The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-01-19
from the Cumberland DhYiy News.l
THE ALLEGANY BAR--PAPER NO.
III.
WILLIAM PRICE.

CUMBERLAND, Nd, Jan. Z, 1884.
Mr.. EDIToR-iSr :: The pen Is more
than willing to contribute something
in memOriam of one whom we al
ways greatly respected and admired
for his acknowledged abilities. exalt.
ed character and many virtues. But,
again. a.sad hack of ability is felt for
a task in all other respects an agree
able ore. The subject is William
Price, now in his grave fifteen years.
He was one of the four sons Of Col.
Price. born in Washington county.
near the ConocOcheague. close the
Pennsylvania line !; the father a pa
triot and officer in the Revolutionary
war; a gentleman, and greatly re-
spPcted, but with all he had his &c
centricities, one of which will hear
telling. 1t has never yet seen print.
He once constructed what he called
flying machine. and on given
day invited his neighbOrs to see him
sail across the Con0cOcheague with
artificial wings from the boughs of a
sycamore tree. The launch was made,
and. of course, a good ducking to the
experimenter. We were told of the
anecdote and shown the identical tree
by good old neighbor thirty years
ago. who enjoyed the entertainment
greatly. The Col. attributed his fail
ure to some arrangement of the tail
of the machine.
The father was comfortable, but
not wealthy. He arranged to give
educations and professions to two OF
his sons, William and Benjamin,
and his lands to the other two. but
the intended farmers died and the
survivors succeeded to the lands as
well rs the professions. Our subject
was sent to Dickinson College, where
he graduated. He then read law with
several eminent legal gentlemen,
among them his close friend, John
Thompson Mason the first--there he
ing three in all. He is found at the
Washington county bar as early a
1916, gaining strength and reputation
rapidly. A State Senator in 1925
elected by the obi electoral college
system at a time when none but men
of rare ability and character could be
sent to that historic chamber. Is il
so now?l Once a Wing candidate
for Congress against the 0mnip0tenl
Thomas, and Presidential elector or
several occasions. In 1874 a candi
date for the legislature in Allegany
county with T. J. McKaig, George
Brewer and Edward mccarthy. How
the writer did yearn to vote for Sc
superb ticket. but IS would not d.
for 81. 1t was defeated in toto, to The
grief of many good people. William
Price was elected to the legiSlatur 7,
that trying session when Statesmen
instead of small politicians were
needed. He was the author of The
treason statute enacted at that session
and still the law, if one can legally
exist for State OF our national union
The last office he held was United
States District Attorney for Mary.
land under President johnson.
A rigid Wing in politics so long as
that old patriotic party lived, with
national views and principles, utterly
opposed to the heresies of States
rightism. Hence, when secession was
presented in our State as a remedy
for feiSned wrongs, in 1861, lie Was
ready and prepared from principle
and training to resist it. He certain
~ had tastes and even ambition tor
high political honors and trusts, and
was worthy of all his aspirations,
whether for State or national trusts.
1t has often been said he would not
only haye been an accession but an
adornment to the United States Sen
ate, as we'll as to the Nations execu-
tive counsel board. But none of these
high places ever came within his
grasp. HIS party was generally out
OF power. and another thing can be
said. not to his discredit, the masses
thought him to be unbending and
aristocratic. These ideas of the Wing
party killed it, not its great national
conservative principles. 1.-THE latter
were the cause of its dissolution a GER
tain other great organization must
soon follow. as the great national ele-
ments of the two are the same.
Under a resolution of our legisla
ture of 1925. he, with Samuel Taylor
and Fred. Stone. were designated to
"revise, simplify and abridge the
rules of practice, pleadingS, forms of
conveyance, and proceedings in the
courts of this State" The labOrs of
this commission were DIVIDED among
the three, the heaviest assignment
being made to Mr.. Price, that of re-
forming, simplifying and moderniz-
ing our antiouated forms of nrocend