The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-09-30

mo. aged Al. ne ItCtlEti idiiy tHI
reverence, admiration, affection and con-
fdence Of all good people. He passed
away full of honors, in the Christians
faith p member of the Presbyterian
Church. and at the time was no doubt
he foremost citizen of the State
had the pleasure of knowing
him personally from 1916, when he intro
duced me to MIR. Webster, when he was
Governor. to the close of his just and adj
mirabIe life. ] have heard him often at
the bar, on the hustings and in leglsla-
tive assembly perhaps. He was more like
George Washington in his mental char
acteristics than any other eminent
American of whom | have specific Rnowl-
edge. He had an unique, unusually sym
metrical personality. His intellect, with
out being great or pre-eminent in any
one faculty, was the best balanced OF
any | recall. 1t was the happy uniting
of his various gifts that made him such
an imposing and admirable gentleman.
AS a statesman, take him all and in all,
he has had but very few equals in North
Carolina. He was eminently a nice, pru-
dent, ~sagaciOus, far-seeing
no sense a mere politician or blinded
partisan-whose breast was "ingrained
with a noble sense of honor, and who
was ever with q pun {, hho"oi
ing and vigilant patriotism. He gave the
best years of his long and successful life
to the service OF his country. in all of its
manifold interests, was possessed by a
thorough devotion to the best and surest
welfare of the grand old State of which
he was q native that SO delighted to
honor him, and he was filled from first to
last with an inyincible fidelity to duty.
AS q lawyer he was studious, pains
taking, conscientious Gas he was in all
other things) earnest, able; not equalling
several of his associates and rivals in
legal erudition or ~eloquence or power or
ingenuity, but eminently successful,
well-informed and impressive. l have
heard much ADLER advocates at the bar.
| do not believe he was comparable to the
peerless Badger, or to Miller, or Bragg.
or Reade, or Kerr. | heard Judge Kerr
once get a great victory over him in a
case of tender and refusal in Person
court. The last time | ever head him and
Governor Bragg at the bar Git was in
Granville), the latter obtained a Surpris-
ing and conspicuous triumph, when he
was near the end Of life, and was so
diseased he was compelled to sit while
speaking, and to support his failing ply
steal nature with stimulants, although
" & AAttoA AiAihih 1i1th' = AAituC =
powerful argument of two hours under
those very extraordinary circumstances
He was the greatest advocate after
Badger | ever heard address a Jury. I
heard him at Warrenton in a murder case
not long after the great war. He spoke
for four hours against four lawyers, the
late Bat. Moore being of the number. 1t
was beyond question in my mind the very
ablest, most u"nanSWerable argument |
have heard since l was twenty-five years
old. l i never heard Badger after 1858 or 81.
AS a popular speaker, Gov. Graham was
lacking in magnetic power-in pathos and
discriminating too much of that Attic
GOODNESS of which Cicero. the great Ro-
man orator, complains. Hence he did not
sway mems passions or control vast as
semblages as with despotic and easy will
of more masterful and impassioned ora
tors. He was deficient in the spirited.
the sparkling, in Wit and humor and
imagination, and the people sat quiet and
regardful, and many thoughtful, under his
calm satisfying addresses. He was clear,
judicious, f~orceful, and rose at times into
the regions of cool, broad, philosophiC
craftsmanship. He never failed to draw
to himself the attention of .deliberative
bodies which he might address. His ex-
dlltu tIldl dCIeI, HIS eACciltIll dDllllloS, Ills
acknowledged wisdom, his imposing dig
nifty, his perfect c~ourteousness of bearing
always fastened the eyes of his auditors
upon him. With perhaps some exaggera.
ton Millions ljnes might be descriptive
of our massive grand North Carolinian:
"- With grave
Aspect he rose, and in his rising seem't
A pillar of State; deep on his front en-
craven
Deliberation sat and public care;
And princely counsel in his face shont
maieStic-'
His style was not warm, lowing, grace.
full, flexible, rythmical, but rather formal
precise, dignifed, somewhat full an(
sonorous, with 'propriety of thought ant
propriety Of diction." His conversations
powers We're good. He INDUCED in moth
ing of the humorous or the frivolous
there was no badinage or persihage
:, there was no fun and frolic in him Xix,
Vance had III such Astounding excellenc,
and profusiOn; but all was well-informed
grave, sincere, earnest becoming hin
most admirably. He was wise. and O
sound Judgment and discretion, an abb,
leader, an excellent adviser. He wa,
temperate and conservative, a complet,
master of his passions, of himself, eve
keeping tongue, temper under strict re
straint. In the very heat of embittere,
O party contests, no man ever presumed t
r oHer MIN an lndignity. His almnes
f dignity, and courtesy forbade any sucl
~unmannerly displays. But it was not hi
intellect, nor his learning, nor his knowl
n edge, nor his great dignity of bearing tina
raised him above other leading men in
>, certain sense. | have known him muc1
surpassed in some one gift, or a hal
n dozen mental gifts or traits by many O
his associates and others. / have Wit
messed greater Intellectual batteries a
work than he ordered. | nave heard ia
greater outburstS of thrilling elouuenc
, and tremendous power from other ton
CUES. | have heard far more luminous
Y lmperious, majestic augmentation. whe
the higher reason got in it's most effective
+ substantial work. | have known person
d ally men of more versatility. of wide
and profounder learning, of more fasci
n mating address. But in the moral dienit,