The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-08
2 d b c CT.
Zebulon B. Vance
By savoyard, in Washington Post.

[ North Carolina branch. The grand father of Zebulon B. Vance was a sol. dier of the Revolution and a Captain at Kings Mountain. Here is a pas
 sage from his will that is perhaps curi- ous literature to those who got their idea of African slavery at the South from Mrs. Stowe's absurd fiction, "Un- cle Toms Cabin" In disposing of some old slaves, the will directs: Tt is my will and desire that they have
 full liberty. and do by these presents give them full liberty to go and live
 with any of my children where their
 own children live, not as slaves, but
 as old acQuaintances, who labored and
 spent their strength to raise my said
 children and their own also. I enjoin
 it upon my children who may have the
 children of said black old people not
 to confine them, but let them go a
 while to one and while to another.
 where their children may be; and I en-
 join 1t upon my children to see that
 the evening of tine lives of these black
 people slide down. as comfortably as
 may be-"
 The mother of Zebulon B. Vance was
 Mira Margaret Baird. and 1t was from
 her that her son derived his genius. She
 was the acquaintance and friend of
 John c. Calhoun and William C. Pres
 ton, whom she had frequently enter
 tained at her husbands board. It was
 from her that Feb Vance got his fancy
 and his humor, and from her, too. he gto his big heart and his noble nature. The boy acquired a good education and was well grounded in Latin. The Bible was his favorite book and he could re-
 peat whole chapters of 1t. Perhaps no other public man of our country ever drew so liberally and so constant ly from its sacred pages for ilIustra- tion as he. His lecture, The Scattered Nation" Is a classic, and perhaps as eloquent a defense of the Jewish race as our language affords. Some of It's passages are grand, and the closing paragraph is sublime in its energy and imagery.
 When Vance completed his education he studied law and was admitted to the par He was a successful practitioner and invincible before a jury. Many was the case he laughed out of court and 1t was compliment a mountaineer paid him: If that young feller Vance kin only git his case apast the jedge, he Is as good a lawyer as any of 'em,'' meaning if his pleading only withstood the demurrer.
 No man ever understood the common people better. No man ever had a pro- founder sympathy for them. No man ever had a keener perception of the | or a profounder conception | of the pathetic. He was ever genial | and cordial and candid and confiding- these and a vast fund of common sense, a memory tenacious of the slightest | particular, a sovereign contempt for | sham, sovereign hatred of meanness, m engaging fancy, and fine command )f plain, simple and direct language- these combined to give him verdicts. He was no great lawyer, like Pinckney. and he was never an authority on a | great constitutional question, even when he was a leading Senator in Con- gress; but when it came to convincing | jury upon a question of fact, or per Iuading an audience on a question of policy he was unrivaled and invinci- ,le.
 After serving in the State LegisIa- ure, Vance was chosen a member of Congress in 1858. He was the young st member of the House and whig. ie and John Sherman and Justin S. forrill were agreed on economic sub ects, though these two found him a formidable adversary a quarter of a later in the United States Sen te. Vance was reelected to Congress nd took high rank. He was the spe- ial favorite of Tom Corwin, a con- enial spirit, who was instrumental in | his release from prison, where e had been thrown on the order of ,dwin NJ Stanton without warrant and I defiance of law.
 When Lincoln was selected Vance did Il in his power to prevent secession.