The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1885-05-08
William L. Haskell, The Ten
nesSee Orator.
BY CHANCELLOR w. S. FLEMING.

Notwithstanding all that Mr.. Car
lyle has written against stump-OratC
ry and stump-oTators; and nOtwith
standing our very high regard for Mr.
Carlyle as an original and bold think.
er and writer, vet we are not prepared
to admit the applicability of his re-
marks, in all their breadth and full
q ness, 10 the system of political debate
in our country. Scattered over a wide
area of territory considerable pOr-
ton of our population uElettered-nOt
few unable 10 read or write, the peo-
pie of the United States, especially
those of the rural districts, found, in
the past, and still find, though in a
. less degree, the stump-OratOr their
chief political teacher. The stump
orator was and 10 some extent still is,
in a political sense, emphatically, 1.-The
| schoOlmaster Abroad We are salts
fled that from the year 1896 TO 1860,
the citizens of Tennessee, taken as a
| whole, were as well informed rs those
! of any other State OF the Union, and
mueh seEt nc e IL i the inlpOr-l
tant questions and issues diyidiiig and
, agitatiDg the public mind, dning that
period, than those of many of our
sister States. And this is probably at
tributable to the fact that no other
State has been more distinguished for
|
nent among whom was tie subject of
the present sketch.
William r. Haskell vas born July
18th, 1918, in tie town Of MurfreesbO'
70, Tennessee, and was the younger of
two SONS of John and Nancy Haskell. |
His father was a native of Rhode Is
land, q lawyer 10y profession. He i'm J
migrat d to Tennessee about the year
1911 or lSl2-took an active part in |
the Creek war gs a subordinate officer; |
and, after the clOsa of the war, settled !
in Murf:coshCro, pursuing his profess |
sion until 1921 or 1922, when be was |
made Judge Of the Circuit Court for
West Tennessee. Upon his appoint
ment he removed with his family to /
jackson, West Tennessee, where he
| continued to reside until bis death, |
abou. the year 1889.
His mother was born in Sumner
county, Tenn., and died aEOu. the
| year 1886. She was a sister of the
Hon. Charles Ready, at one time
member OF Congress from the Muir
| freesbOro district, and, for many years,
a distinguished member of the Ten
nessee Bar.
| Having gone through a preparatory
course of study at Jackson, the subject |
of this biographical outline entered
the Nashville University, at that
time under the presidency of DIR.
! Philip Lindsey, one Of the profound
esi scholars and most ,uceFssful cdu-
cato.s iR the West. Tie University
was, at that time, in 4 most prosper
oUs and u'isiifg condition, sending
| GOlti, annually y: Jug men DIES med to
fill, IS many 81 en- lid, tie fore most
ranks II lie icarl ed prufes ions. Did
rps ce p.iuGit We might ebumerate
M, ny Dsmts, famiii n lao; only in
IeIue. see Iuc hey Oud her i.mi's, who
ave ref ct Il hOuor upon :! cir Alma |
Mater as 5roi - M on their cOpu'Ty,
al 4 e irsr. upon 'lse bench, in the pull
psf nd n our i ri iative halis--S'ate
and Cong rsssiO8a. Bcssesstd of eX- Z
tTaordiiury guiykuess sof intellect, il |
r, qpir,d 10 great labor or effort in
him to.master the usgal studies OF the
curriculum.
HI. WAS warm hearted, open, frank, {
gene tls uhd manly in his hearing.
ilIs N satal sad social Qualities were s
Of tipsEx ERhest gFsiea- Sc psss3 2
=, So . -: as ~ aifins fund ri hu- I
nor, which made him the lie Hnd y
suul Of Ms .o'lcee companions. on 4
Of his cla-sma!ys hin-eH n mau Of 1
ability aid pro :. hence ia TeJnv>sC", Il
!he li-er, that Il wIssa treat, Il
Ticl' li q rare. { sr-t out some after Il
no, n, 5 Of n nip5 enCd, TO Il rtt,ICd L
spot ajGut Sic 80 lFge grounds End II
- IN 20 Haskell L one # bis i&cy o
mncGS.
