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


Badger, and it was simply excellent
throughout. 1t was in the House of
| Commons in the monumental capital
at Raleigh, in 1859. 1t was by long
odds the finest. most felicitous. most
appropriate and most eloquent adj
dress of introduction I have ever
heard in a long life. Next morning |
heard the late eloquent Col Duncan
*. McRae, a most resourceful and
happy introducer of others, as we'll as
very successful speaker himself
nay IN INQUIRY hsR'S That 70 the eo only
eloquence he heard the night before
was Mr. Badgers superb address,
and that if he could have delivered the
address itself instead of Mr.. Everett
that he would have shaken the capital
to it's foundations" 1t is a singular
fact that of all introductionS to
which l have listened the next to that
of Mr. Badgers was Col. McRae's
own address in Wilmington in 1880,
when he introduced the great Vance
to a large crowd of ladies and men
on Third Street, in front of the Kid
der'S residence. at 10 o'clock A.
NJ, at a two days speaking of the
Democrats. Among the speakers were
Senator Ransom, Gov. Jarvis. Gen. j.
M. Leach and others. l may men
ton here what l gave in another ar
ticle some time ago. that Vance's eff
fort was the very greatest political
speech to which l ever listened, and
/ have heard Clay, Mangum, Miller,
Kerr, Saunders, Morehead Venable,
Bragg, Rayner, Ransom, Da-
Wis. and scores of lesser lights Col.
McRae placed the same estimate upon
it and he was not particularly ena-
mored of Vance. personally. l never
heard Mr.. Badger deliver a speech of
any kind after that grandly fascina-
ting, most eloquent introduction in
1859. Mr. Badger was incomparably
excellent in many respects. Among
his most marked gifts was his CONVEX
sation. l think he eXcelled all / have
ever heard as a genuine converse
tionalist, and was the master of the
hest English. He had almost every
gift that would have made him famous
in England. in Parliament or iii
Westminster Hall--GenuiEe eloQuence
great facility in the use of the happl-
est, the aptest, the finest English. full
of wit sarcasm. irony; remarka-
BILE dramatic qualities, but not of the
stage logical, ready. fecund, lumi-
nous. virile; pointed direct, concise
at will, rich in portraiture or deScrlp-
ton when the occasion required; with
a voice of rare richness compass.
clearness. under perfect control. and
was always responsive to his demand
This and more might be said of him.
The leading lawyers who practiced
in the courts Mr.. Badger attended,
say between 1910 and 1860-held
without variation. we believe, the
opinion of his supremacy We knew
personally many Of these, and we
never heard an adverse opinion The
late Mr.. Justice Edwin G.. Reade, in
old age. said that the greatest polit-
zeal speech he ever heard was the
first hour of Mr.. Badgers speech be-
fore the state WING convention in
1876 We heard it, and up to his
interruption by the late Hon. Louis ID.
Henry, of Raleigh. it was of incom-
parable excellence. 1t was wonder
fully dramatic and amusing. Judge
Reade served in the congress and was
himself a speaker of much resource
and effectiveness. A lawyer still liV-
ing once told us of speech he heard
from Mr.. Badger before the United
Suites supreme court. We do not re-
call it perfectly and so will not state
the case A great lawyer from Ohio,
we think it was. made a most logical
and elaborate argument. He told us
that as he listened he felt sorry for
Mr. Badger who was to reply. He saw
nothing to build on, so complete: so
| convincing was the argument of the
lawyer for the prosecution. But he
said BADGER had not spoken a
| half hour before he wondered at his
own stupidity, and in an hour he had
! completely demolished the legal struc-
ture reared by the able lawyer from
] the west Mr.. Badger won the case.
| When Senator John j. Crittenden. or
Kentucky. left the Senate to become
Governor OF Kentucky he gave all OF
| his large practice in the Supreme
Court to Mr.. Badger. When Rufus
| Choate had an important maritime
case before the Supreme Court which
| he could not attend to, he sought Hon.
| Robert c. Winthrop for advice as to
whom he might employ to take the
case. Mr. Winthrop said, get Bad
ger. But, said Choate, what does he
| know about maritime law for he never
had a case of that kind probably in
all his life. Winthrop then said:
"Give him the case and step in when
he argues it, and you will think he
never did anything else in his life,
but practice in maritime courts.
| / have not been able sometimes to
decide who was the greatest native
North Carolina. Take him all and in
all, I believe that if not George b.
Badger, it was Thomas II. Benton,
Zebulon =. Vance or James Johnston
Pettingrsw. And there have been
other very able and eminent men
Judge CASTOR, Andrew Jackson,
Nathaniel Macon, William A. Graham.
Judge Henderson. and some others.
Vice-President and long time United
States Senator, Hamilton Hamlin, OF
New Hampshire. in his "reminiscences
of his long public life, writes of the
recognized few ableSt men in the Sem