The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-15

earliest eligible period OF life, you
took me up a poor boy without ade-
quate merit and you have ever since
upheld me by your gracious confi-
dence, though my faults and infirritles
have been many and great" 1t is
proper to say here that during the
time that he was member of the
House of representatives he had many
and repeated encounters with John
Quincy Adams. The Old Man Elo-
auent' of Massachusetts,, upon the
right Of the people of the District OF
Columbia to petition Congress for tho
abolition of slavery III that District.
Some OF Mr.. Wises speeches were
full of the fercest invective, but 1t
Is believed that he and Mr.. Adams all
ways maintained friendly relations.
In this connection am reminded
of an anecdote concerning Mr.. Adams
and Stephen A. Douglas while they
! were members of the House. Mr.. Doug
| las took occasion to indulge in a most
bitter criticism of a speech delivered
| by Mr.. Adams. At its conclusion the
old man scarcely able to sit up. rose
halfway from his chair. and in a
voice tremulous with emotion, uttered
] these memorable words:
IF 1t affords the gentleman from
| Illinois any pleasure to pour upon my
| head, now whttened over with tho
frosts of fourscore winters. the phials
| of his impotent wrath let him enjoy 1t.
! let him enjoy It,"
Minister TO Brazil.
In November, 1870, MI. Wise was
i married to Miss Sarah Sargent, Of
Philadelphia who was reputed to have
been most lovely and accomplished.
| His duties at Brazil We're of the ord'-
| nary chara cter, except that he devoted
/ himself with more than usual interest
!, to the suppression of the slave trade
between Africa and Brazil. He was
at all times unremitting in his efforts
TO have those engaged in the trade
! arrested and brought to trial. and per-
| haps he did more than any other man
to arouse public attention to this alb
sorh!ng subject Soon after his return
4 home he resumed the practice OF HI;
i profession at Onnncock Creek. to which
i he added the name OF Only" In Z
I short time he was In the enjoyment
1 of a most lucrative practice, and de-
clared it to he his purpose to abandon
4 politics forever. but in 1S4S he was
nominated as an elector from his dis.
trict on the Cass and Butler Democra,
/ tic ticket In 1850 there was wide
4 antagonism between the people OF
/ Underwater Virginia and those west o
the mountains. Like all highland an[
i lowand people there was q wide dl'
I vergencs In sentiment ana leelnS IRON
\ the time of the Revolutionary War un-
!. til the year of 1850 between the peopls
of Eastern Virginia sand the traumon'
tame sections. They differed in soil
climate. systems Of labor and habits
everywhere in the eastern counties
4 while comparatively few had carried
their slaves west OF tha Alleghanles,
An Assemblase Of Giants.
4 The agitation for q new Constitution
I continued uninterruptedly for ovcl
4 fifty years, when In October, 1899, {
, great convention of intellectual giant
assembled In the city Of Richmond fol
the purpose OF remodeltng the law o
the state. twas composed OF such meI
as Monroe. Madison, Marshall, upshur
Barbour. Doddrldge, Benz. Watkins
I.eigh, Chapman Johnson, Giles, Drom
doole Tyler, Baldwin, stewart. JOIN
Randolph OF Roanoke, Mercer, Cooke
Powell, Tazewell Gordon, Alexandel
Campbell and others scarcely less dis
tinguished. The all-absorbing question
of the hour was the basis OF represen
tation, The eastern memhers contend
cd for representatives based IN prop
evty. as we'll rs numbers, commonl!
!, known as the mixed basis" While tn
u western members Wcre practlcall.