The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-31

surroundings is inscribed with the simple legend, William R. King, Vice President of the United States"
 The statssmans home in the long and fruitful life he lived after moving to Alabama was on an Alabama River plantation a few miles south of Sell ma He left no son or daughter. He came of a distinguished North Caro- lima family and many of his relatives were drawn to make their homo in the new State by its wonderful pioneer prosperity. Many of the prominent West Alabama families of today are related to the Vice President. The list includes the Kings, the Becks. the Kornegays, the Boy1tons and others.
 Hon. John King. who represents Ma rengo county in the Alabama Legisla- ture, and who has given the private journal to the Department of Archives and History, is the grandson of a first cousin of the Vice President. His grandfather married. too, his first cousin, the sister of William K. King.
 From the year 1910 until 1853, with only one brief interruption, William R. King was in public life, and known to the entire country. His public ser vice in length has perhaps never been equalled. Senator John T. Morgan has now served thirty years in the Unt- ted States Senate but his Senate ser VlE6H life except to the Confederate govern ment and his successful election as an elector on the Buchanan ticket in 1856.
 A Young Congressman.
 It might be said that Vice President Kings public service began as far back as 1907 when he was elected a member of the Legislature of North Carolina and after a reelection to that L | tA nlQne of solicitor. This, too, he resigned the following year when only twenty-nine years of age to take his seat in Congress.
 It Is a coincidence that his Congress sional career began with those of Hen " Clay, John c. Calhoun and William Lowndes, the four entering Congress cidence that he died in the same year with Calhoun and Clay.
 en that he might go to St. Petersburg
 His Congressional career was brok- as Secretary of the American embassy Here he remained two years. and ir this absence he wrote the private jour nal which is here reproduced. In the closing months of ISIS he returned te America and immediately moved to | the then territory of Alabama whict from its richness was attracting tht attention of the entire country. The | future Vice President moved Tn, Tn Una | rush of settlers. such as no new ter ritory of the United States has evel l known and which was not equalled by | the rapid settlement of the territory 1 of Oklahoma He bought a plantation | in Dallas County near Cahaba. whlcf | had been selected by Legislative Committee ag the future Capital of thu State. alth6dgh a house had not beer built on the site of the town and th' oh0foa, nc fha .nnnmitteR had not beer | confirmed by the Legislature.
 A few months after the establish :, ment of his home in Alabama he wal selected as a member of the Conven
 ton which was to draft the Constitu | ton for the new State. The delegate | from Dallas who had been so distin guished in his native State was hon
 ored by being named as one of tn committee of three which drafted th' | first Consultation for the State of Ala bama- The other members of the com | nlittes were Messrs. Hitchcock, o