The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-06-06

extremist who would save the Union at
he expense of the Constitution and the
Southern extremist who would save
the Constitution by destroying the
| Union, are to be equally condemned.
Let US have both, my countrymen; .ne
Constitution ~inviolate, and the Union
as it's surest defence These were
noble and patriotic words worthy TO
| have been uttered by a Grecian or
Roman sage in the most prosperous
| and golden age of those cultured IA
tons. In this campaign Hill ana
| Stephens began a joint canvas, but IN
| their first meeting Hill utterly routed
stephens and he never forgave him Or
met him again, and from this discus
SIGN dates a political animosity that
aeted throughout life. Stephens afcec-
| wards challenged Hill for a due. HILL
rcfLsed to accept r. challenge and
stated that he did not wish 20 involve
| the violation OF his conscience and the
| hazard of his family as against HIM
who has neither conscience nor lam
fly" ToombS was more generous TO.
wards his political rivals for he DE-
clared| IN speaking of Hill: You may
bury him under a that VIII
| overtop Pelion and make Ossa a wart.
/ ard he would rtse again more forInid-
able than ever and more really Tor the
! conflict. lie Is bound to succeed He
was born to excel" In 1857 Hill was
nominated by the WhiT Know-notl.ng
marty for Governor, and Joseph E
Br " = was n9min.t.d by the lIent-
Gratis. Trown hJl cad that Ben Hill
POSSESSED great ell 10 e. but lacked
jUdxo..lt" Notwithstanding This est
mate of his antagonist he was no
match 'vr Hill ~ tie stump. For I'LL
~: ritfp Stephens Of. he stump and
h1d c>e'thrown Toms in debate.
"ccmbs' biographer In speaking OF
Hills daring onslaught upon him, says:
"Toombs sat back with his fine feat
ures lit with scorn. His facial express
SIGN was a rare part of his strength.
He seemed to repe1 With his look the
impudence Of th:s fearless young
statesman. Hill saw the effect If his
own audacity and piled his blows like
Wintery rain" A keen observer Of
this dramatic play, declares that the
pose of these two men reminded HIM
of Landsur's picture OF dignity and i'm
pudence." Hills fame was now Sc
cure, for he had thoroughly impressed
himself upon the people as one of the
great men of the South. In 1850 Hill
was a Bell n Everett presidential
elector. He realized that a terrible
crisis was upon the country and that
the most Sagacious craftsmanship u
the most prudent management was
necessary to aver the threatened ca
1amity He loved the Union and he
would have ~resorted to any honorable
means to save it He foresaw that the
election Of Lincoln would plunge the
country into q. bloody cruel war, n
the only way to prevent his election
| was by a fusion of the Bell Brecken-
ridge and Douglas tickets. So just be-
fore the election he wrote a strong ap-
peal urging h fusion Of these three
tickets. The proposition was favored
by some Of the ablest leaders Of tbs
! three parties, but was finally declined.
The people were in the thrOes Of q rev
olution, their reason was dethroned,
and you could no more stop it than you
could a cyclone. This effort Of Hill to
prevent the revolution and a v the
shedding Of blood, stamps him as a
patriot who stood far above party and
as a ph~Nanthropist who loved his fell
low man. Solitary. and alone he stood
above the mists. the passions. the pre-
JUDGES and the hatreds of ordinary
| men, k q man upon a lofty noun
tain peak, where the air is pure, the
sky is serene and high above the sun
of glory giows.' In such a position,
| man partakes of the nature Of his Gre
ator. Byron says:
Abov me are the Alps.
The palaces OF nature, whose vast
walls
Have pinnacled in clouds their snowy
And throned Eternity in icy halls,
OF cold sublimity. where forms and
falls
The avalanche-the t~hunderbolt Of
snow.
An that expands the spirit; yet ap-
pals;
| Gather around these SUBMITS a. to
show
How Earth may pierce to Heaven; yet
leave vain NAL below"
Mr.. Hill was a delegate to the Geor-
gia secession convention which as
sembled in the capital Of the State in
January, 1851. Believing that the
south should present a united front, he
voted for the ordinances Of secession.
The vote was close, 166 to 100. The
| people rejoiced over the secession Of
the State. Cannons were fired, bon
fires illuminated the and the
| air laden with eloquent speeches.
While the people were thus rejoicing