He was an actor ~ we'll ~ u good | p
talltr, aRd-the Legislature of The y
State ur.irg in ~CS- iJU-J.iyE, with Oll- | II
pr myanious, would attend SOME ut | =
tie ,it Eaies OF that body, and tbeD, | ~
upon their return ~ tja University | Il
grounds, Haskell WIS accustomed 10 CO
-e-laeh lie spe"c5,S, with al The pc "a
:Ii'iaritiss OF he til1: r,u. Speakers q
mi atii = their mani er, gestures amt | 81
style AID throwing IN enough # she | Il
.U:i; S,If.c TO cOnNu 80 Us audiiO = with n
aug iitrr. This, II y info, mant assured | h
me, WAS ote OF their iavoIi,e sources al CO
anus mint and }h,t il WAS re lilv rs ~
entertain ne rs any theatr cal exhibit al
lion. His genius as versatile and he | 10
could on I'll such tcca~iOls, with ease q
and fiuercT, pass "FEOrr grave to gay, as
from lively 10 aevJIe;' 50 that he was ia
qualiy at he me in seTiO- omety, side l.
splitting farce "r &c p-;oue ed tragedy; II
and in these col ege I.as'imes he was OF
iispl-.y ng the very qualities of mimi al
which iore allowed The coming ora OF
tor and popular leader. re
During his collegiate career, he dis IA
tinguished himseif, by delivering, at 70
maut, IN original grafton, st
entitled poetry and the poets, - which q
is said 20 lave teen strikingly beouti. le
ful, elegant and refined IN thought as a.
well as dicti,n. This address, deliv- W
cred while lie was yet junior, won al
for him unbOunded applause. Indeed eC
it is said, 10y some Of those who heard as
il, to have been a wonderful IrHiuc- RI
ton FOR one of his years and tu nave | b'
exhibited "a profound and accurate
OF English literature. fo
Before the completion of bis college | ci
course q call was made for volunteers | to
from TeEnesss Q to qUell the Sc mnOles IS
IN Florida. Ardent, impuIsive and h.
chIValrOus in tenn permanent, lie threw a
down his books, lef. bis studies, and | II
having Joined q volunteer compGuy, a
went to the stat vi var and served out te
his time in that campaign. This was al
in 1886. Al the close of the campaign | t.
he returned TO Tennessee and received Ii
from the faculty of the University his
and az once entered the office rC
Of his father, Judge Haskell, SO Law | y
student. He WIS soon after admitted n
to the Bar, and, when be WAS scarcely | "a
twenty-one years Of age, he was unit II
ed in marriage 10 Miss Paralee Porter, Ii
IF West TeuHt s-ce, who after his | cs
death was fer several years our highly | IN
intelligent and hOnored W
State Libra rian al Nashville. He LEFT ! ie
surviving him fiye children, three sous "
and two daughters. D.
CpOn tDe nOmi" alton 81 General hi
Harrison for the Presidency IN 1910, oi
he entered The poll zeal arena, for the u
first time, as one of the youthful III
champions in Tennessee of the Hero Of k
And We may remark I'll
+ ere, that from that day forward 70 te
the close OF his political career in 1896, III
he calamity fore the old Wing ban -
ner, through every Presidential cam II
l,aiCn, amid the dust and smoke of ~
mary hard fought field; ard while %
in his minds, j, always danced aud I'll
fioatc,l proudly in the van Of tie fight. 10
Nor did he ever suffer It., while be ca
lore il, to trail dishonnred ia The dust. fe
HIS party y IS often defeated, though IL
sc always triumphautly indicated bI
is principles and it, policy. With him ii'
)ra' ory was p;tssi' aud political dis al
.IIs .ioa the clement in which he mOet ih
IeIi ghted IN the outset of his career hC
ne encounitr red young FWeIi a broth SIX
er Of General EwcN, go West Tennes- q
see, who afterwards calamity fell up W
1n one Of the bloody fields of Mexico. 81
EweIl was a young lawyer of extra tri
, binary b-itita nrV Gf intellect and be