The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1894-12-20

| lived Wan-tWo OF them-that L love to
talk of, and / never will be tired of
talking OF them--od "Pap" Price, on the
rebel side, and Frank Blair. Frank Blair
was fit to have ridden "with Spotswood
round the land, and Raleigh round the
see." / always think OF him as an
antique hero, just stepped out OF the
borderland--that borderand OF which
Walter Scott wrote-as a man who had
stepped out OF the pages of one of his
novels. He was born rich and aristocratic.
MIR. Chairman, that man had blood in
his veins. He could tell who his great
grandfather was for two or three genera
tions back. He and his father were
distinguished, and his mother also.
Coming from that old Kentucky stock
that hope will never die out, he went
into war when child--and that is the
way they do down there-into the
Mexican war. After the war he located
in st. Louis, practiced law, made for
tune, and married rich.
Somehow or other he took it into his
head that slavery was a bad institution.
1t was an extremely dangerous theory to
|
time. He held it, and was not afraid to
proclaim it. And here is an instance in
proof OF tho honesty - tLs4 view; he
entertained: He and Samuel r. Glover,
one of the most belligerent men in the
state, went to the town OF Hannibal to
make speech, what was called "free
niger" speech at that time. mob
assembled and proceeded to make SO
much noise and confusion and disorder
that Glover could not make his speech
but Frank Blair had come there to make
a speech, and commenced, and had not
been talking for more than a minute and
a half when somebody hit him plump in
the middle OF the forehead with an egg.
Most men under such provocation would
have gotten angry and quit, or raised
row. But he never stopped.
He only wiped off the egg, threw the
remains OF it on the ground with his
hand and proceeded with his speech. He
never alluded to it. The courage of it
was recognized and every body admired
the act You cannot get away from facts,
and it is fact that the mob that went
That is the kind Of man he was. When
the war began Frank Blair saved Mis-
souri, to the Union. That cannot be
stated too often. He raised Il regiment,
went into the army, fought his way to
high grade, was Lincoln's special friend
in congress, and is regarded by the book
makers OF the United States, these New
England war historians, as an "obscure
hero"
| want to state before | finish Mr..
Chairman, an idea that | started on yes
terday. | am not going to take very long
to do it, but l want chance to finish it,
and then | will quit. The mistake that
Jefferson made, the mistake that Madison
made, the mistake that John Randolph
made, and all OF that great and glittering
line OF heroes and statesmen OF the south, !
was that they did not go into the book
making business. daughter.
Children read books and they will get
ideas into their heads from that reading.
First Impressions are most enduring. |
found a boy in hotel in keokuk last fall
I niteu 1tt.va tiiat aOaJlu.N.,, ..',,,.. i,,s
plain that Madison and Jefferson hateu
our form OF government, and that Alex
ander Hamilton took the people by the
throat and rammed the constitution
down them! He asked me some questions
about history, and what thought OF that
one. | said ali you want to know the
history OF this country you had better
take that book and burn it,"
Sometimes | really wonder, when |
read a novel wherein the scene is laid in
the United States, ii any man south of
Mason and Dixon's line ever fell in love
or courted a woman. Laughter
Every love scrape in New England has
been put into novel, as | said yesterday.
know that nobody south OF Mason and
DiXon's line ever cOurted woman like
the courting goes on in those New Eng
land novels. Iaughter) l am happy to
think that. l know how they court
down south OF Mason and DiXon's line.
have "been there"
(lIere the hammer ielll