The news & observer., 1904-12-11
Ex-Representative Rich
ardson on the Party.
Its Principles Will Rise Over Ruins of
Republican Party He Declares.
Tribute to John Henry
Boner.
BY CICERO w. HARRIS.

NINE, Representative James ID. Rich
ardson, of Tennessee, late leader of
the minority in the House and unfor-
tunately soon to retire from public
life. | asked him what he thought of
the Democratic situation. He replied,
iii substance: "We have been much
; worse off several times than we are
now. Not only in the presidential
election when Greeley was so badly
peaten, but in the Congressional cleo
: tionS for the Fifty-second and Fifty
third Congresses. Why the Repub-
can membership went once so low as
elghty-eight members. We have done
better than that since the restoration
OF the Democratic party after the
civil War. Yes, We shall continue
party long after the Republicans have
closed business. Our party has always
existed from the early days of party
divisions under the present govern
ment. 1t has been the peoples party.
1t will so remain. Defeat does not
appall us"
1t is very much to be regretted that
this able, mellow and useful Dem
ocrat is about to leave the arena of
Congress, where his voice and his pen
have long been potent for good. He
will devote himself to Freemasonry,
of which he is the highest official III
degree, or whatever it is the order
, calls it, in this country.
John Henry Boner.
An event of lively personal moment
to his circle of personal friends and
admirers and of literary interest to
the people of the State of North Car
olina and the Southern States gener-
ally, is the removal from Washing
ton to Salem, of the remains of that
true poet and excellent man, John
Henry Boner and their final inter-
ment in the Morayian churchyard in
the fine old Wachovian settlement, so
identified with his life and so dear
to his heart The thing that strikes
me most in the recollections ] have of
my dead friend is his supreme loyalty,
which gave characteristic touch to
all he did and was. He was true to
his friends, true to his kindred, true
to the people from whom he sprang-
the Bohemians or Moravian Brother
hood, true to his literary guild, to his
printers craft and to his ramliy. His
poetry was the poetry of the affection
as well as of the imagination. Read
any one of the small poems that ex-
press his early ties or his later private
joys or sorrows and know there the
full truth of what / am here saying.
He aided me materially in New York
in getting some of my historical work
before the publishers, and what he
did in my behalf with one distinguish
ed critic and literateur was as much
as he could have done for Il brother III
the flesh and put me under everlasting
obligations. 1t is true the critic mere
ly read my manuscript and never wrote
or print one line, but the private en-
couragement he gave me in letter
contributed great deal to stimulate
struggling author i'm difficult field
of endeavor Mr. Boner was too
YCNYsly nm. al
ship was that of d man of great parts,
and with some confidence and better
advantages in the first half of his life
he could have made one of the great
est Southern poets and also one of
the ablest of the prose writer's OF ms
generation.
Edwin w. Fuller.
Another very able and highminded
North Carolina poet whom ] knew
more slightly but whose acquaintance
| valued deeply was Edwin w. Fuller
of Louisburg. During the time while
/ edited the Wilmington Morning Star
he visited the family of the senior, DR..
George Thomas. 1t was at the latter S
residence on Market street that | be
came acquainted with the person OF
the poet His Angel in the Cloud |
had read some years before, on its
first appearance. He impressed me as
an admirabl type of man. He had
| seen something of cosmopolitan So
ciety but had not lost that simplicity
of manners, which belongs essentially
to the gentleman who has been
brought up in a small inland village,
having polite society cultured and
refined citizens. We talked briefly Ol
| our favorites in literature, but there
was no general opportunity for ac-
curing special information as to his
particular tastes. Like DR.. Thomas
| he greatly admired Shakespeare.
think he was affected in his compost
| ton by Keats Wordsworth, here one
/ having power over his feeling o.
style and there the other, without i'm.
proper influence having been ex
cited by either. In other words, he
was no servile imitator, but a true as
| similator, as was the greater poet Ton
rod. 1t is a pity of pities he was sc
early cut off.
Years before that, while the civi
war was raging, and while | was q
! student of the Freshman class a.
Davidson College, Mrs. Mary Bayaro
| Clarke was guest at the table or the
| President, the revered and profound
| DR.. John S. Kirkpatrick. | was aDou'
| seventeen, a boarder at the kIrkpat-
| ricks, a roomer at the college dorml-
| tory. Mrs. Clarke came to enter a.
a student in the same class 70 Whlch
| belonged her youthful son, William
and in their company were the youne
| Primroses of Raleigh, Robert and vii
/ lie. We all became friends as we'll a.
classmates. Elsewhere and at som'
other time I propose to speak in this
correspondence of the pendente bellun
life, SO to say, at Davidson Here
merely refer to the conversation OF
Southern poets and DR.. kirkpatrick
| pleasant reference to Judge A. Z
Meek's poetry. He knew Meek whel
Young and he resided at Gainesville
Alabama. He thought we'll of Meek
talent. | do not now recall that eithe
he or Mrs G. referred then to a still
ADLER singer, A. J. Requirer. from tn
same State. / loved DR. Kirkpatricl
dearly. He was very, very good t
me. Well do | remember that Christ
| mas holiday, when, not returning
| home, | would go to the Doctors stud.
in the old college, where he would pu
down his book Git might have beer
theology, it might have been his IA
vorite Dickens). and talk sociably Wit
the young student, meantime rolllnl
his foot lightly over the form of hi
pet puppy, lying before the open fir
on the rug. oh, those were happ
j days.
| rSr, Sora ~ AYTT T. A