New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-09-30
GOSSIP AT THE CAPITAL
SOME Curious INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE of
GOOD BISHOP oBERLH'


nr,rr.ro nI1I AND MINISTER PhEhr
pREcooIoUs MULE-GENERAI Si'''''
MANS FEAR
- Can't oo-John H. oberly, VINO" 'ho
-. nro,n,ed the other day Com"iiss
,.s,an Affairs must have had rather 'nos auco |
- before he came TO Washington "o lii IN |
,naorstand. a man OF means but ios' o'e,' no,ore
no,,tIcs and journalism. In inc carp -" - ON bs
Tho war he was a printer In tennessee o.,roa a. |
",,,d IN Illinois About six years ago ne hsueu =,
% c.,r,nan Of the Democratic state Commi''oo u
,m,,o,s and al the same tine did reporting iOr IN"
Ch,caco Timcss In the winter OF 1901 % -. - 49,
nm I'm Albany for the lituo Town pc0a'no a., .ha
Mecca for every place seeker ana onoo num- ,.,
country The Presidentelect was supPoS'" " |
t,o 70 he going through the secret process Oh lo'"
cs,,no, ue held forth in the Executive Chamber
a. car,tol hut # was as easy for the reporters WI"
r.ro there from all the important papers 10 see MN
a. Il was TO see the clerk OF any one OF the no'e
PRESENTLY however, he resigned the IoVcrno'shP a'
went to little dwelling on Willetst' FACING 'no
Park: quaint little structure whose front uooi ,a"
light bore the outlines done In iead' OF Ia. So
waiting in the inner sanctun vi iho WV '' '
that might come along . A.. %,
Governor Cleveland shut himself up In inc 'op
story bedroom beside great desk, and, as hc "ouu
admit none except intimate friends 'here' ho no.
come all the way down to the parlor "hcn 'n' ~
whom he wished to see called upon hh' 49,
newspaper reporters, five or six In all, were P''''s
callers and their cards always brought him uo"" az
They saw what nuisance this getting to De- "nch
49, of,en bannened they each called him down ihico
or four times day; and so, II TO disproVe "hoh'
the theory that reporters are all cheek anu nv ov
science they held meeting ana resONeu '" - -,
Cleveland would agree to 1t, John H. opefiS S"o
represent them all and get the news ior all eN0oP'"
when ono of the cabal got special orders 10 sec "o
Will
see him for his own paper exclusively MI. ~
,,d ,ras touched By this bit OF consideration anu
,oadiIv agreed TO the plan; the consequence was ""
Rishop Oberly for two months represeh'cu uo p ,.
cnal nevspapers OF the country, ana Deca'ho '"0 ~
IRE Presidents privileged and seml-ohiclai rpo..o,
never heard that the Bishop" aouseu 'nc sio"' -
renosed in him; he certainly was never accuseo VI
,os 90 withholding anything showing any
favortsm. ..,ou,v
Tho President has always shown great parudh'S
toward the Bishop lie first rewarded MIN WIZ"
the Commisslonershp OF Indian Euuca''oi' " co.
thing OF that kind then made him CIVIL service IN
missioner and now Commissioner OF lhul"n H" ',
Precisely what qualifications he po'sesscu io' '''
Of those places has not appeared Ills Icoo,u -
us,na, and office broker certainly did not POM MN
ont az a man in sympathy with Cvil service lAcioi'''
THAT however seems TO have made lit'le u."o'o"o'
with the President He was bound 10 re"aiu d p'i
sonal friend and faithful adherent ana no uu ~ ~
must be confessed with great pro"P"'1''' ~
pense of the public service
wac inst saving that oberly spent the early DAYS
% b ufc in Tennessee If he looks back now 10 thoo
DAYS as undoubtedly he does occasionally no can"o'
helm reaching the conclusion that politics make s'rais0
bedfellows and that the whirliGg OF time worms WI"
! derf1l changes. In February, 1eol inc ie"n'S'eo
Legislature refused by a decisive Vo'e u an A.
