The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-01-11

In the morning
What did you read in the GlobeE'
The rauity Of men. read, Mr.
Dunmeade viii undoubtedly make 3
strong candidate The entire county
wants him It 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
meades'
1t is, he confessed, rather pleas
ant-if true Who are your
And suddenly with a laugh. she was
gone. amid a clatter Of hoofs
Alone he addressed the morning
she said am strong. wonder. am
| stTong-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-o
an epoch. The epoch has been vari-
ously styled a 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 a distinguish
ed member of a class whose climbing
procIivities are not subdued 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 To
the victor belong the spOils." In the
fashion made popular by Abraham 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 a lukewarm 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,
vidious have made much of this deco
ration. However, it probably required
a finer courage to resign from the colo
nelcy 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-
lets There are many ways of express
ing ones patriotism. Later he served
his country as prothOnOtary for Benton
county. Afterward he passed through
many gradati0ns of political prefer
ment as representative in the general
assembly of his state, as state sena-
tor. as state treasurer and fnally as
United States senator, which exalted
office he held until-but we anticipate
eur history. He became in addition
leader of his party organization, al
euphemism employed by those who oh
jected to the term boss"
William Murchell's creed was that
of d respectable but practical man.
He was Il teetotaler and a Presbyte-
rian elder and believed in the doc.
trine of foreordination and in a literal
scriptural hell for those not numbered
among the elect He believed devout
ly in the avowed and tacit principles
of his party. although be was not big
oted and would on occasion take a Sc
cret hand in the affairs of the oppOSi
ton. He had more than once read
out Of the party fooIhardy young men
who ventured to oppose his leadership
He lived during at least two months
of every year in the town of his birth
either in the square. white frame
house on Maple street or at the farm
three miles west, which he let ION
shares" New Chelsea was a quaint
old fashioned town lying at the head
of the Weehannock valley. quite con
tent with its population Of 5000 and
with the honor of being the county
seat. which MurcheITs influence had
prevented from being moved to Plum
vile. that thriving little factory city
fifteen miles away
Down Main street one fine June aft
ernoon he was walking with that air
of abstraction which sits so we'll on
the great
He has big possibilities" Uncon
sciously the senator spoke aloud
His companion seemed to under
stand the reference He's all right
he answered. State Senator Jim
Sheehan was a big. fat gentleman with
furtIve. twinkIing eyes, modicum OF
coarse good looks and a rolling, cock
sure gait bred of no misfortune. He
was q son of power. Fifteen years be
fore he had gone to Plumville to work
in the mills. an uncouth. unlettered
Trishman, who could tell a good story
hold unlimited quantities Of liquor and
was not unwilling to work when mon
ey could not be had otherwise,
But not long for him had been the
CRIME and roar aud muscle racking OF
the mills Money could be had more
easily. PlumviIle was booming. There
were streets TO be graded and paved
public buildings to be constructed. Jim
went into politics and because be was
a good vote getter" and had d Ger
tain rough talent for the >zame acQuir-
ed power He opened Il saloon and ac
quiTed more power. He became a con
tractor and secured many contracts
One day the city awoke to the fact
that Jim Sheehan owned its govern
meBt The citizens cried out in pro
test-and. With the habit of Americar
cities, little and biz, submitted ID
became by virtue of his alliance with
MUrchell. state senator from Benton
county ana Ieader-wP cling to the
euphemism the county organiza
| ton
Hes all right" be repeated and