Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-05-17
oLARKsvILLE. TENN .gsaA ATURDAY, MAY II 1879

IN 1881 Barley was sent to the
University of Nashville, then pre-
sided over hy Or. Philip Lindsey,
Presbyterian divine noted for his
: learning, piety and great ability.
| Bailey let the university in 1910,
during Senior year. His father had
fallen into bad health and some
consequent pecuniary embarrass-
ment, and the young man, then
) only eighteen years of age, returned
o home to take charge of his Office as
/ deputy. He did the work and re-
lieved his father from care, studying
law SO diligently meanwhile that at
twenty he obtained q license to
practise.
Not long after his admission to
!, the bar, he was taken into partner
6 ship by Mr.. George G.. Boyd, a dis
2 tinguished lawyer of Clarksville.
!, He worked laboriously as the junior
+ partner of this firm for five years,
until the death of Mr.. Boyd, thus
enjoying that best fortune for a
young attorney, full occupation un-
der intelligent supervision and ade-
quate means of support. On the
! death of Mr. Boyd, Mr.. Bailey sue
eeeded to his large business, and
continued to devote himself to the
study and practice of his profession
,, with an ardor and zest which can
only be appreciated by those who,
like him, have made that '.jealous
mistress, the law" the sole object of
their ambition. Mr.. Bailey's life
has been eonsecrated to the mastery
of his profession rather than to sue
cess in it, but the latter has followed
"as night the day. War and poll
ties have been the episodes, not the
staple of it. AS such, however,
they have their place in it.
In 1885 Mr.. Bailey became a
member of the Legislature at the
the earnest solicitation of friends,' 4
but he had no special taste for poll
tics, and soon returned to his pro-
fession. He had grown up a Wbig
in politics, AMI adhered to this p0-
litical faith, not only until the dis
solution of that party, but after
wards, attaching himself to what
ever fragmentary organization
1 professed to carry out the old ideas.
So in 1850, when the deluge came,
he interested himself warmly in the
success of the Union party, headed
| by Bell and Everett as candidates
for President and Vice President.
The platform of this organization
was, as viii be remembered: Hthe
Union, the Constitution and the
enforcement of the laws" IT was
the Right Centre, in European par
lance, of the politics of the country. /
! Mr.. Barley made an earnest canvass /
in support of his principles. A few |
months later and all the minor dis /
tinctiOns of party were effaced by |
| the bloodWet sponge of sectional /
war.
At the beginning of the war Mr.. I
Bailey was called to Nashville by |
Gov. Harris as a member of the /
State Military Bureau, charged with /
the duty of organizing and equip 7
ping the troops of the State. This /
work was completed in November /
and Mr.. Bailey then returned to
his home and raised a company, of /
which he was Captain, which rem
dezvoused at Fort DonelsOn. Here /
he was elected Colonel of the For !
ty-ninth Tennessee Infantry. Before
his regiment had acquired much
discipline or drill the battle of Fort
DOnelsOn occurred, and in the la
mentable surrender of that army
and position Col. Bailey and his
regiment went into captivity with
the rest of the Confederate forces
there. Bailey was sent to st. Louis
and thence to Columbus, o., whence
he was transferred to Fort Warren
in Boston Harbor. AT that period
of the war prison life was not so
rigorous, unless in exceptional cases,
as later. He was on parole at st.
Louis and Columbus and treated
with kindness by Col. Dimmock
and his subOrdinates at Fort War
ren. After six months impriSon-
ment he was exchanged on James
river.
Col. Bailey proceeded to Vieks-
burg to reiOin his regiment, which
was exchanged there some weeks
later. They were first sent to Hol-
ly Springs, and thence to Port Hud-
son. Not long before the investment
of that river-fortress Col. Bailey's
health, which had always been del
icate, broke down entirely. He
went to Georgia on sick leave, and
while recruiting his health there
was appointed TO a cOngenial and
comparatively light dutyas q Judge
of the permanent military court Of
Hardee's corps, with the rank of
Colonel. These positions were filled
by the most eminent juristS of the
Confederacy and were consequently
highly esteemed. Each court con-
sisted of three Judges and a Judge
Advocate, and, recOnciling as far as
possible the state of war with the
civil law, served as bTeakWaters to
the arbitrary acts of despotic COM
manders. They could not be packed,
like courts-martial, and often
checked the violence of those who
tried to act out the maxim "that
the laws are silent in the midst of
arms" Col. Bailey remained in
this position until the close of the
war.
Subsequently to the war Col.
Bailey again took up the practice of
law in Clarksville, with his former ,
success. He was twice appointed
to the bench of the Supreme Court
of Tennessee, which was the highest (
appellate jurisdiction, serving about I
eight months as Judge, but returned
each time to the bar as soon as duty /
would permit.
In 1874 Judge Bailey's name was
brought before the Democratic Con-
vention as a candidate for Governor,
but Col. james ID. Porter was the S
choice of the convention and was
elected. In 1876 in the Presidential
campaign Judge Bailey canvassed
the State, speaking some fifty times
and winning a great reputation for
ability in political discussion, such s
as he had previously enjoyed in the
law. A vacancy existed in the Sen
ate by the death of Andrew john
son, which was temporarily flied
by Judge d. NJ. Key by the APP
p0intment of the Governor. Judge ;
Key was "A candidate for the place
and Gen. William B. Bate, who
bore many honorable wounds earned
in the Confederate service, was also
candidate. Judge Bailey's recent !
canvass had brought him prOmi- Z
nently before the State for the same
high Office, and Il spotless record
also commended him to the Legis
lature. He was elected, and took {
his seat January 20, 1877. His term
of service win expire March 3, 1881. /
Judge Bailey's strikingly hand /,
e,ov,oo ..rifa xsr9,o hos haay, In, XNagb- I ,