The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-08-17

OF state hl9hts based on Logic and
Faet-Alabama's Curious Law--Sen-
ator Foraker a Good Fightsr--May
Yet Split the Ohio OeIesation-tiar-
rman the Latest Public Target.
BY WILLIS j. ABBOT.
The most interesting recent happen
ing in the political field was the con-
test for the senatorship between John
Sharp Williams aud Governor Narda-
man of Mississippi. OF course the
fight was simply for Endorsement by
the democratic primaries, which means
in 50 safe Democratic state ultimate
election. Mr.. williams will not take
his seat in the senate until 1911. He
will serve his term in the Sixtieth con
gress and no doubt retain his leader
ship OF the Democratic minority. Mr..
Nurdaman viii remain governor Of the
state So it will be seen the loser has
a consolation prize.
Two Divergent Types.
Out of the millions of people In the
United States who recognize the names
of these two rivals few know them by
sight, and almost equally few have
any idea of their personal character
isttcs.
In the north Governor Nurdaman Is
regarded as II firebrand. u demagogue,
q something worse than Tillman, whose
Ideas and manners almost approach
! those of the now forgotten editor of
the once famous OkOlona States. That
distinguished journalist, It may be re-
| called was for some years staked by
a Republican national committee to
print burning editorials against the
| negro aud against the United States
government generally In order that the
| bloody shirt might be the more sue
ccssfully waved in Indiana and Ohio.
NArdaman however, IL not u man of
that type. He has 10 some extent
played the demagOguc IN promising his
| country supporters that he would at
tack and overthrow the fourteenth
and fifteenth amendments II sent to
| Washington. The promise IL so utter
| ~ absurd that II Is amazing that Ii
should have found amy response and
! support. but IT did Perhaps more than
anything else it won FOR him the vote
which is shown to have cut Mr. Viii
| lians' possible majority down to few
| hundred. Yet Nardumun Is not the
| rayng maniac that he Is considered
10 be in the north. In manner and APP
pealance he is an aristocrat, always
mild hammered unless making a speech,
| we'll grOomed, with tendency to
white clothes and Chestertieldan
courtesy. He says hard things ON the
! stump but when he desccnds he Is as
! polite as the best bred man possibly
! could be. And, while he has attacked
bitterly the negro population Of his
! state and while undoubtedly he be.
| lieyes sincerely that 1t is Il menace TO
| the welfare OF the rest of the popula-
| ton, 1t should he remembered of him
| In the north that no southern governor
has been more vigorous and deter
mined in fighting the lynching evil
| than he.
John Sharp Williams.
| Nationally Mr.. Williams is the better
| known of the two men. He has been
| in congress for six terms. Three times
lie has been chosen leader of the Dem
ocratic minority ana probably will be
| again, although the temper OF any
| Democratic body Is such that Il leader
/ has always TO fight 10 retain his lead
ership. Yet at heart Mr. Williams Is
not as democratic in the nonpartisan
sense OF the word as Governor Narda-
man. With the manners and demeanor
| of n plebeian, he has the habits Of
| thought of Il patrcian. Slender, un-
! dersized, careless In dress, utterly in-
different to his personal appearance, he
! lacks that individual distinction that
win impress the general public. He af-
| feCts Il SlouChiness of dress, a laZineSs
| of manner, Il drawl of the tongue, an
occasional lapse into bad grammar and
worse yulgarsms that might readily
| lead Il stranger to believe that he had
come up from the Bowery rather than
| from one of the first families of Mis-
! sissippi Yet there are few men In
! either house or senate who have en-
! jOyed the educational advantages which
, have been given TO Williams. II not
! indeed born to the purple, he was ut
least BORN to comfort and to an assur-
| cd position in life He received his ed
ucatlon at the Kentucky Military instI-
! tute the University of Virginia and the
! University of Heidelberg, In Germany.
/ His mind is stored with knowledge,
and he has never been content TO rest
! upon his collegiate education only, but
continues his studies 10 this day. Yet
| his conversation is as colloqual, his vo.
| cabuary as careless as those of n North
! Carolina farmer In personal inter
| course one would seldom take him for
a man OF culture and of deep learning,
! But ON the floor of the house he Is a
! different man. There, like Cyrano, he
fights with rapier that is swift and
| Keen.
Mr.. Williams is essentially an old
time southern Democrat He is barely
It middle age, and yet II Is to he
! doubted whether any doctrine of eco
Monies or constitutional interpreta-
tion advanced by Calhoun has not so
fixed lodgment in his mind as to
be ineradicabe. The rights of the