Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-04-17
Senator Vests Tribute
To Wade Hampton
BY MILF SAUL.

one actually witnessed last Saturday by
those who sat in the galleries when Sena-
tor Vest, of Missouri, delivered beauti-
full tribute to General Robert E. Lee and
General Wade Hampton.
The senator from Missouri. now paralyz-
ed and almost unable to stand alone beside
his desk, once fought in the same cause
with Lee and Hampton, the cause of the
Confederacy. And that inexpressible SYM
pathy which arises when brave man
weeps at the bier of a comrade flooded
the senate chamber as the fratl, white
figure of Vest shook with emotion at his
own tender words for these brave men de-
parted
When he first arose he referred to a Bit
ter debate OF the preceding day between
Senators Depew and Blackburn on sec
tional issue, debate which had nearly led
up to the same exciting scenes OF last
month. Said he:
IT hope, Mr.. President, / may be per-
mitted to say a few words about the de-
bate on yesterday in this chamber, not by
way of criticism, but because regret ex-
ceedingly that there was injected into our
proceedings, without any regard to rules
of parliamentary debate, q sectional dis
cussion, which elected some most unfor-
tunate expressions and exhibited bitter
feeling, which I had hoped never to have
witnessed again in the senate Of the Unit
ed States during my service. My public
career viii end in a very few months, and
I had fondly expected after the Spanish
war that the men of the north and OF
the south, who stood together like broth
ers against foreign Zoe, would continue
to stand like brothers in this time OF
peace.
1.-THE people Of the south are sincere
mourners at the graves Of Lincoln and
Grant and Mckinley. and no more honest
tears were ever shed than those that
dropped upon the bier of our last presi-
dent from the eyes of mep/who had faced
in battle the soldiers of the north during
four long years.
1.-The peopIs of the north should remem-
Der that the south, too, has produced great
and good and patriotic leaders. They
should remember that Washington, Jeffer-
son, and Robert e. Lee, the leader Of the
Confederate armies, were slave owners
and differed widely upon that question
with their brethren in the northern states.
II shall never cease to feel kindly to-
ward the present occupant of the white
house. Colonel Roosevelt, for what he
said. in the broadcast spirit of statesman
ship and as a historian, in his Life of
Thomas H. Benton, one Of the American
Statesmen Series, in regard to Robert r.
Lee. He says in that most interesting
production that Robert E. Lee was by far
the greatest general that ever came from
the English-speaking races, superior to
last great adversary, Ulysses, S. Grant
Yesterday, when I came to the capitol.
was handed a dispatch from one of the
family of another great southern leader.
formerly our colleague in this chamber,
that at 10 minutes before o'clock he had
passed over the dark river to join that
great encampment upon the other shore.
''Mr. President, I hope I may be par
doned II I speak very briefly Of Wade
Hampton, who Is tomorrow to be commit
ted to the earth; but whose memory will
live for centuries to come among the peo-
pie, not only of the south. but of the
whole country.
at knew him we'll, and loved him sim
cerely. He was the highest type of a
Christian neutrality-suspicious., brave, hon
est, and unselfish. He was not depressed
by adversely. nor unduly elated by pros
perity. Having lost all, except life and
honor, he bowed submissively to the re-
suit of a great war, in which he shared
the fortunes OF his people. He never ut@N
tered one vindictive word; he never gave
any wild advice to the people who were
suffering all the horrors OF reconstruc-
ton, and who only needed his advice TO
dare again the utmost that fate could do
against them rather than submit to the
ills they had.
HE commenced HIS public life, as very
young member of the legislature of South
Carolina, by daring to face an over
whelming public sentiment in his own
state, in denunciation of the infamous
slave trade, which hot-headed men sought
again to open. Afterwards he found 1T
his duty to again oppose the will of his
people upon a great financial question:
but he did 1t without hesitation, and faced
political death. almost certain, as he had
often upon the battlefield faced death in
defense OF what he believed to be right
81 am informed this morning by one
who sat by his deathbed on yesterday
that he met death as calmly and as patti
emily as he had met all the adverse fort
unes which had come to him in his later
years. He could say-and I know honest
ly-in the beautiful lines of Tennyson:
"'And though from out our bourne. OF
time and place
The flood may bear me far,
1 hope to see my Pilot face TO face
When 1 have crossed the bar
There was scarcely dry eye in the SEN
ate as the feeble speaker sank into his
chair and buried his face in his arms
on his desk. Stern men who have for
years fought each other in the political
arena raised trembling hands to brush
away tears called forth by words that
made them kindred. Not one remained
untouched by the lofty sentiments ex-
pressed and several there were who sob
bed aloud.
Senator Lodge. the very ideal Of the
cool, dignifed, well poised statesman Of
the north, was one of those deeply
moved. He arose after a silence of a full
minute had reigned throughout the cham
Der, and expressed the feeling of the SEN
ate in these words:
"Mr. President, trust that no consider
alton for me has in any way FASTENED the
senator from Missouri (Mr. VesD to
conclusion. 1t was with the most un-
feigned pleasure that 1 was able to do
him the very slight service of yielding
the floor. I was glad to do it, no matter
| for what purpose he arose to speak, and
certainly I think everyone must share
with me in the feeling of deep emotion
with which we have this morning listened
to his eloquence, always beautiful and i'm
pressive, but never more so than on this
occasion.
''It is very hard. Mr.. President, after
listening to such words as those which
are still sounding in our ears, to turn
away to the discussion which intend to
| take up here. After such feeling as the
senator from Missouri has expressed for
his friend-a great man gone-it is not
easy to return to the dry clauses Of an
| exclusion bill, and 1 trust therefore that
| L shall meet with indulgence in dealing
L NTH he ef,h4arf which 7 am now forced