Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-12-24
TOLD Of CARNACK,
Brilliant Tennesseeail Noted For
His Wit and Eloquence.

lsDIHssdfW tEtIItCSSGEaIf NUtEu TUT
His Wit and Eloquence.
FAMOUS RELATER or STORIES
Former Senator Was Regarded 40
Brightest Raconteur That Ever
Came TO Neutrality-suspicious. He Was
Cured of astrinsins Peopis''-Fine
Sample Of His Eioquenee.
Edward Ward Carmack, editor Of
the Nashville Tennesseean, who was
shot and killed by Robin ]. Cooper the
other afternoon in Nashville, was
United States senator from Tennessee
from 1901 to 1907, inclusive. While in
the senate he impressed himself deep
" on the public mind, especially in bis
Grst term, for he was a brilliant man
| without being superficial. He was
thus described at the time:
He revels in the roar and blaze at
the front. He delights to give thrust
for thrust, and the rasping Of the
swords only sharpens his steel for an
Eother fight. In debate he Yields no
blunt broadsword. He cuts with the
keen points of the rapier. Inyective
and eloquence are employed with
equal ease. Humor and sarcasm are
his side arms"
In all probability Carmack was the
fwittiest man who ever entered the
United States senate. His wit was
4 not forced, as the wit Of 30 many con-
gressional humorists is. On the conf
trary, Carmack's wit shone best when
he had had no chance Tor preparation
and when some assault Of the moment
evoked his battery. He never prepared
q speech; the glories of wit that reused
the Joy even Of Republicans were ex-
temporaneous almost always and chal-
1enged always by some incautious at
tack from the other side.
When he first came to the front in
the senate his tempestuous style Of
fighting attracted Republican oppos
nents as molasses attracts flies. He
was continually the center of q fight.
! Sometimes temperament betrayed him
into saying things which In cooler mo-
ments he regretted. Then did Car
mack demonstrate the full measure Of
his manhood, for, no matter what the
effort cost him, he apologized-not pri-
vately, but publicly before the senate
which had heard him say the stinging
thing. One such occasion was when
Dolliver made an insulting speech
about him. Carmack's reply was:
Il did not call the senator from Iowa
to order because know that to re-
Quire him to speak the language Of de-
cency and courtesy in debate would be
to condemn him to absolute silence for
the rest of his life''
In cool blood Carmack knew that he
.fshould not have said this, and he was
man enough to rise next day and re-
tract it.
Carmack was regarded as the most
brilliant story teller that ever came to
i Washington, a city Of story tellers.
However, his wit was not limited to
the commonplace arena OF narrative.
4 He was a man quick on the trigger In
debate, a man SO witty In retort that
his extemporaneous repartees sounded
as If they were. the product of q
1 months midnight OIL
4 A joke perpetrated by Mr.. .Carmack
was thus described some years ago by
q former Tennessee Politician who
said: About twenty years ago Senator
lGarnaack was q. member of the county
court Of Maury county, Tenn, and ex.
tracted great deal Of fun from the
deliberations Of that staid and some
times stupid body. One Of Carmack's
tricks brought the court notoriety, d
not fame. The justices, who knew as
little about the constitution as jay
bird knows about the Koran and cared
less, were grinding out laws regulat
ing everything under the sun. Justice
Carmack arose and presented a reso
luton which recited In its preamble
/. the uselessness Of constitutions in gen
eral and the depravity Of the Tennes
see organic law In particular and
wound up the resolve that the consti
tuition be and the same is hereby abol
ished. Carmack made brilliant and
stirring speech, working the court NJ
q to Q frenzy: of indignation. At the
close Of his effort the court passed tht
resolution In a whoop. Nobody smiled
not even Carmack, at the time, bu
next day when the news was scatter
I ed broadcast the state roared in ap
preciation.s
d Senator Carmack used to have pre-
dilection for that kind of practical jok
ing known as astringing people o.
late he had entirely abandoned 1t ant
become regenerated man through al
incident that occurred during polit
ical campaign.
. AS Senator Carmack stepped into al
elevator the elevator boy, who knew
him well, asked, How is Captain
Pierce today, senators" He referred
to Captain joe Pierce, well knowr
figure around the headquarters Of th.
Democratic congressional committee.
Dead" replied Mr.. Carmack sadly