Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-08-22
jeremiah Sullivan Black,

With the death of Mr. Black there passes
into history another Of those rare and rugged
personalities which appear at their best in
troubled times overwhelming to weaker
natures. OF late his public appearances
have been infrequent and of no particular sig
nicance. lie is remembered best and by
most as bitter Democrat, with almost lin
itless powers of invective. which, within easy
recollection, he used numerically upon those
of a different political faith. And yet it
should not be forgotten that only few years
previously he was as sound as most Repubi-
cans in his views regarding the rights and
wrongs and duties of the erring and departing
States, and their relations to the Federal
Government. Ii cost something to be loyal
in those critical davs, and Republicans have
reason to admire the Democrat who differed
from Buchanan and worked harmoniouslv with
Dix and Stanton. Apart from politics, Mr..
Blacks career is full of interest for those tho
nnd pleasure in the story of life which starts
humbly and advances solely by native merit
to high station.
Mr.. Blacks father was man OF some
mark in the Glades, Somerset county, Penn.
He was judge, legislator, and a congress
man. Still he was only poor farmer, and
when his second son, Jeremiah Sullivan
taking the second name from that of his
mothers family-began his career as a
young man, it was after many hardships and
struggles and with small advantages from that
formal training in institutions which usurps
the name of education. But he was lad OF
some culture, nevertheless. How many col.
lege boys as n pastime commit classical au-
thors to memory and translate them in scantv
leisure? That is one anecdote of Blacks
youth. Then, too, as ia later life, he read
everything. Alike in fiction and history,
"Ouida" and metaphysics, he found some
thing to interest him, and remembered
much of what he read. He studied law
with Congressman Chauncey Forward
The teachers estimate of his pupil appears
from the fact that he moved his admission to
the Bar when he had barely reached his ma
jority. And in the next court term, when he
went to Washington. he transferred to the
young man q practice which made necessary
disappearance on one side or the other of
every case on the trial list. Such an early
responsibility would have swamped man of
less capacity. But, spurred on by the desire
to raise the mortgage on the homestead, he
worked. In his twenty eighth year he mar
ried Miss Mary Forward, and about the same
time he became "Campbellite," or Disciple
of Christ, a sect which first became widely
known through President Gsrfeld's member
ship.
At 81 young Black was a precocious and
successful District Attorney for his county
Somerset. In 1912 Gov. Porter made him
Presiding Judge of q circuit embracing sew
eral counties. There was weak attempt to
defeat the nomination, but 1t only resulted in
testimonial in his favor, signed even by the
Wings. In 1851 he was elected to the Su-
preme Court, aud became Chief-Judge w
lot. In 1854 he was reelected for term Of
10 years, being one of the few of his asso-
ciates who were not defeated by the Know
nothing vote. He did not finish this term.
In its second GEAR President Buchanan,
whose acquaintance he had made in ls43
made him his Attorney General Then be-
gan the stormiest part of his career. and the
most creditsble, brilliant, as were his profess
sional successes. At first his duties were
chiefly legal. In the treaty with Mexico
1t was guaranteed that the original grants
Of land in California should be respected. In
. rude and remote region like that it was easy
to manufacture bogus titles and the incentive
was great. Ii was enormous task
to protect honest settlers under patents from
the United States. Edwin NJ. Stanton work
ed with him in this matter, aud in later years
the association was destined to have more i'm
portant results. In his fourth year as Attor-
ney General secession was ripe. President
Buchanan sought to deal with the crisis like
shuf1er and q coward. He sought to parley,
intrigue, compromise, and delay-with what
motives is too large a question for this place
But A. a boy Black had chosen the princi-
pies of Jefferson rather than the experiences
Of Clay, and he was by nature bold and strong
and he dealt Enthusiastically with the crisis
In November, 1860, President Buchanan
asked his Attorney Generals official opinion
upon the rights of the States under the Con-
stitution and the powers of the Executive in
suppressing rebellion. The response was
that the Union was perpetual. and the Nation
had the right of self-preservation. 1t could
fight armies and punish traitors. So distsste-
full to the President was the original opinion
that 1t Was recalled, and everything excep,
the formal conclusions suppressed. On the
face of the opinion of Nov. 20. 1860, it does
not appear how good q Unionist this
democrat was- The issue arose again in
the controversy regarding the enforcement
of Sumpter, and finally in regard to the re-
ply to the so-called Commissioners from
South Carolina. Mr.. Black's own version of
these adairs appears in an evidently author
ICED interview with "F. A. B., reprinted,1a
he Times Of Aug. 9Th, 1881, which i. n