sort OF modern
Richa' d Coeur de Lion, who, Ii he had lived in
the days of the Dark Prince, would have led a
crusade against the world in behalf Of purity
and truth fought any odds for virtue, and never
sullied his sword with one drop OF blood shed
wantonly or wrongfully. He was indeed
"rebel," but no scurvy master of malicious
ink may look upon his scars and question
either his courage or the sincerity Of his con-
victions. A deep scar in his cheek, with the
similitude Of sabre cut adds to the martial
atmosphere OF the man without distorting or
detracting from the rugged beauty Of the
face. 1t marks the entrance Of bullet which
passed through the mouth and found exit be-
low the brain at the back. If my memory
serves me, it was the fifth wound received
upon one day, and the first which, though
stretching him out helpless, conquered the
dauntless spirit Of the man. l never be-
held the man without noting that scar,
which bears mute but constant testimony 10
the way he faced when the bullets flew and
the air was thick with quick messengers OF
death. No, indeed! Not braggart! We may
deplore and differ with the convictions which
made him "rebel," but no man may question
his proven bravery. But | set out to intro
duce the readers of the Post to the Senator
Gordon of 1877, and not to the Gen. Gordon Of
1860 to 1866 His every effort since the war
has been to build up the stricken fortunes OF
his people, to bury the animositfes OF the past
and to teach his people to accept and to make
the best Of the inevitable results OF the war.