Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-09-16
SENATOR BEN NIL.
A Brief Sketch of That Distinguished States
mars Life.

!
Hon. Benjamin Harvey Hill, who
died at his home in Atlanta, was
born in Jasper county, Ga, Septem-
! ber ii, 1923, and was therefore
nearly 80 years old. He was etlu-
eated at the University of Georgia,
taking his degree at the 1874 COM
mencement, or just before arriving
at his majority. He came to the
bar year later and practiced at
LaGrange until 1851, Wheff he was
sent to the legislature, and was
again elected to the same Office in
| '57 and 80. In 1855-the whip
party, to which he had been attach
ed, having died-Mr. Hill ran for
congress in his native district as an
American, and was defeated by
Judge Warner by 70 votes. In 1857
he ran for governor as an American,
and was defeated by Joseph E.
Brown, democrat. He was a Bell
and an Everett elector in 1861 was
a delegate to the state convention OF
1861 and advocated the Union until
the ordinance of secession passed.
During the war he represented
Georgia in the confederate senate.
At the close of hostilities Mr.. Hill
was arrested, sent TO Fort LaEay-
cite, and imprisoned a few weeks.
He was member OF the forty
fourth and forty-fifth congresses, re-
signing his seat in the latter to ac-
cept thee senatorship to which he
was chosen in the winter of lS76-77.
He took his seat as senator March 8,
hn mt
the Tilden-Hayes disputed election
was subsiding. His term OF service
as senator would have expired
March 3, 1888. aIai"t1i
The country Is familiar with the
public figure of the dead senator.
He was in some respects, the ablest
and most conspicuous parsonage in
congress from the south. As de-
batter he had no superior and few
equals on the floor of either house.
His smoking out" OF Malone is
still fresh in recollection, and was Il
masterpiece of logic, ridicule, invec-
tive and pathos under which the
"Virginia Lucifer" writh ed and
fretted for weeks. Mr.. Hill was not
what may be called Il "thorough"
reliable partisan. His head and
heart were both too large aud active
for true-blue, thick and thin parry !
work. He was constantly getting
his bold thoughts and striking critf-
.cisms into print or uttering them !.
gust. of the bOurbons, We remem- !
Der to have stumbled. upon him In
company with three or four
Georgia machine politicians at the
Cincinnati National Convention OF
go. When. out of ear shot those
politicians remarked in chorus
a Wonder what he's doing here 1
blankety blank fim.a' Ten mi NJ
utes afterward those same four were
bowling, and scraping, and lpalayer-
ing around the tall form OF, the sem
ator, as il they had met rich Uncle
and were short of funds to pay their
hotel bills lg.s iasil
Hill had, with all, his ''eccentrici-
ties" of speech and action, a won
derfuI hold on the best clement OF
Georgia politicts as well as enjoying
much popularity among the COM
mon people, who care more for the
man than for his professions. Had
he lived he would probably have
enjoyed long lease of his senatorial
mantle. He leaves no equal behind
him in his state, if in the south.
The shocking martyrdom of this
great man to a murderous and
loathsOme disease is known to
everybody in most of its details,
and we forbear reciting the history
here. He has gone'to his rest, and
was glad of the relief.