The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-15

much for his church, from the home he
| had loved so well. to die among strangers.
| / miss him-all we older people debut
| the younger people have not the sympathy
Tor old people-not even for the old yeter-
ans of the cross-that Christians are
| supposed to have for each other | did
not see the doctor, to shake his hand,
Oh leaving, but / pray that the clouds
may lift, and great peace may fiji his
heart, the remnant OF his days.
Some OF the school children may not
know that on Moore Square, not lar
| from Hargett street, about southwest
from the Tabernacle church used to stand
what was known, IN my boyhood days,
as The old Baptist church" r. was a
free church, as l remember, used princi
pally by the Baptists. before that denomi-
nation built and moved up near the
Capitol. The Christian denomination was
worshipping III that old church when |
| first remember, and Rev. Henry b. Hayes
who, If / am not mistaken, was at the
same time, publishing the Christian Sum-"
| was the preacher, sometimes aided by
| old DR.. Hinton, minister OF that de-
nomination. who owned and lived IN the
house on Fayetteville street next to the
| building i'll whichthe Times" is published
! kept now as a boarding house That old
/ Baptist church was frequently used for
| political meetings, and many big speech
was made therein. In the Gubernatorial
| campaign between David S. Reid and
| John Kerr, l heard the discussion tire
| and rendered what a fine looking ma
! Judge Kerr was and how his fine oratory
eclipsed the plain matter OF fact speech
| made by Gov. Reid, was Democrat and
! Reid was my man, but boy as / was could
| not help feeling that Judge Kerr was
| more than a match for him. But he beat
| Kerr as he had before beaten GOV. Manly,
| and from the guhdrnatorial chair he
| went to the United States Senate, his
| colleague being Hon. Asa Biggs, OF Martin.
| The Wings had q good deal to say about
| little Davy's "slashing around in the
| seat formerly occupied by judge Badger,
and quite as much to say about how un-
| easily Judge Biggs fitted the seat which
| Judge Mangum had occupied so long but
we Democrats thought they were very
| good men, and the mantles that had
| fallen on them fitted very well; so every
| thing quieted odwn after a little and sen
ators Reid and Biggs served faithfully
and well.
| Gov Thomas Bragg ard Hon. Thos
l.. Clingman, were still in the sen
ate when Secession came on l will stop
here to tell my readers a little story.
1t is this: When the Democratic Nation
al Convention met in Charleston, S. c.,
in 1860, TO nominate a man for president
it remained there whole month balloting
every day, yet failed to make nomina-
tion, the reason of which was there
were two distinct factions in the party
northern faction that favored Judge
Douglas, and southern faction which
did not like the position Judge Douglas
| occupied with regard TO what was called
'Squatter Sovereignty and some other
questions At that time it must be re-
membered, James Buchanan was presl-
dent, and John C.. Breckenridge of Ken
lucky, vice-president. | say the conyen-
ton at Charleston failed 10 make a nom
iration and it adjourned TO meet III Bal
timore a few weeks later. There the
two elements failed as at Charleston to
harmonic, and the Douglas wing with
drew from the convention and Douglas
was nominated by 1t, while the regular
convention nominated John G. Becken
ridge, then the vlce-presldent for presl-
| dent, and Gen. Joe Lane, senator from
Oregon, for vice. president. There were
| four presidential tickets that year, to-
wit: Breckenridge and Lane. the Southern
Democratic ticket Douglas and Johnson
| the Northern Democratic ticket: Bell and
| Everett the Southern Whig ticket: ami
Lincoln and Hamln the Black Republic
| can ticket, as 1T was called here in the
South Of course it is but too well known
| that the Lincoln ticket was elected, but
! Breckenridge and Lane carried North
Carolina and most of the Southern States.
When the Electoral College met and cast
the vote Of the State for Breckenridge
and Lane, 1 was chosen messenger bv
the college to take the package contain
ing the result Of the vote to Washington,
which 1 did. Arriving there / found the
city in a whirl of excitement. South
Carolina had already seeded and the
sentiment as 1 could gather it was that
| South Carolina had done right and that
secession was the only redress for the
South Cockades were as abundant as
May roses and it really looked as if the
hoops were off and the whole thing was
about to tumble to pieces; that new
government was an inevitable result, and
from the way l heard them talk in the
iobbies there would not be much left CT
the Ola government when Secession udc
lone its seeding.
Senator'S Bragg and Chingman paid me
very courteous attention and opened the
way to me for most enjoyable time
while / sojourned there. BY them l was
conducted into the presence of the vice
president, to whom l delivered my pack
age. He received me graciously, comph
| mented the gallant Democracy of the
"Old North State and asked me to bear
| back to the Legislature then in session
his heartfelt gratitude for the high com
phment the State had conferred upon
him. Others then coming in our confer
ence ended with a handshake. | went to
the Senate the next day and listened for
two hours to a most mpassioned speech
by Senator Jefferson Davis. the last one
he ever made in that body. Gen Toe
Lane, the presidential candidate hav-
iEg visited Raleigh during the campaign
and with myself and others taken ride
into the country where his ancestors had
lived near the city, sought me out soon
after l arrived in Washington and re-
peatedly told me to tell his friends in