New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-14

like way to get rid of possible evidence. Mr.
Phelan says of him: lie knew no degree in
crime, and regarded murder as in no wise more
heinous and repugnant than the theft OF watch.
He never robbed man, unless by stealth. with
ont killing him, and he never robbed by violence
when the person robbed could not be killed.
This monster controlled a formidable band OF
dcsperadocs, but he appears to have been capt.
ured at last without any difficulty. To break
up the lawlcssness INDUCED in BY the iiatboate
men in the river towns, Vigilance Committees
became necessary, and the hanging at one time
Of five gamblers in Memphis was followed by
peace and obedience to law.
Mr.. Pbelans account of the rise of the Wing
party and of the period between ls34 and the
loss of Tennessee by Polk in 1914, which he
calls /" the decade of partisan fury is strll-
ingly lfclke presentation of those exciting times
There is in these portraits OF bygone leaders
and statesmen and these narratives Of great
popular outpourings, meetings, professions and
conventions, so much which tempts to quotation
that the result is somewhat embarrassing. We
may, however, close our extracts with an illus
tration Of one OF the most curious episodes of
the decade in question the contest between Polk
and Jones, in which buffoonery and shrewd ap-
prehenson of the vulgar taste achieved great
triumph over abilities of high order and trained
political knowledge and experience. To such
as like to believe that the multitude always
prefer Barabbas this occurrence must be well
come case in point Polk, Mr.. Phelan contends,
was the first great stump-speaker' tic was
always full OF his subject, ready at retost So
phistical, quick to capture and turn the guns OF
his enemy against him, adrOit in avoiding an
issue whose result must be unfavorable, thorough
ly equipped with forcible illustrations humorous
anecdotes, and q ridicule which ranged through
all the changes from burlesque to wit Such
was the equipment Of the man against whom
James c. Jones was pitted in the campaign OF
1871 JONES' personal appearance gave him
an advantage on the stump. He was ungalnly
and very slender. He was six feet two inches
tall, and weighed only one hundred and twenty
five pounds. He walked with precise MILL
tary STEP not unlike a soldier on parade Ills
complexion was swarthy, his nose was large and
his expression was grave and solemn In more
respects than one he bore a remarkable re- |
semblance to Ned Brace in the Georgia Scenes
His hair was thin and curly. His mouth was
extraordinarily large His eyes were small and
gray, and were shaded by heavy eyebrows But
be had an address so pleasant and taking that
it more than redeemed his personal appearance,
and L" his popularity was very great" He was
perience, no training on the stump. He avoided
all serious arguments knowing his own weakness,
but he was master of all the arts OF Garcia
ture and stimulation. His impressive gravity,
his powers of ridcule and travesty his anecdotes
told with irresistible humOr, Joined TO his queer
figure, his capacious mouth, and his large nose,
kept his audience in q state Of perpetual uproar.
People began to laugh the moment he arose.
This is what happened when Jones met POLK IN
joint debate
When the time came there present an audience
larger than thai which had collected 10 ra,ly IN, ,
S@sa Each as speaker bad Wo ana halt
The Of wa a had sen place before
Polk made speech tina, would have swept from 'he
any who n had eyGs G %so Sas
after Jones until Andrew johnson came forward
1t "si d dSS % S his see pay
speech his thorough political equipment his rhetorical
o n hsgc sns%d "H Foe M mpssaon
he tnrid. the ecrt fhe lofty, might have answered
co Tie G rus n snr naSn n d saH
test terms not altogether unequal But James I.
to s'f these three did What not Of
three could have aonehe completely demolished Lis ed, the
orstorca powers, Ie HAD k1owledg, he had n, no
nd but he "S wsst the
power Of rdiculc and mmery never eIualled IN this
attack of the elephants which accompanied the army
Of Darius put them 10 heht ny lOud alarlms and
great umut Jones met Polk and routed him by The
same tactics. He made the crowd laugh until II be-
came frantic. lc ~ sl"d and i@t)rei everything
that Polk had said until he whose thoughts and
words perverted, could noi for his life, have
UNI q; eed the maze OF sophstry and nonsense lie
turned serious arguments into jests jests again into
serious arguments. lie discussed the spirit of an
assertion the actual letter Of IT, or no jum6led
both together suited his purpose. He ibid on.
hopes of Poik becoming Wing. And why? Because
he grinncd like the little uncovered animal that had
been of the emblcms In The Harrison campaign.
He told the most grotesque, the most ndlcrous an
dotes with mien "i funeral gravity. When at a loss
audience. and then turned slowly and reproachfilly
toward his competitor while the crowd burst into
rOsrs of laughter al the sight. The Democrats and
Polk mortified but not surprised when the
party wh'ch Lad elec Harrison l.; =. tent with
cabins and cider, elected Jones Governor with
anecdotes, laughter and waggery.
With this we must close our notice OF history
which deserves much cOmmendation; which is al
once careful and animated. sufficiently detailed
to be clear, and sufficiently broad OF outline to
be comprehensive which certainly presents the
making of an American State with marked full
ness of apprehension and grasp Of particulars
which is the result of honest study, rs is shown
by the long list of references appended; and
which is written in an easy unstrained and pict-
lresque style.