St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-26
TOPICAL TALK.

ample of miSSpent
Did for life was poor Harry
Riddleberger's career.
Riddleberger. He commenced at
nothing and ended
lower down than where he began.
Yet, in the interim between the begin
ming and the ending of his tifty-fve
years on earth, he shot up into the po-
litical armament like star of glory.
Beginning life without friends or fort
une, he rose by merit alone to the SEN
ate of the United States, position that
men spend millions TO attain, and yet
it would have been better for Riddle
berger if he had never had politica
aspiration. The end was dramatically
ruinous. Whisky did it, and did it
etfectually. When l first knew Harry
Riddleberger he was no drunkard. He
was as bright and manly a young fellow
as one will see in a lifetime. His
was a lovable nature, and he
was the very personlfication of
honor. He didn't need wealth and fam
lily influence to open the way for him.
Nature had endowed him with those
heroic qualities that qualified him for
leadership, and his cOuntrymen felt
tnat they were hOnoring themselves in
honoring him. What a pity to see such
life blasted by the demon drink. 1t
was with Riddleberger as it is with so
many of Americas brightest young
men who eventually fill drunkards'
graves. First it was the social glass
without thought that anything more
would come of 1t. Then came the ex-
element of politics and the treating"
and being treated" The nervous
strain resulting from political excite
ment impresses the victim with the ne
ceSSitY for the use of stimulants. In
Riddleberger's case the danger line was
reached before he was conscious that
there was danger line, and ruin was
inevitable. The last time I saw the
poor fellow was at the Chicago conven-
ton III 1888, melancholy wreck. He
rose in the convention one night in
maudlin condition and tried to make
speech. His face was flushed, his hair
was disheveled, the eyes had vacant,
idiOtic stare, the tongue was thick, and
if he knew what he wanted to say, he
failed to carry his thoughts intelligently
to the audience. The delegates were
inpatient, and hooted him down. The
crowd in the auditorium building only
the ught of him as they saw him there
that night. But L thought of him as
had seen him in the pride of his young
manhood. and as l made the comparison
the old lines came to mind:
Whisky, whisky, bane of life
Cause of tumuIt, source of strife,
If I'd but half thy curses tell
The wise would wish thee safe in hell.
The First Alb Senator II g alls'
taunt TO New England
olitionists the other day that an
anti-slavery sentiment
Were South never existed in that
section until slavery
erners. was found to be I'M
profitable, recalls an
other peculiar fact in regard to slavery
not generally known. The abolition
movement originated in the South and
among shareholders. The book recently
published by the Appletons entitled
flames G. Birney and His Times" re-
veals the fact that Birney, the first free
soil candidate for president, was
Southerner. He was born in Kentucky
and lived for great many years in AL
ALBANIA where he was q member of the
legislature and mayor of Huntsville.
During his public life in Alabama he
was the consistent advocate of the abo-
litiOn OF slavery and his opinions
were always respected. He was
at the head of an abolition
movement in Alabama for fifteen years
before he moved to Ohio, and from
thence to New York, where he lived at
the time he was presidential candi-
date. But the abolition movemen had
originated in the South long before Biz
ney's time. In 1777 Rev. John Doak. a
Virginia Presbyterian clergyman, freed
his own slaves and became the public
advocate of abolition. He afterwards
settled in Tennessee, where. with Rev.
John Rankin. John Osborn, Jesse Lock
hart and others, he founded the Manu-
mission Society of Tennessee, which
continued in existence down to Parson
Brownlow's time. As early as 1920 an
abolition paper was started at Jones'
borough, Tenn, by Elihu Embree, and
fourished for great many years. In
1884 the Abolition lntelligencer was
founded in Kentucky, and the Liberallst
in Louisiana. both papers advocating the
immediate emancipation of the slaves.
In 1874 Rev. W. 81. Huffner, the presi-
dent of q Virginia college, published a
pamphlet advocating emancipation,
which received the Endorsement of
many prominent politicians of the state.
Among those who signed paper in
dorsing the Ruffner pamphlet was John
Letcher, young man who first came to
the bar, but who was afterwards con-
gresham and governor, and who was
the war governor of Virginia. When
Letcher was the Democratic candidate
for: in SeA tho u