The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-04-10

ut throat, but fought to the last. q
IN pressed his arguments home wit
K powerful logic and subtle reasoning
ID a trained lawyer and debater, b
Is had all the advantage. But the fact
Ie were against him, and while he mad
le no impression upon the feelings c
Judgment OF his audiences on the issue
!. then pending, he yet won the admire
,f tlon OF all by his intrepidity and abilit,
}, and always under the most trying cil
q cumstaDces maintained his self-respeC
a ana commanded that of his opponents
o there were 260 votes iO the convention
g ana OF these he received less than sc
Q carrying only four counties out O
q thirty. five. The county Of his brit
Q was against him, the county of hi
l adoption was divi1 led ; hut while h,
I went down to defeat it was with ever,
l nag nylng and no thought OF asking
l quarter, and it was this canvass that wo1
, hlm his scat in the United States Sen
ate SIX years later. | nave alway:
} thoughC he entered the race under 8
misconception, but being in he was toe
proud to retire.
His limo of fight during the cam.
paign had been almost entirely per.
sonal. La other words, be did not dis.
pute the justice Of the demands which
the reformerS had set out in their plat
form, but he tried to get on the plat
form and shove its exponent of o. it.
DE did not go far enough along that
line to ALLEVIATE the adherents of the
ollgarchy who supported him with en-.
thuslasm; but he was not their real
choice, and he knew it, so he was care
Iul to let the people see he was not op-
! posing popular government and such
reforms as were needed Whcn the
result was known, after the nomination
was over, he bowed submissively to the
will of the people and loyalty supported
the ticket, advising against aud an
tagonizing with all lis might an inde-
pendent ticket whi' the defeated fac
tlon had set on foot to retain the gov
ernment by the aid of the negroes.
After the last meeting at Colleton |
approached General Earle, and, ex-
| tending my hand, [ said:
General, we know each other better
than we did at Greenville in June. If
have said anything in the heat OF de-
bate to wound your feelings, | desire
TO apologize, and to express the hope
that II We can not be friends, we shalt
not become cnemieS.'
He shook my hand heartily and dis
claimed any feeling Of hatred or sense
OF wrong. and offered q similar apollo
gy; and so we parted, as true men
ought
Two years lat r, when the Reformers
put me forward for reelection, there
was another bitter contest, not so in
tense as that OF 1890, but still very ex-
citing. and in some respects uanger-
Gus. General Earle refused to have
anything to do with this and advised
against it, He wrote letter in which
he gave credit where credit was due
and warned his old supporters that
they wero doomed to defeat.
This enraged that element in the
State at the time, but they learned
later the wisdom OF his advice and to
appreciate the more his clear judg-
ment, while at W. same time General
Earle thus won the good will and for
giveness OF thousands Of those who
voted against l. n. in his candidacy
for governor. The result was that the
reform legislature elected him to the
position of circuit Judge in 1891, which
he held up to the time Of his entry to
the Senate. OF this last rae. shall not
speak. Suffice it to say that did not
support him. But it was not because
did not know his worth and recognize
his fitness for the position and his
ability to adorn it,
After his entry upon his duties here,
our relations were friendly and prom
ised to become cordial, for he had too
much sense to bear malice and was too
liberal minded not to know that my
antagonism was political rather than
personal. Had he lived 80 as to have
given him an opportunity to have
shown OF what stuff he was made, am
sure every Senator here would have
been impressed with his high charac-
ter and chivalrous bearing and have
rpnnDpiZ ll his worth nd n iity In,
Is gone, as all Of us will have in few
years to follow, " to that undiscovered
country from whose bourne no traveller
returns" and his fame and good name
must rest in the minds and hearts of
those in his own State, who knew him
best and loved him most.
There is somethingpcculiarly pathet-
ic in his death, coming as it did just
after reaching the goal of his am b:Iion.
a ripe scholar, an eminent jurist, aud
a lluent speaker, he could not have
failed to make his influence felt here
had Providence permitted him to win
additional donors. The Senate pauscs
in its labors for q br.ef while to pay
respect to his memory. The tribute
which | have paid him, coming from
an old antagonist, may not be deemed
the highest or most worthy, but it is
at least sincere; and feel that have
but added to rather than detracted
from the luster Of his name by the
recital Of those events which first i'm
pressed him upon the people of his Ma.
tive State.
Mr.. President, as we look around
upon the Senate in our daily inter
course mere, it is easy to be seen by
everyone that with very few exceptions
every man on this floor is on the sun
set side of life and rapidly approaching
the setting. We struggle here In the
performance of our duties as we see
them and understand them, and are
often bitter and unreasonable in our
contentious with one another, but
know Senators will join me with the
utmost sincerity In the thoughts eX-
pressed In that beautiful poem by James
Montgomery
Times grows not old with length OF
years;
Changes he brings, but changes not
New born each moment he appears;
We run our race and are forgot,
Stars in perennial rounds return,
AS from eternity they came,
And to eternity might burn.
We are not for one hour the same.
} Spring flowers renew their glad perfume
But ere q second spring they fly;
Our life is longer than their bloom,