The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-11-26

The recent pictures of two of the
most eminent of all North CarolinlanS,
in the News and Observer, set me to
thinking in a reminiscent vein. Ihey
are good likenesses, but that OF Hon.
George E. Badger impressed me as
more genuinely life-like and accu-
rate. 1t is excellent as l recall his APP
pearance about 1910 and little later.
/ think it a better more striking rep
resentation of the greatest legal ad-
vocate of our State. than the like
ness Of thu, best balanced of all North
Carolina statesmen. who had more Oh
the George Washington in him than
any other of our public men. GOV.
Graham was not very extraordinary
gifted in any one faculty of mind. but
there was fairly good development
i'm leading mental qualities capital
balance and blending of them all
that reminded one of the great WASH
ington. Gov. Graham was states
man of much wisdom. conservatism
and foresight. He was one OF the
very handsomest men among all of
the prominent leaders in our State,
as | recall them from Judges Ruffin,
Pearson. Cameron, Daniel: Governors
Swain. Iredell, Morehead. Bragg,
Vance and the others to Aycock; and
many members of the u. S. Congress
whom I have seen or Known person
ally. beginning with Hawkins. and
coming down to some among the liV-
ing | first knew Gov Graham about
1856. and he was always gracious to
me. always until | saw him last with
in a year perhaps of his death. When
At occurred ! wrote of him at some
length in the magazine l was editing,
cur Living and Our Dead. II
had space now | would like to Gull q
few passages from what l wrote of
him, now some thirty years since.
Among the many scores of public men
/ have seen or known. L regard Gov.
Graham, and Senator W. w. Ransom
as the men Of finest presence.
| wish today to write my reflections
Of Senator Badger, who was more
generally called Judge Badger. L
have published perhaps ten or fifteen
columns upon him at different times,
but | do not possess a half column of
all | have written. What / have
published is bound up in many vol
umes of papers / have been con-
nected with in the past He looked
like a great man as did Daniel Web
ster. Parenthetically let me say, that
the four greatest men | ever heard
speak were George e. Badger. Henry
CLAY, Daniel Webster and Zebulon b.
vance. f(eSpecttNely one was d HdliNC
OF North Carolina. one of Virginia,
one OF New Ham shire and the last of
North Carolina. | heard in the u.
s. House Of Representatives Henry
Winter Davis. of Maryland. and Alex
ander Fl. Stephens, of Georgia, speak,
and both were very strong and i'm
p1essive. Mr.. Davis impressed me as
possessing more of the great quail
ties Of an orator.
The Washington correspondent.
some time ago, of the Raleigh Post,
now defunct, gave an account of the
finding Of Il handsome oil portrait of
the late Hon. George e. Badger. of
North Carolina OF all the ante
bellum Secretaries his portrait was
the only one lacking. Fortunately one
was found in ar unused store room
at the Naval Academy. 1t had been
found impossible TO obtain a por-
trait Of our really great native lawyer
for the Navy Department The cor
respondent wrote:
1.-The portrait is a fine piece of
work and, although painted more than
sixty years ago. is in an excellent
state of preservation. The frame is
in fair condition, but is beginning to
show signs of age. The portrait will
be retouched and the frame repaired
and hung in the office of the Secre-
tary of the Navy
Beneath the nicture OF the venera-
BILE North Carolinian is a plate which
bears the following information con-
corning his career:
Hon. George r. Badger, Born
New Bern. n. c.. 1875. Died, Raleigh
n. c., 1866. Major in War Of 1912
Judge of Superior Court. Secretary
Of Navy. 1871. United States Sena-
tor 1916 to 1854"
The portrait was painted, apparent
ly. when Mr.. Badger was not NOR.
than fifty years old. 1t shows him
as a remarkably fine looking man
He is represented seated in a chair
in an easy position, and the stiffness
which characteriZes the old portraits
of statesmen gathered in Washington
is lacking.
Mr.. Badger is pictured as a round
small, dark mustache, and large
dark eyes with a kindly expression
His dark hair is rather long and
brushed back straight from his fore
head. He wears a high pointed col
lar with open front. His coat is the
traditional black broad-cloth worn by
all statesmen of his time.
| remember to have seen Mr.. Bad
ger from about my twelfth year. He
always practiced in the superior
Courts of Granville. 1 knew him
personally, but later. when he was 9
member of the U. S. Senate in the fif-
ties. l heard him speak several times
when school boy. | never heard hin