The Washington bee., 1907-03-02

w H. Parker, Mayor of Deadwood,
Black Hills, South Dakota, and member
elect from the State-at-large to the Six
rieth Congress.
Colonel Parker and Mr.. Smith, dur
ing the stormy days of Reconstruction,
were members of the Mississippi State
Senate of the Legislature that elected
the late B. K. Bruce to the United
States Senate in January, 1874
The first Federal appointment outside
of Mississippi that was accorded Senator
Bruce, III 1875, by President Grant, was
United States District Attorney for the
territory of Colorado, which he rendered
Colonel Parker, who held it till 1877,
when he removed to Deadwood, where
he has not only forged to the front as
the leading attorney at the bar in the
| State, but is regarded as one of the
| ablest criminal lawyers in the West, his
clientele extending to the Pacific Coast
Mr.. Smith, as special agent of the
General Land Office, I88o-I8o was in
charge of the Black Hills, Colonel Par
ker's home, who was his champion and
stood by him in his celebrated contest
with that gigantic corporation, the Home
Stake Mining Company, with a capital
of two hundred million dollars, when he
made up a case against it for one mill
ion dollars, having arrayed against him
its president United States Senator
Hearst Senator Pettgrew and Senator
Moody, both of Dakota; the latter the
attorney for the company at $4,000 per
annum.
The fight against Mr.. Smith became
so bitter that it became the issue in
the State, so damaging was his report
to the company and its attorney Senator
Moody, and it was anything to defeat
Senator Moody for reelection. After
he made his report the three Senators
called upon Secretary Noble and de-
manded Mr. Smiths dismissal for his
activity in politics and said the report
he had made was untrue. The Secre-
tary wired Mr.. Smith to report to
| Washington. where for ten days he went
through the most searching investigation
by the Secretary, at the conclusion of
which he was vindicated and sent bac:
to his district with fuller powers, with
the assurance from Secretary Noble that
he would stand by him to the end. Up
on his return to Dakota he decided to
do what he could to defeat Senator
Moody, the man who had attempted to
drive him out of the State; and, join
! ing forces with Colonel Parker, in the
fight, Mr.. Smith, in his usual peculiar
hidden tactics, which he handles in a
mastery way, Senator Moody was de-
feated and Mr. Smiths friend, Rev, ].
H. Kyle, an Oebrlin graduate, won. Not
until the victory was complete was Mr..
Smith suspected of being in the contest
OF the twenty-five Republican mem
bers of the Senate of the Legislature
that elected Mr.. Brown but three still
| live, and it is coincidence that these
three left Mississippi in 1875 and To-
Gated in the West Colonel Parker is
in Colorado; Senator Albright, colored,
in Kansas. and Mr.. Smith to his for
mer home, in Kansas. Senator Albright
is now a resident of California. Mr..
Smith has kept in touch with these two
during the thirty-two years since they
separated. Colonel Parker was the FIRST
1 person to welcome Mr.. Smith to the
Black Hills, and Mr.. Smith IS among
the first to greet him and welcome his
friend of so many years to the Capital
and the scenes of his early manhood,
for Colonel Parker graduated from Co
lumbia Law School in 1868, was mar
ried here, and at once located in Mis-
sisippi, where he and Mr.. Smith be-
came warm friends.
Colonel Parker has always been a
staunch friend of the colored people,
and is absolutely color blind, believing
in the fatherhood of God and the bro
therhood of man.
No one is more delighted at the good
fortune of Colonel Parker than Mr.
Smith.