Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-03-09

HduUS VI bnS beC6SslOnlSIS ana VINO au-
Willingly, but most largely, played into
Blair's were the advocates of '.armed
neutrality certainly the most prepos-
ferrous theo-y ever Matched in the brain
of man. Who was its father cannot
now be definitely ascertained, 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 coanty of
Pike, where | now reside-a county
which furnished one brigadier general
and five colonels to the Unicn army and
three colonies to the Confederate, with
full complement of officers and men.
Early in 1861 a great neutrality
meeting was held at Bowling Green,
the county seat Hon William L.
Gatewood, prominent lawyer. a Vir-
ginian or Kentuckian by birth. an ar
dent southern sympathizer, subsequently
state senator, was elected chairman
The Pike county orators were out in
full force. but chief among them was
Hon. George w. Anderson. also 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 fraternized They
passed strong and ringing resolutions
in favor CT armed neutrality, and
sall went merry as marriage bell .
4 w,..as1
Chairman Gatewood was somewhat
mystified and not altogether satisfied by
the harmonious proceedings, SO after
adjournment sine die he took Anderson
out under convenient tree. and in his
shrill tenor nervously inquired,
George. what does armed neutrality
mean anyhow ?" Anderson, in his deep
bass, growled, s'It means guns for the
Union men and none for the rebels. "
the truth and wisdom of which remark
are now perfectly apparent. So it was,
verify. Anderson had hit the bullseye,
and no mistake. If 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 waxed
and waned again the leaders of that
neutrality love feast were hurrying
to and fro. beating mp for volunteers in
every nook and corner of the country,
some for service in the Union, others
for service in the Confederate. army.
But it is proverbial that "hindsight
is better than foresight Men must be
judged by their own knowledge at the
time they acted, not by ours; by the
circumstances with which they were
surrounded and not by those which en-
viron as. What may appear unfathom-
able problems to the wise men of one
generation may be clear as crystal to
even the dullest of the succeeding gen
Grafton However ridiculous armed
mentality, judged by the hard logic
of events, may appear in the retrospect,
however untenabie we now know it TO
have beel, the fact nevertheless remains
that it was honestly believed in and en-
Enthusiastically advocated by thousands
of capable brave and honest men all
over Kentucky and Missouri, many of
whom afterward won laurels on the
battlefield and laid down their lives in
one army or the other in defense Of
what they deemed right.
When we consider the men who were
against Blair, it is astounding that he
succeeded. To say nothing of scores,
then unknown to fame. who were con-
spicuous soldiers in the Confederate
army and who have since held high po-
litical position, arrayed against him,
were the governor of the state, Clai-
borne F. jackson; the lieutenant gov
ernor. Thomas G. Reynolds; ex-United
States Senator and ex-Vice President
David R. Atchison; United States Sen
atcrs Trusten Polk and James S. Green,
the latter of whom had no superior in
intellect or as debater upon this con-
tinent; Waldo p Johnson. elected to
succeed Green in March, 1861, and the
well beloved ex-governor and ex-briga
dier general in the Mexican war, Ster-
hing Price. by long odds the most popu-
lar man in the state.
secret of BIair's Success.
The thing that enabled Blair to sue
ceed was his settled conviction from
the first that there would be war-a
war of coercion. While others were
hoping against hope that war could be
averted. or at least that Missouri could
be kept out of it. even if it did come
while others were making constitutional
arguments, while others were tempo
rizing and dallying acted. Believing
that the questions at issue could be set
tied cnly by the sword and also belisT-
ing in Napoleon maxim that ''God
fights on the side ef the heaviest bat
talions. he grimly made ready for the
part which he intended to play in the
bloody drama
Blair was 5 feet II inches in height,
straight as an Indian of slender. wiry
frame, hazel eyes, auburn hair, ruddy
complexion and aquiline nese. He was
of what the phrenologists denominate
she sanguine nervous temperament. He
MAS an optimist by nature and had
unp0dndeo confidence IN h1mser ana
in Missourians, with whose eapabili-
ties. characteristics, sentiments and
prejudices he was as well acquainted
as any man that ever lived.
On the 30th of May, 1851, in urging
the president to authorize the enlist
ment of a large number of Missourians.
he wrote these words, which. in the
light of what happened in the succeed
ing four years. appear amazing He
said.
'.We are well able to take care Of
ourselves in this state. without assist
ance from elsewhere, if authorized to
raise a sufficient force within the state,
and after that work is done we can take
care of the secessionists from the Ar
kansas line to the gulf, along the west
shore of the Mississippi. =
The most spectacular feature of the
great Chicago national Republican con-
vention of 1880 was Conkling's speech
nominating Grant. That masterful ora
tion win be read with rapture by mil
lions yet unborn. It contained single
sentence which alone made it worthy of
remembrance In describing Grant
Conkling said
His fame was born net alone of
things written and said but Of the ar
duous greatness of things done
The phrase '.the arduous greatness of
things done" was original with the
brilliant New Yorker and constitutes a
rieh and rert,aauart ad7itinn Ia or,r