Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-03-16


N
doubling, no backward glance on hi
part
without leave or license from any
body he organized and drilled in secre'
four regiments, mostly Germans, arm
ing them with guns which he purchaset
with money begged by him from Onion
lists in the north, so that when Governor
jackson peremptorily declined to fur
nish the four regiments which constitut'
ed Missouri's quota under President
| Lincoln's first call for rs. 900 volunteer
Blair promptly rendered by telegraph
his four regiments, which he had beer
for months secretly recruiting in st
Louis and had them mustered into the
service Not only that, but be rendered
six more regiments, which were also
accepted.
The government offered him a briga'
dier's commission as commander Of that
brigade, which he gracefully and firmly
declined in favor of Lyon-an act OF
generosity and self abnegation unusual
among men.
Time fought for Blair in this strange
contest for possession Of a state, for the
preservation of the republic.
Those who most effectually tied the
hands Of the secessionists and who I'M
Willingly, but most largely, played into
Blair's were the advocates of ARMED
neutrality'-certainly the most prepos-
ferrous theory ever Matched in the brain
Of man. Who was its father cannot
now be definitely asoertained, as nobody
Is anxious to claim the dubious honor
of its paternity. What it really meant
may be shown by an incident that hap
pened In the great historic county Of
Pike, where I now reside-a county
which furnished one brigadier general
and five colonies 10 the Union army and
three colonies TO the Confederate. with
a full complement Of officers and men.
Early in 1881 a great neutrality
meeting was held at Bowling Green,
the county seat Hon. William l.
Gatewood. a prominent lawyer, a Vir-
ginian or Kentuokian by birth. an ar
dent southern sympathizer, subsequently
q state senator, was elected chairman.
The Pike county orators were out in
full force. but chief among them was
Hon. George ". Anderson, also n prom
inent lawyer. an east Tennesseean by
nativity, afterward a colonel in the
Union army, state senator and for four
years a member Of congress Eloquence
was on tap and flowed freely. Men Of
all shades Of opinion fraterniEed They
passed strong and ringing resolutions
in favor Of EARNED neutrality, and
''all went merry as a marriage bell"
What "Armed Neutrality" Meant.
Chairman Gatewood was somewhat
mystihed and not altogether satisfied by
the harmonious proceedings, so after
adjournment sine die he took Anderson
out under q convenient tree. and in his
shrin tenor ~nervousiy inquired,
"George, what does armed neutrality
mean anyhow o. Anderson, in his deep
bass. growled. ''It means guns for the
Union men and none for the rebels, "
the truth and wisdom Of which remark
are now perfectly apparent So 1t was.
verify. Anderson had hit the bullseye,
and no mistake II he had Grated for an
entire month. he could not have stated
the case more luminously or more com
prehensively. He had exhausted the
subject Before the moon had waved
and waned again the leaders Of that
Neutrality" love feast were hurrying
to and fro. beating up for volunteers in
every nook and corner Of the country,
some for service In the Union, Others
for service Ia the Confederate, army.
But II is proverbial that ''hindsighi
Is better than foresight" Men must b
judged by their own knowledge at the
time they acted, not by ours; by the
circumstances with which they wert
surrounded and not by those which en-
viron us What may appear unfathom'
able problems to the wise men Of ont
generation may be clear as crystal &
even the dullest Of the succeeding gen
Grafton. However ridiculous ''armei
mentality" judged by the hard logil
Of events, may appear in the retrospect
however untenable we now know IL {,
have been, the fact nevertheless remain
that Il was honestly believed In and en-
thusiasticsily advocated by thousand
Of capable, brave and honest men al
over Kentucky and Missouri, many o
whom afterwArd won laurels on tn
battlefield and laid down their lives Ii
one army or the other in defense 0
what they deemed right
When we consider the men who wer
against Blair. it is astounding that b
succeeded To say nothing Of scores
then unknown to fame, who were con
spicuous soldiers In the Consederat
army and who have since held high 20
htical position, arrayed against him
were the governor Of the state C1ai
borne F. jackson; the lieutenant gov
ernor. Thomas O. Reynolds; ex-Unite'
States Senator and ex-Vice Presiden
David r. Atchison; United States Ser
ators Trusten Polk and James, 8. Green
the latter Of whom had no superior Il
intellect or as . debater upon this con
tinent; Waldo P. johnson, elected {
succeed Green in March, 1851, and tn
well beloved ex-governor and ex-briga
der general in the Mexican war, Ster
ling Price. By long odds the most popu
lar man in the state
Secret of Blair's Success.
The thing that enabled Blair TO sue
ceed was his settled conviction fron
the first that there would be war
war Of coercion While others wer
hoping against hope that wal could b
averted. or at least that Missouri couli
be kept out Of IT, sven II IL did come
while others were making constitutions
arguments. while Others were tempo
nzing and dallying-he acted Believing
that the questions at issue could be set
tied only by the sword and also believ
ing in NapolsoB's maxim that go
fights on the aide Of the heaviest bat
talionA" be grimly made ready for th
part which he intended to play In "a
bloody drama
Blair was . feet II inches In height
straight as an Indian. Of slender, wir.
frame, hazel eyes aubuFn hair, rudd.
complexion and aquilins nose He va
Of what the phrenologistz denominat
the mnguina nervoua teuDeramonk III