Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-08-31
Senator Hill's Career.
SOME OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE DID
STATESMAN.


STATESMAN.
Benjamin Harvey Hill was boz in
Jasper county, Georgia, Septemtr IA,
1923. After receiving prellminfy in
struction in public and private Ichools
in the neighborhood he entfed the
University of Georgia, at khens, in
lS4l, from which institutions gradua-
ted with first honors three ears later.
He went into politics veryearly, being
a member of the Georgi Legislature
early in the fifties. He tgan his career
as member of the Amflcan party. In
1855, when he was 80 ears old. he was
beaten for Congress b majority OF ~
votes in total po, OF nearly $4,000.
His reputation as. lawyer and as a
stump speaker hadnade him very popu.
lar throughout Gorgia, and in 1857 he
was nominated for governor by the
American part, and ran against Joe
Brown. his colleague in the Senate in
his last DAYS. Brown beat him by some
10000 votes but Hill gained in popu.
larity, althAgh he lost the election.
He was animated for q presiden tial
elector op the Fillmore ticket in 1856,
and apairon the Bell and Everett ticket
in 1860.
Like good many other prominent
men il Georgia, he was bitterly opposed
to th, secession of that state from the
Unin, and voted against it in the con.
vepion, but he, with the others follow
ed the state after secession had been
dcided upon. He entered political
rther than military life in the con.
Jederacy, beginning as a member Of the
confederate provisional Congress, and
was subsequently one of the senators
from Georgia while the confederacy
lasted. He was in prison for a short
time at Lafayette at the close of the
and then returned to
Georgia to practice law. Although he
at once jumped into the largest practice
in Georgia, the destinations of political
life were so great that he consented to
run for representative in the forty
fourth Congress and was elected, and
reelected to the forty.tifth, and while
a member was elected to the Senate and
resigned from the House. His term as
senator would have expired next March.
He and Senator Brown were rival can
didates twenty-five years ago for COVER.
nor and were always upon opposite sides
in Georgia politics up to the time of the
secession of that state, and they were
finally brought together when Brown
was elected to the Senate in place of
Gen. Gordon, who had resigned. When
they met in the Senate their lifelong
political differences seemed only to
make more strong the attachment which
was visible to all. They chose seats in
the Senate side by side. Hill never
made speech to which Brown was not
an attentive listener, nor did Brown
ever speak unless Hill was present, ex.
cepting, indeed, when Hill was kept
away by sickness.
Hill was a man of large brain and of
rather quick temper. His personal en-
counter with fellow senator in the
Confederate Congress was one of the
tragic incidents of that body. He had
however in his older years been able to
control his temper, and had mellowed
greatly. There was no Man on the
Democratic side for whom the Republi-
cans had higher personal regard, and
while he grew day by day seemingly
more radical in his Democracy, and
came to be recognized as one of the
eading men in the Senate of the So
called Bourbon faction, yet his personal
relations with senators on the Republi.
,an side were so kindly and pleasant
hat his bitter invectives never left any
personal sting. He even became pleas.
lntly acquainted and associated with
thing that at the time Of
heir encounter on the floor of the Sen.
tie in the spring of 1881 would have
eemed almost impossible. Hills sud
len discovery of the fatal disease last
ummer undoubtedly gave him more
concern than he ever exhibited. He
ook his seat in the Senate at the be.
ginning of the session, as Matt Carpen.
er did year ago, knowing that he was
. doomed man. Yet he betrayed no
ign of fear or apprehension. His philo-
ophy of life seemed to be broad enough
% enable him, as il did Carpenter, not
,nly to accept the inevitable without
epining, but also with such large show
If cheerfulness as to deceive his friends,
wen his family.