The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-04-07
From the Washington Post.


 NN UR esteemed contemporary, the kVI Little Rock Gazette, furnishes
 us with a sketch of the Hon. Jefferson Davis, the new senator from Arkansas, who will soon come on to Washington to replace that kindly, hon orable. brave. and upright gentleman' Hon. James H. Berry, who has served his state in the federal Senate for more than twenty years. Very little Is known, outside of Arkansas at least. of the Hon. Jefferson Davis. Beyond the fact that he has been attorney general of the state, three times governor, and always the focus of strenuous observation. our in- formation is comparatively limited. In a general way, we understand that ne has in all cases prevailed despite the bitter opposition of the conservative and thoughtful elements. Behind him have been merely the untutored masses-the one-gallus, wool-hat, simple toiler of tho rural districts. Arrayed against him have been the capitalists, the merchants, the professional classes, the educated, and all of that illS But he has invariably triumphed. And now the Little. Rock 1dZette cOliltS lOTWdTu WllH du lllSIdil- ment of much needed information
 We set our hand to a task, task created by the exigency of the hour, by the elimination of political events ir Arkansas during the past half decade to explain the remarkable career of remarkable man. Jeff Davis.
 "He is indeed political prodigy. After being attorney general for one term he won the governorship three times, and now leads in the race for the senator ship The mere naming of his victories does not half tell the story; he has won his battles against odds and under cir cumstances that would have. we verify believe, sent down to overwhelming de- feat any other man in the whole state of Arkansas.
 Whence is his strength and what are the factors of his powers?
 "we answer:
 'IIe Is thoroughly democratic in speech, manner and action, and is surcharged with personal magnetism.
 "He makes the people think he Is per secuted for their sake, and stands be- tween them and oppression.
 "He appeals to the human element.
 He cunningly paints things to his lik- ing, and inseniously and unscrupulously turns them to his advantage.
 'He continually does violence to the moral maxim that the suppression of truth is the suggestion of falsehood.
 "He audaciously and imprudently relies on the public's lack of information about lea,
 "He appropriates credit for about every thing creditable
 'He has powerful machine.
 He has not met his match
 Here Is the perfect picture of the suc- cessful demagogue. No doubt 1t is the picture of the Hon. Jeff Davis of Arkan- sas, and certainly it explains everything; but no one can truly say that 1t is wholly unfamiliar or that mo one excepting MT Davis has ever yet worked his way to high places by exactly similar methods.
 Let us consider the proposition care fully. We are told that the Hon. Jeff Da- wis is thoroughly democratic in speech manner and action" In other words he is hail fellow well met with everybody, down to the lowest: hobnobs with every loafer that comes along; is given to noisy greeting and fervent handshakes. and all that sort of thing. Next, we hear that he is 'surcharged with magnetism" This means, we fancy, that he can fire off platitudes with an air of having just dis covered great fundamental truths that he charms you with ready gesture and thrilling intonations, and then jumps up and down with such astounding vigor as to persuade the spectators that he could choke an octopus with his hands if there only one within easy reach. He makes the people believe that he is persecuted for their sake and stands between them