Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-09-18

and for some twenty times, that
amount. The hard times are not all
due to Congress. Extravaganza is
responsible for large part OF it,
"Those were great times for politi-
cal meetings and public speaking.
The people overflowed with patriotic
enthusiasm and were fond Of getting
together at barbecues or in Columbia
on the Fourth of July and in political
campaigns and listen to such popular
orators as John b. Gordon, A. NJ. Rob
inson, Austin A. King and Others,
and excitement ran high. Columbia
then was the only town within ra-
dius OF twenty miles, and the crowds
here on election and other political
occasions were immense. The people
did not read newspapers as they do
now, but relied on public speakers for
information and guidance, and hence
the popular orator was an important
individual; and the supply was equal
to the demand. The orators of those
days were ahead of those of the pres
ent. The people were very fond Of
the military, and the muster days.
were great occasions. The Mormon
and Indian wars drew many volunteers
from this section. General Richard
Gentry, you know, lost his life leading
a brigade in the Florida Indian war
in 1887. Among Others conspicuous as
leaders of military campaigns in those
days / recall General John Ellis,
Colonel Jesse B. Dale, Thomas d.
Grant, David Nj. Hickman and Thomas
w. Conyers.
eyes we owned slaves; and the ne
groes were happier and better off than
they are now. They were well fed
and clothed and kindly treated. The
man who mistreated his slaves was
the rare exception and was despised
and ostracised. All the representa-
tlons of cruelty, Of the separation of
families and all that are altogether
false. The bad negroes only were sold
down south. Niger traders were a
class for whom the people generally
had little use. The slaves were treat
ed as members of the family and so
regarded themselves. Their faithful
ness in many instances was remark
able. Slavery was better for the
blacks than for the whites 1t ena-
bled some Of the latter to become very
rich, but it kept Others poor, and tend
ed to establish an indolent aristocracy
and to cause children to be brought
up in idleness and with false ideas of
life. 1t was a great outrage to have
taken slaves away from their owners
without compensation, but it was a
heritage Of war, and | am glad to
know that slavery has gone never to
return. But / protest vigorously
against this setting down slave hold
ers as brutes.
"When came to what is now Boone
county, in 1919, there was not a house
where Columbia now stands. Smith
ton, a little place of not half a dozen
houses, was laid out that year just
west Of the present site Of Columbia
and the first circuit court was held
there in 1882 with Judge David Todd
as judge and Roger n. Todd as clerk.
There were less than 800 people in
Columbia when the university was 10
Gated, in 1889, and there were not more
than third as many people in the
county as at present. The people
were poor, money scarce and the facil-
titles for making IL one-tenth what
they are now. You can imagine then
what liberality and sacrifice it re-
lquired To raise sll7, 900 by private sub
scription. 1t would not be harder 70
raise million now.
II came TO Columbia 10 reside per
manently In 1s43 The university had
been in operation two years. have
known all its presidents intimately
and most OF its professors. There
have been many able and excellent