The Washington times., 1894-04-17
STORIES OF SENATOR VANCE.

Mr.. Vance was elected to Congress as a
Whig in 1858 from district which had since
1852 gone Democratic. He was about 2S
His district was full OF mountain counties
bordering on East Tennessee. and at that day
religious controversies had been carried to
excess There was almost rs much antago-
nism between Methodists. Presbyterians, and
Baptists as between Wings and Democrats.
As an electioneerer and "mixer" Mr.. Vance
possibly never had an equal in North Caro-
lima. Wherever he went riding horseback
over large mountain district, larger In ex-
tent than Rhode Island or Delaware, he never
failed to dismount from his horse and make
himself known to the people on the roadside
and cordially shake hands with them.
On one occasion in part OF the district re-
mote from his home, after introducing himself
to the dozen men working by the road, he
told them that he was Zeb Vance, candidate
for Congress, and he solicited their votes.
One of the party asked him what church he
belonged to. He didn't want to answer that
question until he knew what church the crowd
belonged to, so he replied that his grandfather
and grandmother were Presbyterians. Watch
ing the faces OF the party he saw that wouldn't
do; he saw scowl on the faces OF the men.
He then said that his father was Methodist;
God bless her. was Baptist"
He saw a responsive smile.
.'Yes, God bless her, she was Baptist, and
taught me in my childhood that the surest
road to heaven was to be baptized, to go clear
under the water"
1t is hardly necessary to add that Zeb Vance
got the votes CT that crowd.
In 1860 Mr.. Vance was n very earnest op-
ponent of secession. He went to Knoxville,
Tenn, to great Union meeting. and spoke
earnestly and eloquently for Bell and Everett,
the candidates of the Union men OF the South
He spoke in North Carolina against secession,
pred letting as he did at Knoxville that the
southern states could lead only to disaster.
As is well known, after the secession of his
own state he went into the Confederacy.
Mr. Vance was elected to the United States
Senate in 1870, but he was not eligible to
take his seat in the Senate, because his disa-
bilities had not been removed by Congresses las
required by the fourteenth amendment. A
special dill for that purpose was introduced,
which after several days discussion was
voted down. The Republicans refused to
pass the bill. The late Senator Morton made
a strong speech against Mr.. Vance, reciting
in detail his active participation in rebellion,
and he read from an OLD Ndlelgn paper OF
some time in 1864 the report OF an address
delivered by Governor Vance to one or more
OF the new regiments of North Carolina
troops who serenaded him just as they were
leaving for the front. He advised the North
Carolinians to fight the Yankees until hell
froze over. and tnen fight on the ice. SEN
ator Morton dwelt particularly upon the out
rageousness of such language.
At that moment Mr.. Vance left sofa on
the floor, which as Senator-elect he was en-
titled to. and went directly to the seat of
Senator Brownlow, of Tennessee. With merry
twinkle in his eye he said to Par
son Brownlow: ~ made the speech
which Morton has just read. and I used the
language which he has quoted. but. Governor
Erownlow, it was plagiarism; l stole that
speech of yours. We received by flag Of
truce regularly northern newspapers. and i
read the speech which you had delivered in
Cincinnati. copied into some New York paper.
as far back as April. 81, delivered to some
Yankee regiments on their way to the front,
in which you advised them to go forward and
fight US rebels until hell froZe over and then
fight US on the ice. But l don't think. Gov
ernor. that ought to be excluded from my
seat here on account OF that speech as long
as you sit here"