The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-23
Gossip From the
 Nations Capital
By R. H. Watkins

was in Delaware county, Pa, and in that vicinity he has taught in the com mon schools and at a local military
 academy: studied civil engineering at Wilmington, Delaware, and adopted and practfced 1t as profession. He
 entered the Union army in Kansas in
 1s61-where the South was most hated as captain of the lst. Kansas Infan-
 try; was appointed Lieutenant Colonel
 of the 5th. Kansas Cavalry in 1862, and
 soon afterward commanded a regiment In 1864 re was commissioned to brig
 adler general. The War Reeords,--the
 Records of the Rebellion" which con
 tain abotu nearly everything relating g
 to what anybody of note did in the war between the States; is very ex-
 haustive. covering a whole bookcase full of war stories, correspondence and reports, has little or nothing to show
 that General Clayton was anything of a warrior. Peiaaps he lacked opportuni- ty. being a soldier from Kansas and operating in the West; but anyhow 1t Is a fact, that his title of general is | about as empty as any that was ever | attached to a military magnate in a l military parade suggested a hint of | battle.
 Nevertheless, the career of Powell Clayton has been active and by all customary measurement unusually suc- cessful.
 He removed to Arkansas shortly af- ter the close of the civil war, when there appeared all kinds of inviting jobs and opportunities for adventurers who had the assurance of federal sup 1 port and bayonet backing. So 1t was that Powell Clayton was one of the pioneer military carpetbaggers who made Iurid and nauseous in history the reconstruction era of the South. He was elected Governor in 1868, and, in 1871, was elected to the United States l Senate, serving the full term, ending
 March 3, 1877.
 In "A. '75 and '7s the Southern States whitefolks were beginning to wake up and get back their belongings and in heritances, where they could stop per ennial stealing and more confidently guarantee the security of their homes. They soon made the South solid polttt- cally, to all intents and purposes. but In
 reality for self preservation. for the safety of what is dearer than political sentiment. Other carpetbaggers with General Clayton in the United States Senate ac- credited as from the Southern states
 elected by the people were: For Ala George E. Spencer of Iowa, and native of New York; for Arkansas,
 Benjamin Rice, of Minnesota and nat i've of New York; for Florida, Abijan Gilbert, of New York, and native oI that state. and Thomas w. Osborn, or New York and native of New Jersey; Louisiana, William Pitt Kellogg, or Nebraska and Illinois and native or Vermont, and yet surviving as resi- dent of Washington, D. C;for Missis- sippi. Adelbert Ames. of and native or Massachusetts: also for Arkansas
 stephen W. Dorsey, of Ohio and native of Vermont, and for South Carolina John J. Patterson, from Pennsylvania and native of that state. and Frederick A. Sawyer, of Massachusetts and native of that state. 70 In the House there were scores or these carpetbaggers and not few ne- groes, among whom General Clayton was a leader.
 Until he went to Mexico as amoassa- dor by appointmen of President Mc- Kinlev in 1898, General Clayton was ' long a leader of Southern Republicans being a member of the national com mittee from Arkansas and attending every national convention of the party
 as delegate at large from Arkansas,