The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-23
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BY REV. r.. III. WHITAKER.

pIOllluCllI Iiicll, WilO III lIlC1I udy anu
time. were much in the peoples eye.
And first l wish to say that Hon.
Abram w. Venable, of Granville coun-
ty, member of Congress from the
Fifth Congressional District, was. in
my young days, when l first began to
read politics, one of the most promin-
ent politicians of Central North caro-
lima, and l expect one of the brainieSt
men of the State. / had not seen him,
but, from what / heard and read OF
him, l felt sure that he was a very
extraordinary man.
l did see him later on in life, and.
after hearing him address the people
and listening to several conversations,
| thought as the Queen of Sheba said,
after her visit to Solomon, the half has
not been told. My first impressions,
as to his great abilities, were by no
means changed, but strengthened; for
1 concluded he was the talkingest man
had ever heard, and talked sense all
the time.
Mr.. Venable made a fine appearance
on the stump; as a speaker he was
strong; while as a conversationaliSt |
have never heard him surpassed. 1t
was said of him that he was perfectly
at home. on any topic that could be
introduced, and was instructive as we'll
as edifying. If in conversation with Il
doctor of divinity he was his equal,
as to a knowledge of the Scriptures;
if with a merchant, farmer, carpenter,
teacher, blacksmith, tanner, shoe
maker or even a ditcher, he was as
we'll. up in their avocations as they
were; and If he was thrown into the
company of farmers wife, he could
tell her how many eggs a hen could
well hatch how much Saleratus and
butter-milk should be put into a quart
of -four to make good biscuits, how
many ounces of cotton it took for
e JN41, L, - 1s.
to the reed, were required to weave
dimity. In short, it was said of him
that he could talk sens:bly and in
structively upon any topic. He was an
all-round man.
Hon. James Madison Leach, at a
later period, came next to Mr.. Venable,
as a man of large information and as
a great talker. AS politician. my
impression is, he was Mr.. Venable's
superior if all the stories l used to
hear of him were true. He had a way
of making votes that no other man
could successfully initiate 1t made NJ
difference to him. how hostile a mar
was toward him. he counted upon his
vote all the same. He didn't work a
cases alike, by one general rule-but,
he studied each case, and made
rule to fit the case.
He was running for the Legislature
on one occasion. and he knew that, II
ClSctSu, 1t WOu1Q OG ny NC1S sinai
majority. After a careful canvass OF |
the situation, he found that he would |
be beaten, unless he could change the |
vote of a certain precinct; and, t. |
do that he chad to make a friend of |
certain influential man of that pre- |
cinct, who SO hated him that he woulC |
not even speak to him. He made III |
his mind to capture that man, and |
through his influence, the precinct. He
understood that his man was cutting
wheat, on the roadside, one day; so
lie saddled his horse and rode over
that way. 1t so happened the old
farmer was standing near the fence
under shade tree, whetting his
scythe, when Mr.. Leach was riding
by, but, he wouldn't even turn hi:
head to look, when Mr.. Leach hailed
him with a good morning., but went
on whetting his blade.
Mr.. Leach, i'm the meantime had dis
mounted, hitched his horse, and ha6
climbed over the fence, unobserved by
the old farmer and was right at hin
before he knew it,
81 know you hate me- and won'
speak to me. and are going to vot,
against me- said Mr.. Leach, but, al
that don't make any difference with
me. l never see reaping going on
but what / want to try my hand, to sec |
whether or not I've lost the lick. Ii
there is anything in the world / de- |
light to do it is to swing a cradle You |
needn't speak to me, but just let me |
try that cradle about ten minutes
I've seen the day I'd rather cut wheat |
than to eat chicken pie
BY that time he had taken tn, |
cradle from the old farmer and hac |
struck out, and was making wilc |
filings. The old man seeing how
awkwardly he made his strokes, said |
in a very excited way: Hold on! hold |
hrn Il ~ nr,n6 1nf p
Leach paid no heed to what he was
saying. but went right ahead, and. be |
fore the old man could stop him, h |
had driven the point of the blade into |
stump and broken the cradle all t |
pieces. (Purposely done, of course I
The old man reared. Mr.. Leach look
ed like a criminal, while he was listen /
ing to the farmers abuse.
At length running his hand into his
pocket and pulling out his purse, he |
asked: How much did you pay for
that old cradle, my friend?'
Five dollars he answered, with
the snap of a bull terrier.
How long will it take you to buy
another like it,"
1T wouldn't take more than an
hour, if l had the money to buy it
with he answered
Take that ten dollar bill and buy
you another. and keep the other five
guish I've caused YOU It's SO strange
to me didn't see that stump. L hope |
your wheat will make a good yield
And he was gone
In an hour, the farmer had a new
cradle. in place of the old one, and |
was cutting wheat with five dollars in
his pocket
Leach amt such a bad man. after
all" the farmer said, at the table that |
night to his wife, when talking over
the incident.
No said his wife; 1--WE told YOU |
all along. / thought you were mistaken |
about him.
I'm great mind to vote for him.
the farmer said, after rejecting for |
momept. /
I'D be sure to do it, if 1 was a
man." said the wife.
Leach was elected by a. small ma
jority. and the old farmer, and tho
friends he influenced, gave the votes |
that elected him.
That's the way the story went. |
Whether true or false, it will do for 4
political Renaissance.
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