Evening star., 1945-04-08
Capital Sidelights
By viii P. Kennedy.

The recent mention in this column
of the fact that Ignatius Donnellys
atlantis" is to be reprinted prompted
more than 20 letters, asking about
Donnelly, including eight from members
of Congress. Briefly, he was one of
the most erudite and brilliant men who
ever sat in the National Legislature.
A letter from Stewart Holbrook of
Portland, Oreg., who is writing an
Unconventional History of the United
States" says: Il envy you having known
Ignatius DOnnelly. To my mind he
was one of the most engaging char
acters in American public life in the
18th century
Dr. William Watt FoIwell, president
emeritus of the University of Mime
sofa and author of the four-Volume
History of Minnesota" published by the
Minnesota Historical Society, stated that
it is his deliberate judgment" after
hearing him speak on a variety of oc-
casions, that Minnesota has possessed
no other public speaker the equal of
Ignatius Donnelly"
He has many claims to enduring
fame. He is described as a man of
striking but wayWard originality" The
late Champ Clark, quarter of a GEN.
tury ago, told the writer, regarding the
controversy over who wrote Shake
speare's plays, that Mark Twain's book,
rs Shakespeare Dead?' was one of the
most interesting on the subject, and
that Nathaniel Holmes. while judge of
the Supreme Court of Missouri, before
accepting the chair of law at Harvard
wrote The Authorship of Shakespeare
and in "lawyer-fashion" proved that
Bacon was the author.
Then Mr.. Clark told of a dinner
given to permit Donnellv to expound
his cryptogram theory. He claimed to
have discovered a cipher story. running
through the Shakespeare plays, that
proved that Bacon had written them.
Donnelly in 1887 had written a mas
sive tome on The Great Cryptogram."
The controversy ragged during the high
school days of the writer of this column
Those invited to heckle Donnelly at that
dinner included the famous Proctor
Knott, Jim Mckenzie, Senator Joseph
C. S. Blackburn and Col Dick Winter
smith, all of Kentucky, and all in
veterate jokesmiths. After Donnelly
had talked for five or six hours, Winter
smith challenged him. saying: Il know
positively that Shakespeare wrote every
word. I was present and saw him
write them with his own hand Aghast.
Donnelly exclaimed: "Why-how could
you-Shakespeare has been dead 300
years?" Wintersmith turned to Black
burn and remarked. wonderingly. Joe,
how time does f1y!"
After serving in Congress from 1863
to 1869. Donnelly edited the Anti
monopolist in support of the Greenback
policy. He was the Peoples party
nominee for the vice presidency in 1898.
and again by the Middle of the Road"
wing of the same party. Atlantis was
his first essay in iconoclasticism
At one time Alexander Ramsey of
Minnesota invited Donnelly to be his
companion on a campaign tour. DR..
Folwell records that 'in private con-
veyance they travelled more than 1000
miles and each made more than 60
speeches, winning an overwhelming Re-
publican victory in 1859, and it was 40
years before another Democrtic Gov
ernor was elected" Ramsey was elected
Governor and Donnelly lieutenant
governor.
Donnelly was conspicuous figure in
Minnesota politics for 40 years. Before
migrating to Minnesota at the age of
26 he had practiced law, been happily
married, published a volume of poetry,
written editorials for a Democratic
July address on the steps of Independ-
ence Hall, in Philadelphia, his native
city.
Edward L. Roach Hyattsville, writing
for information, said he had been
intrigued while reading the life of
Stanley, the explorer, by the mention
of a book, Caesars Columns" men,
toned by Stanley in letter to his wife.
Stanley commented that the prophecies
were interesting but highly fantastic.
This STORY Of the Twentieth Century"
was published in 1890 under the
pseudonym of Edward Boisgilbert
M. D." It was translated into several
languages, and it has been claimed that
100000 copies were sold, the largest part
of them in Europe. The final chapter
contains Donnellys utopia-a paradise
On earth.