The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1907-01-18
NooKs AND CORNERS OF AMERE
CAN HISTORY.
John Randolph, Of Roanoke.

John Randolph is the most remarka-
bic character in American history. and
Jas an all-round wonder will probably
never be eQualed in the country's
annals.
Born in 1873 and dying in 1883. the
courtly Nirginian made an impression
upon his day and generation that can
never be Cffaced.
/ Randolph fascinated his cOntempo-
raries, and his life-story is as fasci-
mating to us of today as it is surely
/ destined 10 be To those who are TO
come after us.
! In this brief article | would speak
mot of Randolph. the statesman. but OF
Randolph the man. As a statesman
he was the peer of any man his age.
as 4 politician he was pre-eminently
successful, while as an orator he had
but few equals and no superiors
John Randolph was a man. Physic-
ally. he was a mere shell. 50 thin and
frail that he was scarcely able to cast
shadow. Jim Jeffries. had he been
living in his day, could have laid him
out with his little finger.
/ He was sick all his life and for years
before the undertaken finally took
charge of him he was TO all intents
and purposes as dead as he is today.
And yet, in the truest and highest
senses of the word, no man of his
time was SO thoroughly and grand!y
Ialive as was John Randolph.
Frail as he was physically, mentally
and morally he was a giant of the
giants, and by his superb will power
and uncomprOmising integrity of spirit
wrote a page of his nations history
that will always be TO us an honor and
a glory!
He was a politician. But he was a
politician with principle. Whether lis
.tening to the hosannas of success or
sitting in the ashes of defeat. he never
knew what it was to. feel the sting of
shame, the lashings of an upbraiding
conscience.
He never champiOned a cause that
he did not believe in with all his
heart and soul, and there was not a
man in the congress he served in who
did not know that John Randolph was
too brave to be frightened and too
pure to be bought
Randolph had an ideal. FaIstaff did
not know what "hOnOr" meant. Ran
dolph did-and his honor was the
tOuchstOne by which he tried every
thing that lie said or did
\ physical weakling. erratic. eccen-
trio. impulsive, hot-tempered. the great
Nirginian never lost sight of the star
1 guided him-the star of truth and
principle, of integrity and manhood,
His soul was not in the market. For
no price could his honor be purchased.
He was high above being influenced
by either threat or bride.
A gentleman of the "Old School" he
was foolish enough to believe with all
his heart. and soul, and mind and
strength, that there was an Eterna!
Right to which he owed an uncOmprO-
missing and unquestiOning fealty-and
to that belief he was faithful unto the
end.
There were giants in those days, but
the giants were unable to scare him
from the path along which he felt it
to be his duty TO travel.
Pages might be filled with his keen
sarcaSms and merciless retOrtS. Time
and again ne was beset by the bench
men OF unprincipIe, by the fOOtlickcrs
and tiMe-servers of his day. and upon
these creatures be turned with All the
fire and fury. with all the wit and
vitrIol of his imprisoned soul, blister
ing them until they hOwled with pain.
There never lived a man about whom
there is greater fund of anecdOte.
y man might tell stories about John
Ran lOlph by the hour.
Hu. interesting as these stories are.
ther pale before the simple fact of
Eandolnh's incOrruptible integrity.
The OLE Virginian was brilliant. bril-
liant as star. and many in his day
We're made TO feel the sting of his ter
rible tOngue--but the main thing for
u 10 remember about the man is the
fact that he was man, and that he
was not TO be bullied or bribed from
doing the thing which he honestly h~-
lieved he ought to do.
Long life 10 the memory Of John
Randolph, Of Roanoke!-Rey. Thomas
3. Gregory.