Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-03-10
aLExAEDER ~. STEPHENS.

a great man, whose public life
had Its bearing on the destiny
sofA the nation. has passed into histo-
~. Alexander Hamilton Stephens
breathed his last i'm Atlanta at 3
O'Clock Sunday morning. His career
is one that stands i'm bold relief i'm
contrast with the time serving pol
iticians of the period. II not origi-
nal, his character was strongly
unique and in its daring independ-
ence stands above all reproach. He
is one of the few men who stamped
his imprint on the times in which
he lived and his history is strongly
interviewer with that of his native
section. Georgia, with her long
list of noted men, has never pro-
duced his equal. He was loved and
hOnored in that State as no other
man has ever been, and the strong
influence that he commanded over
the hearts and minds of the people
of Georgia is alone significant of his
greatness.
Mr.. Stephens, like the majority
of Americas greatest men, was of
humble origin and self made. In
this particular he can be classed
with Clay, Jackson, Lincoln and
Andrew johnson, but only i'm this
regard is he like any of the men
mentioned. His uncanny figure
and his weird and piping voice have
their counterpart only in John
Randolph, of Roanoke. Through
out his whole life Mr.. Stephens la
bored under the great disadvantage
of i'll health and on this account
deserves the more praise for his
great achievements. Bodily, he was
almOS. Insignificant his existence
approached the purely psychical, a
great mind and a powerful will
scarcely incarnate. Mr.. Stephens
change from the Wing to the Dem
ocratic party has cost him the inn
putation of fickleness, but it was
rather an evidence of his steadfast
principle. He followed the Wing
party under the leadership of the
great Clay but afterward deserted
that political organization when
the luss of vital principle caused its
early decay.
Mr.. Stephens was strongly OPP
posed to secession and made noted
Union speech that time has proved
to be prOphesy. But though he
contended for the maintenance of
the Union with all the strength of
his nature, when the war had actu-
ally begun he was quick to side
with his country and his people and
his elevation to the position of Vice
President of the Confederacy is a
proof that his sincerity was never
questioned.
Mr.. Stephens is one of the few
very prominent ex-Confederates
who has been almost constantly in
office since the war. He held his |
seat in the United States Congress
as long as he desired and was re-
Gently elected Governor Of Georgia |
by an enormous vote. His last pub !
lie appearance was i'm a speech |
made at Savannah on the occasion
of the sesqui-centennial celebration
of the settlement of Georgia. This |
visit to Savannah was al the cost of |
his valuable life. He took a cold |
that brought on the sickness from
which he died.
1t is not only as statesman that
Mr.. Stephens is to be considered
his valuable contribution to the |
history of the country has given
him a reputation as an author. His
work that treats of the war between
the States is one of the most valua-
BILE on that subject and his latest
book, is among the best of our pop
ular histories.