The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1902-01-03

Bill Arp Thus Characterizes Sena-
tor Morgan Of Alabama.
Gcorgians who should He Entitled
to Place i'm the Temple OF
Fame--A Woman's Verse
ON Lawyers.


and reprinted by permission.)
AS looked upon the likeness of Gen.
Morgan that graced the Nicaragua
headlines in the Constitution / could
not help saying to myself: There is a
great man. l pray that he may live
to see the canal completed and be the
honored guest of the boat that makes
the first trip across from ocean to-
ocean," 1t looks like Providence
reared him up to champion that great
work and has preserved him in health
and devotion until at last the bill has
passed and all obstacles are removed.
| know that he is happy and feels Sc
renely triumphant. 1t was am Ala
baman, would feel proud of Morgan.
IT l was Tennesseean, would feel
proud, for he was born there and there
spent ten years of his youth. But
am proud of him, anyhow, for he is
southern man, and all his long pub
lie life has been unselfish and true to
his people. His good health and well
preserved faculties encourage me to
live on and on just as long as | can,
for he is just two years older than
am and is stillvigorous and useful. lie
is the old man eloquent, and like Ma
thaniel Macon, never said an idle or
foolish thing. He is as solid as rock,
self-poised and self-prepared on all
great questions. In 1861 he volun-
teered as private and soon rose to
major and then to lieutenant colonel;
next he raised and equipped a regi-
ment and became its colonel. In 1868
he was nominated for brigadier general
| by Robert e. Lee, but declined it. Later
| on he was constrained to accept the
| honor and was with Gen. Johnston to
| the close. In 1875 he was elected to
| the United States senate and reelected
| in 1882, in 1888, in 1894, and again IN
1900, making his fifth successive term.
He well deserves monument after
| he dies and place in the Hall of Fame.
| 1t is e comfort to us all to be assured
that no man ranks him in the United
| States senate, for he is a treasure
house Of knowledge, and there is not
cloud over his candor, his truth or
his integrity. When he speaks he
| has something to- say and knows how to
say it and when to quit. Tom Ben
ton said of Nathaniel Macon: He
rarely spoke but few sentences, but
uttered more good sense in getting up
| out of his chair and sitting down again
| than was contained in the long and
| elaborate speeches of most senators"
| Gen. Morgan's long career reminds
me of Macon, for he was private in
the revolutionary war. He held pub
lie Office for 81 years and John Ran
dolph said of him: "He is the wisest,
| the purest and the best man / ever
knew" Twice he declined place in
| the cabinets of two presidents, but
after he had retired and was ~ years
old, he accepted the Office of justice Of
the peace in his home district. He
never recommended any of his kin
dred for appointment to office. He
refused pay for his services as SOL
der, and refused to receive pension
afterwards-and voted against all pen
sions or rewards or gratuities. He
died as calmly as Socrates, but without
the poison, and his grave is on high,
barren ridge, marked with no marble,
only pile of stones, which was ac-
cording to his will. Nathaniel Macon
was my fathers ideal of great and
good man. He placed him above al.
other statesmen, for he declared that
he was as wise as Solomon and purer
than David. When l was in Warren
county some years ago was told that
Macon's father lived in an old-fash-
toned double log house and that he
himself hewed the logs. For some
years it had mud and stick chimneys
above the firejambs and was covered
with boards of his own make. In
course of time he tore away the chin
news and rebuilt them of stone and
brick, and tore away the boards and
covered with shingles. Later on as he
got able he weather-boarded the out
side with plank and ceiled the inside by
beginning at the top of the wall and let
ting the plank lap up instead of down,
so that his wife could pour hot water
in the cracks and kill the bedbugs.
reckon that Tom Benton, who wrote his
biography, got his anti-pension prin-
ciples from Macon, for Benton in a
great speech in the senate opposed a
pension to Gen. Harrison's widow and
called. it "a new departure that would
lead to the bottomless gulf of PEN
sions and gratuities.' Well it is bot
tomless gulf both to the state and the
nation.
In this connection ruminated on
who were the greatest men in Georgia
who most deserves q niche in the