Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-17
o1D rIME GEoRGIA poLIrIos.
How the Last General Ticket for Con-
gress from Georgia was Nominated
just Fifty Years Ago.

How the Last General Ticket for Con-
gress from Georgia was Nominated
just Fifty Years Ago.
During the session of the Legislature OF
1886, was IN Milledgeville painting
portraits and making myself acquaint-
ed with the geology OF the State,
Its people and its legislators. l
knew all of the prominent men there,
and many of those who were
more prominent in their own eyes than in
the eyes Of their fellow countrymen, and
being mere tyro in politics l was sur
prised to see how a great State like Geor-
gia was governed. Nobody seemed to set
much store upon ons whom they only
knew as a portrait painter and performer
on the guitar, so that both sides talked
before me without reserve, till L was
| forced to conclude that states
manship consisted In skillful clog
rolling" rather tnan in wise
counsel. One evening two gentle
men came to my room and requested me to
| represent the Wings of Habersham county
as there was no one of that party in town
to cast the four votes of the county in the
nomination of candidates for Congress
that was to come off that night. l agreed,
and at the appointed hour found myself
In room full of men, walking, talking,
smoking and chewing, till call to order
from stand brought on a silence suffi-
cient to let us hear it proposed to enter
on the nomination. Then a name
was offered and accepted, then an
other, then third, till six had
| been enrolled. Then there was a pause,
and some consultation among those pres
| ent. just then VIM. e. Dawson, of Burke,
! came to me and said: ''rhere are two more
! to be elected, and l propose TO nominate
| your father" every WELL" said l, "but
who is to be the other?'' at is not deter
Mined" said he. l mentioned two or
| three names as available, asking him how
| they would do. He answered not till
1 said: My personal choice would be VIM.
/ g. Dawson, but as none of the old politi-
! clans have thought of him, l feel a little
modest on the matter" "Pish!' said he,
and turning off, exclaimed in a loud
/ voice, 81 nominate r. W. Haber-
sham, of Habershamv ''WhO is
/ hep said two or three near by. "He is
| the lawyer who resigned the District At
| tOrneyship under Adams rather than
act against the State in the matter of the
/ removal OF the Indians els that sop
said one who heard him. "Then, by
Jinks, let's have himn' and he was nOmi-
mated. Then l said to him, Nominate
| w. 9. Dawson" and as he stared at me
hard spoke, loud enough to be heard,
'Habersham county THAT was / nomi-
mates w. G. Dawsonr' He came to me,
nodded and took my hand. excuse the
/ liberty | took with your name," said 1,
| "but silence gives consent, and as
| 'pish' has no recognized meaning, l gave
it one" 1t was the last election under
the general ticket and the same was
\ elected.
! The Hon. Thos. Cobb had received
| some kindness in his early career from my
/ father and never lost an opportunity to
/ show his recollection of it. On my fathers
| death-bed he received letter from this
| gentleman requesting him to allow his
name to be placed as a candidate for the
/ GOVernOrship OF Georgia. The sick man,
| passing rapidly away, replied, with a
smile: "Man born of womau-a shadow
-passeth away-place-know him no
| mOrer
Gov. Geo. Crawford is the last of the
/ three prominent men mentioned in your
| paper of June 10. After the war | saw
him frequently in his house at Belair. He
| always received me pleasantly, talked a
little, ordered in some good whisky, and
| then would invite me into the next room,
where he sat from day today playing soil
talre. At first he attempted to teach
me, but soon got absorbed in the game,
till one or two being finished would bid
him adieu. He always asked me to come
back again, and l did 80 often, with the
same result. He seemed perfectly sane
talked well, but seemed to have lost all
interest in life, except as represented by
the game before him. At last l myself
got interested in it as possibly involving
a resemblance which might exist, but be
out of my skill to detect, nor have done
so yet. r. W. II.