The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1913-06-26
conventions? l am not a barbarian n
the habit of philoSophizing with strange
in the morning"

ne VANITY OF men. ! read, MT.
Dunmeade will undoubtedly make II
strong candidate The entire county
wants him. 1t will have him. 1t reads
like patent medicine advertisement
doesn't it: How does it feel to be
wanted by an entire county. Mr.. Dun
neade:"
1T is.'' he confessed. rather pleas
ant-if true Who are you:''
And suddenly. with laugh. she was
gone. amid clatter of huofs
Alone he addressed the morning.
"She said am strong. I wonder. am
strong-strong enough?" And. search
ing his soul for the answer. he heard
no negative.
This chronicle, we neglected to state
begins at the beginning of the end Of
an epoch. The epoch has been vari
ously styled golden age. period of
prosperity. an era of expansion. 1t was
all of that-to a few For others.
though they did not see it. It was a
recession, a truce in the struggle, old
as life itself, between the many and
the strong.
William Murchell was distinguish
ed member of class whose climbing
prOclivities are not snbdued by the in
cident Of lowly start He was born
in the obscure hill town of New Chel,
sea soon after Andrew Jackson and
his contemporaries promulgated and il
lustrated the immortal doctrine. ITO
the victor belong the spois." In the
fashion made popular by Abra ham Lin
coin and other great men he secured
an education and on the day he attain
ed his majority was admitted to the
practice of law in Benton county.
About the same time he entered the
broader profession Of politics. being
then Il lukewarn WhiG
His military services are perhaps
best dismissed with the mention Of a
certain gold medal struck in his honor.
by special act of congress, for gallant
conduct on the field of battle The in
vidiuus have made much of this deco
ration However. it probably required
finer courage to resign from the colo
neIcy of his home guard regiment on
the eve Of Gettysburg-this indeed was
the fact-to accept the less exposed Of
fee Of aid to the governor at the capi-
tai than to face the hail of rebel bul-
let's. There are many ways Of express
| ing ones patriotism Later he served
| his country as prothonotary for BENTON
county. Afterward he passed through
many gradations of political prefer
| ment, as representative in tho general
| assembly of his state. as state Sena
tor. as state treasurer and finally rs
United States senator. which exalted
office he held until--hnt we anticipate
our history. He became in addition
leader of his party organization. ar
euphemism employed by those who oh
| lected to the term boss"
| William Murchell's creed was thai
Of respectable hut practical man
He was a teetotaler and a Presbyte
rian elder and believed in the doc
| trinc of f0reOrdination and in n litera
scriptnrnl hell for those not numbered
among the elect He believed devOut
| ly in the avowed and tacit principle:
of his party. although he was not big
cted and would on occasion take a Sc
cret hand in the affairs of the opposi
ton. He had more than once reat
out of the party foolhardy young mel
who ventured to oppose his leadership
lie lived during at least two months
Of every year in the town Of his birth
either in the square. white franz
house on Maple street or at the farm
three miles west, which he let ''o1
shares" New Chelsea was quaint
old fashioned town lying at the hea'
of the Weehannock valley. quite cor
tent with it's population of 5000 an
with the honor of being the count
seat. which MurcheII's influence ha
prevented from being moved to Plum
vile. that thriving little factory cit
ifteen miles away.
Down Main street one fine June af
ernoon he was walking with that al
OF abstraction which sits so well o
the great.
HE has big possibilities" Uncol
scionsly the senator spoke aloud
His companion seemed to nnde
stand the reference Ties all right
he answered State Senator Jill
Sheehan was big, fat gentleman wit
furtive, twinkling eyes, modicnm
coarse good looks and a rolling. coo
sure gait bred of 10 misfortune. II
was sou Of power. Fifteen, years b
fore he had gone to I'lnmvillc to wOI
in the mills. an nncnuth. nnlettert
Irishmau. who could tell n good stor
hold unlimited quantities of liquor al
was not unwilling to work when mo
ey could not ln had otherwise
But not long fer him had been Il
CRIME and roar and muscle racking
the mills. Money could he had mo
easily Plumvil!c was booming The
were streets to be graded and pave
public buildings to bc constructed ii
went into politics aud because he "
good vote gPttpr" and had &C
tain rough talent for the game acQu
I'd power He opened u saloon and 4
quired more power. He became Il &c
tractor and secured many contrac
One day the city awokr to the ia
that Jim Sheehan owned its Cover
ment The citizens cried ont in p
test and. with the habit of Amerlc
cites. little and big, submitted.
. be,.ame. by virtue of his alliance "
Murchell, state senator from Bent
n county and ieader-we cling to
ID cuphelIiiSIn the county organl
ton.
O. Hes all right" he repeated a
chIckled.
Id En-, said Murchell. "Who's
W right