The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-19
AN OLD-TIME STATESMAN.
incidents i'm the Career of the Late
senator James ". George.


senator James ". George.
| Fl. S. Garfield, in Chicago Times-Herald
The death of United States Senator James
| n. George, of Mississippi, removes a notable
| figure from public life. He was not great
as an orator and not great as a states
man, but he was one of the purest and
! most characteristic representatives of his
| section and he did not know what nbvsicaI
OF moral fear was. He did not say ''whar''
| and thar" or "cyart" and "gyarden." like
| some of the older style of Virginians but
! ne mad the soft. slurring Vowel-slided
SopiIhern accent more strongly than any
| public man l know. In the heat of debate
ms ms would cause the galleries to smile
son, ne would say to his committee
clerk, CANT y shut tn do? Pears t
me, IN reason, y could f I'd try right
hahd." With the accent he had something
or the manners of the old Southern school
but he was a rough man by nature, and
| me veneer of social usage rubbed off some
! wood underneath. He had plenty of tenn
per. which was not under steady control
and he believed always in calling spade
d SPADE Ills disposition led him into many
alterations with contemporaries, but it
cannot be said of him that he ever showed
an unWillingneSs to combat or a disposi-
ton of retreat. In person he was heavy
and clumsy. He had Il leonine head and
MS voice was harsh He was idolized by
Senator George was man of earnest con-
Vlcti0ns and one of the soundest constitu-
I fionaI lawyers the country has produced.
Perhaps his most noticeable trait was indie
pendence. He was q living refutation OF
the Byronic maxim that every man has his
! price. Nothing could buy him. When Mr.
, Cleveland called Congress into extraordi-
; nary session in 1898, with the purpose of re-
peaIng the sherman coinage act and thus
utterly demonetizing silver, he withheld all
important nominations. with the design of
whipping congressman into line, and he did
whip them into line. American history fur
hlshes no more pathetic instance of men
surrendering their most cherished convie-
tions for the sake of spoils. Senator George
would not be led or driven. He was much
interested in the candidacy of w H. L.
Hemingway to be district attorney of New
Mexico In order TO placate him Mr.. Cleve-
land appointed Hemingway but he would
not be placated. Then Walter Q. Gresham,
man whom he loved, was sent to him
With a request that he call at the White
House. You tell the big beef from Buff
falo," was his bluff answer that it is no
nearer from the Capitol to the White
House than from the White House to the
Capitol. get UP at o'clock every morn
ing, eat my breakfast come down here and
60 to work. If he wants me he knows
When Mr.. Cleveland nominated Judge
Peckham to be one OF the justices of the
subsequently defeated by d. g. HILL he
again requested Senator George to call.
This time both Gresham and Lamont were
the emissaries. George went. II know,
Mr.. President, what you want with me-
he said, as he entered the executives room.
You want me to vote for Peckham. Well.
am going to do it. But / want you to un-
derstand that | am not going to vote for
him because you want me to vote for him
L going to vote for him because Judge
Peckham believes in the unconstitutionality
of a tariff tax and in states rights. If he
a pigeon can fly with a grain of corn before
he could have my vote" The result of this
interview was that Senator WalthaH got
all of the patronage coming to Mississippi.
Though learned lawyer, Senator George
knew little of the ordinary things Of life.
He did not mix in society and held it rather
of him: He dined at a swell restaurant In
Washington with party of five Mississip-
F1ia IN nf lrla "A
the card, saw the word menu What
kind of dish is menoo" he asked. The
senator laughed heartily Go back 10 the
Yazoo delta. Bob" he said, and stay there.
Eat cracltlin' bread and drink buttermilk.
he called one OF his companions aside;
Say" he whispered anXiously, what kind
Of truck is that menoo, anyhow!
The dead eminently domestic
and passionately loved his wife, who was
one Of the most charming women in land
of charming women. They were always to-
gether and nearly all hig success in life
was due to her. His high ideals OF duty to
ones self and ones country came from her,
and she saw that he lived up to them. lie
had q beautiful home, two miles from Car
roton, where, when not in Washington, ne
lived the simple life Of a country gentle
man. There, ia a building apart from the
family residence, he had one OF the largest
libraries in the South. Mrs. George was
deeply religious and the senator had been
an agnOstic. She placed ne1ghboring Bap-
list minister upon his trail and he got no
peace. At meal time. in his library, in the
field on his visits TO the county seat the
minister bobbed up sereney and exhorted
him to come into the fold. He grew tired.
Once, riding slowly home from Carrollton
and reading his mail. the preacher burst
out of the woods on lis right hand and be-
pan. They came TO q creek and crossed 1t.
1t was, in the senator's language, saddle-
pocket deep" on the further bank he
dismounted cit down. he said flerceIy
The minister looked at him doubtfully. He
feared a personal encounter. Cat down.
He got down. NOW" said George, I'm
tired O. bein' harried around tn kontry like
| was a cotton-tail rabbit an you was a
pack O. niger dogs Baptize me right
here" 1t was winter time but the ven
cradle statesman would not be denied The
two men waded into the Icy water up to
their armpits and the ceremony was per-
formed Senator George climbed into his
evangelist Now, said he, you go home
and stay home. I'm through with this
foolishness."
he died and therefore the following will
rot be believed, but il is the truth. l called
on him some years ago purposing to inter-
he would not talk for publication. He was
''feelin' ve'y poly, vey poly, indeed, sub.
Hain't had a well day f'r 3 week DIM
ner served at midday and / went in
with him. After grace was said he reached
for a dish Of boiled cabbage and heaped
his plate with it. This he drowned in vine
gar and devOured with eagerness Two
glasses of rich butternilk followed the cab
bage There was apple pie on the table
and he took half pie. over IL he poured
a pitcher of honey II disappeared. Then
he went to the front gallery and stretched
himself in a rocking chair. l suppose that
but for his peculiar diet Senator George
would have reached his century.
His successor will be appointed by Gov
ernor Anselm j. McLaurin. The friends OF
Private John Allen are confident. The
Governors record. however leads political
prophets to predict the elevation of Wall
lace McLaurin, now In Idaho. Tuck" Hok-
lingsworth. of Jackson. or Dave Pickett