The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1897-03-19
GREATNESS.

are not born to greatness. The
child born in the" White House and
spending his infancy there, upon
reaching adult age, usually occupies
more humble sphere. The same rule
holds good in regard to our guberna-
torial offspring. The "son of his faith.
er y has been rather poor passport to
political distinction In the United
States. The Adams, of Massachusetts
in civil life, and the Lees, of Virginia,
in military annals, so far as We now
recall, with the possible exception of
Zachry aud Dick Taylor, are the sol
itary exceptions.
In monarchies this rule holds good
only in the exception The son of the
king becomes the king and greatness
is born to the whole imperial house
hold. Earls, Lords, Dukes and G UNITS
become great by the natural process of
birth. But where men rule by the
consent of the governed, it is not
so.
Men, here, must achieve greatness
or have it thrust upon them. In
stances of the latter are rare.
Our great men become great by eff
fort and achievement.
1t is said that man Is never great
to his valet. So contemporary his
tory is not always just to our public
men. Indeed it has belittled some of
the best and ablest statesmen our
country has produced, but time, the
great allevistor, invariably assuages
petty jealousies and strifes, and as
signs to every man his proper place in
the temple Of greatness.
It is not a happen so" that Jeffer-
son is regarded as a great man. He
was truly great and became so by pro-
digeous labor and well directed and
ceaseIess effort. His Independence
paper" shows a mind at once active,
well-balanced, receptive and thought
ful. His after productions sustained
the promise Of his early reputation.
His Estate papers" show that Mad
ison was entitled to the reputation he
enjoyed in the public esteem and that
history made no mistake In fixing the
niche he occupies in the republic OF
fame.
Who can read the patriotic and
frey elOquence OF Patrick Henry aud
not feel that be deserved the praise he
forced from even conservative lips?
Going over the roll Of our eminent
ancestors IL is no stretch Of the imagi-
nation to believe that there were
"giants in those days. F."
Coming on down a pace we see that
the men occupying high places didn'i
get there by chance.
Praise was long Withheld from Lin
coin; but holding his own in that
memorable debate with Stephen A.
Douglass, the Demonthenes of the
democracy of that period, won unwil-
ling applause from even implacable
| enemies.
The personal Affections which over
took Grant and caused him to. write
his Personal MemOies, convinced
/ the "doubting Thomases that he
was not an accident" and his bull
dog achievements were the result OF
careful planning and the mastery Of
the science and genius of war.
Who is it that has read the great
speeches of Webster, Clay, Calhoun
and Benton, believe that they had
GREATNESS thrust upon them?"
Times do not change. The men
who win and hold applause now, il
| their lives be examined, it will be
found that the people have rarely been
deceived.
In Florida we have Wilkinson Call
He has been occupying seat in the
senate for eighteen years, That has
been long time. But the record o.
his life proves that he didn't get there
by chance. He began his public ca,
reer in 1860 in joint debate with hi:
gifted brother, and the research and
eloquence and ingenuity-his patriotic
and pathetic appeals against the dis,
solution of the union made him the
idol of the wing party and gave him
a permanent place in the affections OF
the people. And in every recurring
election since then he he has warned
the people that eternal vigilance is
the price of liberty" The voice Of
Wilkinson Call has been heard by
more men, women and children than
that Of any public speaker in Florida.
Those who are taking the place OF
the older ones are climbing up to
place and prominence by intellectual
effort.
One of the men who is winning his
way to popular favor is our fellow
townsman, Hon. K. A. Burford, and
he is doing so by the expenditure Of
intellectual force. Since coming to
AAOAIhA hC al dcliNG anu
earnest interest IN politics, and has
swayed public audiences as few men
have been able to do, and the secret of
it is because he has battled for the sue
cess of principles that lie very near to
the hearts of the people. He is achiev-
ing greatness, and is not having it
thrust upon him.
In this struggle for achievement in
this republic of greatness the solitary
figure that occurs to US that is an ex-
ception to the rule is our new senator,
who gets the plum by gubernatorial
favor.
During the great clash of arms that
tried the courage and the bravery and
the heroism of the American people
he was in the full flush of young man
hood, and was reasonably the "fiower
of rare expectan cy."
What We're his achievements and
where are the laurels he won tn that