The Neshoba Democrat., 1910-04-14

i
alism; a senator without Il
power to see, the youngest member of
the American house of lords" repre-
senting the youngest state In the III
Union Al
If the story Of Senator Gore of ~
Oklahoma could no other pur. NJ
pose than to illustrate how a brave w
heart and persistent ambition can M
overcome even the greatest difficult NM
ties in life it would be worth telling NM
Loyalty to set purpose, maintained ANN
resolutey through 25 years of bitter NNM
struggle, raised this poor blind Ameri. NWW
can boy to seat in the most distin- ANMW
gushed law-making body in the world WNW
although he sometimes lived on the W\M\N
verge of starvation. Nothing could M\W
shake his determination to be a SEN Nv
ator He had no eyes, but he had Va
tongue, He had no money but he had </fNO4N
courage He was obscure, but he had l MN
high ambition. He could not see the ~
world about him, but he had smile
TO win 1t. perseverance to compel &
It's admiration and support. s.
few months after Mississippi was =
readmtted to the Union in 1870 Thom '|(
as Pryor Gore was born on an SO.acre
farm 30 miles from the nearest rail- (~
way. o.
Here the boy grew up among the
eeAs ana pmes stocky, gray-eyed little fel.
low .o"' VINO could outrun any of his companons
village of Wal all
was established in the woods nearby and tho
Gore family went there to live. Young Tom at.
tended a small school set among the trees ont
side of the village WV
AT the age OF eight years the boys left eve
was ounded by an accidental blow from stick
lhree years later he employed as a page in
tne mississippi senate and boarded at the house
OF senator j. 2. George in Jackson One dav
Wnlie playing with crossbow an arrow entered
MS right eye and destroyed his sight
IN spite OF his affction young Gore managed
10 stand at the head of his class in school and at
the age OF II years entered a normal school
which was opened. Here he gradually became
totally blind. yet he mastered the high school
course
While Gore was attending the high school his
closest companion was a cassmate, Charles H.
Plttman< This youth used to read to him One
Il day they found an old volume of the Congress.
sional Record. Going out to the stable. the blind
STUDENT would stand for hours while Pttman read
to him the speeches of the lawmakers at Wash.
ington.
During that winter Gore and his sister taught
school for a few months. All the while his moth.
er, a bedridden invalid, read to him history bog.
raphy and other subjects connected with his no.
htical plans, and he would sit by the bed
strange smile on his blind countenance dreaming
and brooding and waiting for the day when he
might take part In the great battle of politics like
other men.
His great chance came in the spring of 1891
The Populist movement was spreading rapidly
and he Joined 1t. In the state campaign for a
legislature to elect United States senator he
took up the cause of Barksdale against George,
although as boy he had lived in Georges house
The blind orator shrank from no conflict He
even debated with Senator Money, whose tongue
all Mississippi dreaded and who smiled males.
tlcally when told that his opponent was "a poor
blind schoolboy." Senator Money declared that
but for his antagonists blindness he would hold
MIN personally responsible for his words-a
deadly thing to say in Mississippi Gore prompt.
ly replied, Let him then blindfold himself and
will meet him."
In September of that year he went to the law
schooi at Cumberland university, Tennessee and
studied law for ten months. He was one of the
leading six students in class of AZ. This expe
rlence cost him 1891 and he returned to his Mis-.
slsslppf village with only Is cents in his pocket
In a suit OF clothes he had worn for IA months
He had almost been compelled to leave the. law
school months before for the lack of suitable
clothing.
Yet his unquenchable ambition to reach the
United States senate grew more intense as the
difficulties of his situation increased
Cores father had taken up the practice of
law In Walthall and, on returning from the law
y school In 1892 the youth was welcomed as an
assistant In the Office. That year too he was a
presidential elector on the Populist ticket at
tackled Grover Cleveland on the stump and carried
his county.
Tne practice OF law not an inspiring occu
patton in Walthall. There were actually As law.
yers In that small, poor village The blind advo
cate tried few cases.
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