initial step In favor OF secession. ii was srr" us
|
,oro an than to the Governor who was an ou'spohr"
states, Rights man and in full sympathy WIN al Wv
secession leaders Unable 10 force 'io -,
irto treason he set about to see what no couu uo ~
Golf 70 carry tho State into the Coniedcracy' nc
sorcd Advertisements in Northern newspapers inviting
| uronosals for furnishing arms ana amEuh'o" " 49,
- 81, St,.e of Teuncssee. A steamer was ht'eu "
dying the State flag and sent by tho river 10 81 lo
Thor, she was loaded with guns, cannon anu ~
materials of war. on her return Trip shc was -
| nv the United States authorities ms was P''0''''
~ -. a., covcrror intended. The seizure was at once
denounced as an outrage by every secession - I'LL
and the state was ablaze With indgna"oh' III
,rool, the Governor had made moro converts 10 wv
ca,so NJ secession than he could have hoped 10 MANI
in wears by other means. But lie ulu not s'0P Wv
he invited speakers from every part Oh INC 0ou' y
come TO Tennessee and talk treason. Inc cneo' upVr
the people Of Tennessee can easliy oo -,
was in this excited state Of the public MIND tha' nio
Gathered one May evening in the Court House Squar
90 Nemnbis That morning the leading he"spdl"
- the town "Thc Bulletin" had printed an edl'ora
I'm the following words; ~,
THE Bulletin entertelns much respect Tor wen
dell Phillips, Joshua Giddngs, Loveioy, ana o'h'
1ol,,ioptsts OF the North, ss It does for Jeherso
I,, ufuiam + Yancey Lamar and other hrc-eatln
s.cesson followers of the South. Their aims are VI
o,,e their results will be the same all want ~ u'
SORT the Union The American nag cannot oc 'oii
down the American Union destroyed by such Ha'ii
cidal hands"
The editor OF The Bulletin who wrote those worn
was a Union Democrat. On more than one oo0"''oi
h and his trusted assistant had denounced secessio
Nc q blunder and crime. But 1t was lor INC Ia
time that they were to do so in Memphis Inc ho
which had gathered in the Square had come 10 nav
reckoning with them. They surged arouhu III
roughly constructed platform, from which speah'
in Incorporate and revolutionary language dehounoc
the attempt Of the Federal Government 10 coeioc s
ereign States into submission lie de3Suhceu u
t sentiments uttered by The Buletin"; he'denounce
Tho odtor his staff and everybody connected VII
the office he called upon his audience to e4pei suc
traitors from the community. The responsive yci
showed the effect the words were having
aHanr himn-" Clean out the Yankee dogs can
, from different quarters.
Tn lees than an hour after the conclusion OF hi
sncecb the Office of The Bulletin was wreck ~
odi,or warned by friend, had made his escape. IL
assistant found his way at night TO one OF the Doa
ON the river; thence he escaped to Cincinnati
. vollandJrham's District he became the editor Oh
1 Democratic newspaper; and at the close Oh 'he wa
he removed 10 ILLINOIS -,
n The Governor of Tennessee, at whose invitation II
sneaer OF that fatef day in 1861 had addressed u
| crowd in the Court House Square at Memphis, wa
Isbam G. Harris now United States senator ana fai
Electric statesman
G The speaker who addressed the MOB ana near
e brought about the hanging Of the editor Oh Inc un
tin- and his assistant L. Q. c. Lamar, now OF
Il Of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court OF u
b United States
. The assistant who escaped from the mob and su
ceeded in making his way, at night, to the bank OF u
river and finally became citizen OF Illinois, Is no
y other than our good Bishop who has Just pceh
! polnted by Mr.. Cleveland Commissioner OF Indian
fairs.
Here is another adventure OF ante-Dellum days
which Bishop Oberly figured as Of the principa
and the scene Of which is likewise laid In Tennessee