Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-08-18

"a q everywhere without regard to
1hA- political opinions mourn the
death Of ex-United States Senator
George Graham Vest of Missouri. For
twenty-four years he was one of the
most conspicuous figures in the senate
of the United States. to which he re-
fused reelection two years ago by rea-
son of failing health. Missouri has sent
twenty-five different men to represent
her in that body. There are several
great scarcely small one-in
the list. Her first two senators-David
Barton and Thomas Hart Benton-at
once took high rank in the councils of
the nation because of their command
ing talents. For thirty years Benton
held the center of the stage.
Benton was the first man to serve
thirty years consecutyely in the federal
senate-''six full Roman lustrums," as
he was fond of saying in his pompous
way. To use the parlanee Of the prize
ring, he held the belt in that regard
until the 4th day of March, 1897, when
Justin S. Morrill, of Vermont began
his thirty-first consecutive year and
sixth full term in the senate.
Missouri is the only state in the
Union that ever elected two men to the
senate for five full terms. General Fran
els Marion Cockrell is now serving his
thirtieth year and in January will be
reelected for another term of six years.
He is only seventy, in robust health
and bids fair to live through that term
and perhaps for a seventh. He will be
a senator so long as he lives.
There is vast difference between an
orator and a debater. A man is lucky
to be either. Vest was both, and in
the front rank at that.
OF all the twenty-five Missouri sena-
tors he was one of the most brilliant.
He welded Damascus blade and
boldly entered the list against all
Corners. Some of his orations are
classics. If he was ever worsted in a
debate there is no record of his defeat.
His reputation in the country at large
will perhaps forever rest on his career
in the senate, but in Missouri he will
be chiefly remembered for his achieve
ments on the stump. In that field of
oratory he was superb No man ever
knew the Missourians better. He UNI
derstood thoroughly that strange in
strument called the human heart, and
he played upon it with a masters
touch. He could be humorous, witty,
sarcastic logical, eloquent or pathetic,
:, 20 Ha46 oh hot.
ter story teller never faced an Ameri-
can audience. He set the AIissourians
wild They heard and were entranced.
They determined to place him where
the world would hear and be en-
tranced, and they did it. He was their
pride and glory. They are in sack
cloth and ashes because that eloquent,
that wonderful tongue is silent in the
grave If all the books and newspa-
pers extant could be destroyed, if the
art of printing were forgotten, cen
turtles hence Missourians would be
quoting Vests sarcasms and witticisms
''to point a moral or adorn tale.''
He was one of the first jury lawyers
of the age. Missouri is full of tradi-
tons as to how he won verdicts against
the law and evidence by leading
twelve good men in box" cap
tive by his eloquence. One of his short
jury addresses, that one in which he
described the loyalty of a dog for his
master, one of the most eloquent, pa
thetic, heart moving and tear COM
pelling passages in our vernacular has
been printed in nearly every newspaper
in Christendom.
1t was a matter of infinite pride with
transmississippi Americans that for
years two of the. most brilliant orators
in the senate-Vest of Missouri, radi-
cal Democrat, and John James ingalls,
of Kansas, radical Republican-wer
from west of the great river. How it
happened that they never engaged in
an oratorical pitched battle will per-
haps never be known, for there was
scarcely an important proposition of
politics or public policy on which they
agreed. Such a contest would have
been worth q journey across the conti-
nent to hear.
tSSt SeISSu III DOln uOuScS VI t4iS
Confederate congress and was d bril-
liant figure there, fully the equal of
such men as Wigfall and Ben Hill.
After leaving the senate of the Unit
ed States he wrote a series of intensely
interesting and graphic articles for the
Saturday Evening Post of reminis-
cent character. His friends fondly
hoped that his life would be spared
to write a history of the great events
which he had witnessed and part-a
large part-of which he was, but it was
not TO be. He has crossed over the river
to meet Wade Hampton, Allen G.
Thurman, George II. Pendleton, James
G. Blaine, Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus
Lamar. John B. Gordon and the other
great worthless with whom he was as
ISOLATED in this glorious world. There
is one abiding consolation, and that is
that, Notwithstanding his physical
weakness, his mind blazed like Sirius