Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-05-24

of his own neighborhood in viii
hanson county. They have NJ
child living. As his wife had NJ
more fortune than himself, he wa
Obliged to devote himself with as
siduity 10 the business of the law
in which he met ample rewards TO
a ulan of simple tastes, devoted t,
his profession as much for its owl
sake as for the money it brough
him. This is one characteristic,
feature of the old bar of the South
in which the law was rarely regard
ed as the mere stepping-stone tt
wealth or power, but was followed
under high sense of personal and
professional obligation. Certainly
no man felt this more than Mr.,
House. He formed partnership
with Mr.. Hornberger, a prominent
member of the bar at Clarksville
which subsisted until his death, in
1870, by a railroad accident. Mr.
Hornberger was a self-made man,
an indefatigable worker, who had
amassed considerable legal learning.
He was defeated by Gov. Harris for
Congress. The joint professional
success of this firm was entirely sat
| isfactory to the partners.
The bar at Clarksville was a strong
one and the relations of its members
were altogether friendly and frater-
nal, moving with little friction. 1t
is the habit of the lawyers of Ten
nessee, and very good one, to fol-
low their cases from the lower courts
to those of highest resort. This dig
nifies the local bar and exercises the
attorneys in the various aspects of
their profession. While Mr.. House,
according to the custom of the coun-
try, neglected none of the manifold
branches of the law, his preference
was for that of the advocate.
House was a good speaker. His
judgment was excellent, his thought
sound and vigorous, his style ami
mated and to the point, and his
voice sonorOus and with a compass
capable of reaching a crowd of ten
or even twenty thousand people.
He was selected as canvasser of his
county on the Scott and Graham
ticket in the Presidential contest of
1852. This led to his election to the
Legislature the next year, and he
served in it during the session of
1858 and 1854. He did not again
stand for Office until the Presiden-
tial campaign of 1860, when he cam
vassed his district and was elected
as the Bell and Everett or Union
party candidate for Presidential
Elector. In 1861 he was elected as
a delegate to the Sovereignty Con-
ventiOn to decide on the attitude of
Tennessee, but as the popular vote
decided at the same time by great
majority against the meeting of the
convention the honor was a barren
one. In the same year he was
elected Representative in the Pro-
visiOnal Congress, and took his seat
in it at Richmond in August, 1861.
The night that Mr.. House heard
that Fort Donelson was attacked. he
to leave Richmond and
enter the army. That fortress was
the gateway to his immediate dis
trict of country and not far distant |
from his home at Clarksville. He |
obtained a commission to raise |
troops and left Congress the night |
he heard that Donelson had fallen. |
But after a vain attempt to enter
his country, which was now fully |
occupied and OVerrun by the Fede- /
raj armies, he took place as aide
1e-oamp on the staff of Gen. George /
E. Nancy. Mr.. House shared in
the battles of MurfreesbOro, Chicka-
mauga, Missionary Ridge and the
of Gen. j. f. John
,ton's campaign in retreat from Dal-
.on until the battle of New Hope
Church. He was then, in 1864, made
Judge Advocate of the Military
Court CT North Alabama, in Gen.
Richard Taylor's department. The
Institution of these military courts,
)ne attached to each army corps
md consisting of three military
Judges and a judge-advocate, was a
avOrite plan of President Davis to
rive system and conference to the
military law and to prevent the
packing of courts-martial and other
arbitrary and illegal acts of com
handlers. The courts were COM
posed of eminent lawyers, who had
llso seen service, and of disabled
,fficers. On the whole the plan
worked well and in the interest of
justice.
The end of the war found Mr..
House without means and some
What in debt. He went back, to
and again practised law
With fine success. In 1870 he was
elected a member of the convention
0 revise the Constitution of the
state. He evinced his conservative
in this body in several i'm
,ortant measures. He was the au-
hOr of the clause giving to the
Governor the veto power, which
lad been previously denied to him.
lie also advocated a four years
erm of office for the Governor and
he creation of the Office of Lieuten-
now held by the
President of the Senate, OK officio;
,ut these measures failed, as did
lis proposition to substitute the ap-
'ointment of judges by the Gov
rnOr, with confirmation by two
birds of the Senate, for an election
f them by the people.
Since the war Mr.. House has acted
With the straight-out Democratic
'arty. He was a delegate to the
IeW York Convention which NOM
mated Seymour and Blair for Presi-
ent and President. He was
lected in 1874 to the Forty-fourth
congress over a nominal Republi-
an opposition by 4,700 majority. ;
lie was reelected to the Forty-fifth
congress by 5000 or 1000 majority, :
nd to the Forty-sixth over a Green
ack opponent by some 1000 or !
900 majority, and over a Republl-
an by a still larger majority. In |
he F'orty-fourth Congress Mr..
Iouse served on the Committee on j
elections and on the Committee on
in the Department of
ustice. In the Forty-fifth Congress
e was member of the Committee
n the Texas Pacific Railroad and I
t the committee to revise the laws
elating to Presidential elections.
lie delivered an able speech in fa-
or of the Pacific Railroad, which j
e regards as of immense import
nee to the South. He also spoke
n favor of reduction of the tax on I
Obacco, which constituted a griev- ,
us burden on his own district as |
yell as on many other portions of
he middle Southern States. The !
1eight of taxation has been very
inequality distributed by the party !
n power, and this was one of the