The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-06-04
THESE HANDS ARE CLEAN
HIS LOVE OF STATE AND IFS
PEOPLE DOMINATED THE
GREAT COAlNIONER
SECRtT or HIS SUCCESS AND POPULARITY
No Threats OF Promises from Political or Cor
pNate Power, No frowns or Smiles OF
Msesty, or Aught Else Could
Make him Abate One lot.
Make him Abate One Jot.

At the University commencement last
week. the senior class presented bust
of Vance to the University. The presen-
tation speech was made by Mr. Julian ).
Carr. Jr.. president of the class, and the
speech of acceptance on the part of the
faculty was made by President Alder
man. Both of these speeches appeared
in Thursday mornings issue. Mr.. X. L.
GRAY. speaking for the Board of Trus-
tees in accepting the gift, said:
Mr.. President and Gentlemen ol tlle
Senior Glass of lS!D:
'.On behalf of the Trustees of the
University of North Carolina, l accept
this work of art which so well repre-
sents and reproduceS the llneamehtS oI
that great North Carolinlan the memory
of whom, more than that of any otiler
son of our beloved State (and TINS can
be said without disparagement to otherSl
lingeITs with the people whom he loVeu
and served and who loved, honofed anu
idolized him. And i'll thus accepting 1t,
| beg on behalf of the Trustees, TO
thank you, the class of 1899, for the hal-
DIV and patriotic thoughtfulness WINCH
suggested so becoming gift to your
Alma Mater, and you, sir" Undressing
Julian $. Carr, Jr.) flor the very grace
full and eloquent address with which you
have presented it, and to thank MIR. Ran
dali for the labor he has so lovingly
bestowed upon it and for the correctness
of eye and the deftness of hand ana
chisel which, guided by the innate gen
h., 1,.tiS h1 nnlIRp1
so faithfully to reproduce the image OF
Governor Vance. Alexander standing at
the tomb of Achilles cried out, %, fOrtu-
mate youth, in that thou hadst a Homer
for thy Eulogist.' 20 fortunate juvene,
oui Homerum pracconem habueraSD
Ladies' and gentlemen, trustees and stu
dents, is it out of place or too much
for me to say that our beloved Vance,
though in his grave. is fortunate in hav-
ing as his sculptor so accomplished an
artist as Mr.. Randall, native and to the
manor born, and whose first breath was
from the air of the same mountains
where Vance was inspired and among
which he was nurtured and grew strong.
1t is not expected nor would it be APP
propriate in the performance of the duty
assigned to me, to discuss at amy length
the life, character and virtues of GOV
ernor Vance, or to recount the services
winch he rendered to the State during
his long and useful public hfe and l
shall therefore content myself, and thus,
| hope. make but slight draft upon your
patience, with calling your attention TO
what may be considered to have been
Namce's most prominent characteristics
as public man and, which were, in
my opinion the secret of the great hold
he had upon the heart-strlngs OF the peo-
ple-his rugged honestly and indie
pendence, his intense love OF North Car
Olina, his fidelity to the interests and
welfare of the peOi de-, his close conmlln-
ion with his constituents, and his I'M
swerving belief in the virtue, integrity
and wisdom of the great mass of the
people. and, in a word, his trust in the
popular heart. These were the qualities
that endeared him to the people and
caused them to trust him without ques-
tion--to lay their hands confidingly in
his and. without fear or tremOr TO fol-
low whithersoever he led, no matter how
great the darkness or how valid the temp
est or how rugged the road!
''As to his honesty, it was mcorrupti-
Bile, avarice had absolutely no place in
his moral constitution and neither the
Establishments of wealth nor the attrlb-
utes OF high official position and power
could tempt him to swerve from the
plain paths which his conscience and
love of truth marked out for him. lAv-
ing and moving for nearly a half a cen
tury i'm the fierce glare of the light that
critics and enemies and enviOus contem-
porarieS are accustomed to turn upon
successful politicians and statesmen, no
charge of personal or official wrong do
ing was ever preferred or suggested
against him. His escutcheon from his
earliest entrance upon the public arena
down to the day when his spear was
broken and his warfare ended, was as
bright and spotlesS as an untarnished
mirror And when. in that ever memOr
able campaign of 1876 in which he con-
tested with the knightly Settle for the
uppermOst place in the esteem and affec
tions of the people. he held up his hands
with dramatic action and cried: "rhese
hands are cleanv it was not because
any imputation of personal or official
corruption had been made against him.
but it was the confident and triumphant
challenge that an honest steward of the
people made to the world and to his
enemies to find, if they could. one sin
gle instance of wrong doing in his ca
reer which had been full of opportunities
for enrichment to which ordinary men