The San Francisco call., 1897-07-20
BOB TAYLOR OF TENNESSEE.

Governo or Robert Taylor will succeed the late
Isham G. Harris in the Senate of the United
States. This N uch is learned from very near
and dear political friend of the Governors who
is here direct from Nashville, says James S.
Evans in the Chicago Times-Herald. Taylor
will resign his position as Governor and Lieu
tenant Governor Thompson, who will succeed
him as chief executive, will appoint the great
lecturer and orator to the seat that for twenty
years has been held by the most unique of all
Southern characters.
Tayl or does not particularly believe in free
silver; nor is he Populist. But his State
convention laid down a plan of action and he
followed. He did his fighting before the con-
ventlon met. He is an inimitable story-teller.
He loves fried chicken better than hound
dog loves pot liquor. He drinks his whisky
straight and he pulls off his hat to every lady
that ne meets. he can play the hddle, ne can
ride horse bareback and can follow the
hounds until the horn blows for breakfast the
next morning, He knows the difference be-
tween a thoroughbred and fetlock stock and
he worships blue-eyed baby with devotion
characteristic of the mountain man. He can
talk, he can sing, he can fiddle and he can cut
the pigeons wing. He is breezy and he. is
bright. Such figure would be valuable
acquisition to the staid and sed ate Senate.
Taylor was elected to the Forty sixth Con-
gress. In Congress he was general favorite.
When he spoke the galleries listened. He got
more notoriety because OF g speech made by
General Bragg of Wisconsin one night when
some pension bill that had been fathered by
Taylor was up for discussion than anything
else that he did while in the House. Bragg
gave Bob cruel blow, and it took the Tennes-
seean long time to recover from it. In the
course OF his remarks General Bragg said tI
regret much that my duty as a Congressman
requires that oppose the passage OF this act
granting a pension to this poor soldier who
was shot 10 death with chronic diarrhea in
1861 and never found it out until 1881"
AS a declaimer his friend Bryan is not a
marker to him. While In Congress Bob got
the floor as often tho Speaker would allow
him. When he couldn't make a speech to his
fellow members he would go 10 the commit
tee-rooms and crate to the clerks. 1t was
passion for him in tn ose days to repeat the
celebrated speech delivered half century ago
by his famous uncle, Hon. Langton c. Haynes,
which was perhaps the finest piece of oratory
that ever fell from u ooutherner's lips. 1t
was about the mountains and the valleys the
streams and the skies, the sunshine aud the
starlight. the grass that grew beneath the
trees and the birds that nested among the
branches. Bob always delivered it beauti-
fully and for long time claimed it as his
own. He finally confessed that he had been
pirate.
Bob was defeated two years later by Petit
bone Then he returned home and was nomi-
mated by the Democrats for Governor His
opponent on the Repu olican ticket was no
other than his distinguished brother ALI. 1t
was called The war or the roses, and had the
con test occurred half-century ago it would
have been the most picturesque event in
American politics. ALI made great race, but
was defeated. Then he went 10 Congress and
made better reputation there than his
brother who had preceded him had made. 1t
is his ambition now to be a prosperous farmer
in East Tennessee.
For fifteen years it has been Bob's desire to
60 TO the Senate. Once he was elected Sena-
tor. That was in 1881; but be fore the result
could be announced vote that he could n ot
spare was changed and Bob retired to one of
the cloakrooms and spent the balance of the
day in tears. The successful man was jack
SOC. He has had the Senatorial fever ever
since that day. twas for this that he ran for
Governor the first time. 1t was for this that
he took the nomination for the same Office last
year when he really did not want 1t.