Georgia Historic Newspapers

    The Greorgia "W'eekly Telegraph.
THE TELEGRAPH.
MACON, FRIDAY DECEMBER 4, 1868.
THE GEORGIA PLANTERS VP
DOING,
The Puutri’ end Planter** Convention.
FOOTS AND FOWLEH.
The Nashville Banner contains five col
* ui&ns of the most amiable, complimentary
aed endearing correspondence between Hen'
rj 8. Foote and Joseph 8. Fowler, upon the
general political future of Tennessee and the
Union. Foote jubilates in the prospect of
«poedy emancipation of the whites of the
State and a just, ^rise and paternal adminis-
<ion by Gen. Grant. Fowler philosophizes
over the situation and declares that equal
and universal suffrage is the distinctive and
cardinal feature of the Republican party, and
the disfranchisement of all the respectable
people in that State was a temporary meas
tire of self-protection; bnt the Radicals are
now ready to make generous “ concessions/
•Foote follows in a series of protracted and
felicitous observations drawn principally
from the college classics—from Cicero and
Cscsar—and concludes with some beneficent
predictions—one of which runs thus:
I venture to predict that the time will yet
come in the South, and come speedily, when
are shall be known as the most harmonions
people that the sun of Heaven ever shone
upon, in spite ot all the selfish and malignant
efforts to set the two races in our midst in
'Unnatural conflict with each other, alike in
■opposition to the principles of sonnd policy
-ana true humility.
And another thus: <
I venture, in conclusion, to predict, that in
less than twelve months from the present
time, nine-tenths of the whole population of
Tennessee, and the whole body of those now
disfranchised, will be warmly sustaining the
administration of Gen. Grant, upon the sonnd
constitutional principles which he will an-
nounce in his inaugural; while none bnt un
principled factionists anywhere will be seen
.opposing him. , *
Ox the Matter op Sweet Potatoes.—
Some of our cotemporaries .who have been
indulging in some insinuations prejudicial to
the veracity of the Telegraph, are begin
ning to open their eyes to truth and reason.
The Savannah Republican, which balked at
the story of an eighteen pound Florida po
tato, eays he has received one from Florida
nine feetlong. The Augusta Chronicle, which
made a mouth at our Georgia Potato weigh
ing nine and one half pounds, now boasts
-that he has received one weighing eight
pounds and is almost up with us. Ah, gen
tlemen, live and learn. Open your eyes and
-behold the wonders of nature. The heaviest
issue ever made on our veracity was made by
a man who bad spent all his life in the far
South, and yet said if mocking birds ever
sang by moonlight, by all the gods Tie had
never heard them.
Lands and Immigration in Virginia.—
^The Culpeper Observer says a farm of 340
r~ V QPE%. < * was count y to a Pennsylva-
» nianld" thirt y dollars an acre and $1200 for
the implements. large party of Mary-
s landers and Pennsylvanians were baying
■; lands inthe.RosmJ" 0 ValIe y- Gentlemen of
- wealth from the same were bu y in S “
* Surry county. Onebf thfc.Ma»7 land BreatIieds
had purchased Bolling Hall on upper
■ James. The tide of immigration inv. 0
-ginia was rapidly increasing.'
To beheld in Macon on the 9th and 10th
instant, promise to be. largely attended by
many of the staunchest and most influential
men in .Georgia. Nnrqbers of the counties
have already appointed highly intelligent
delegations, and, in others, meetings for the
purpose have been called.
The spirit of the Georgia agriculturists is
fast becoming aglow. In fact, we have never
seen in this State a better feeling than now
prevails among them. Their minds are full
of the spirit of inquiry and improvement.
They are eagerly investigating new processes
and modes of cultnre—the use ot fertilizers—
the benefits of deep plowing and thorough
culture—of improved and labor-saving im
plements.
The people arc, in fact, looking forward
witt hope to a long future in which agricul
tnral enterprise shall be fairly rewarded—
landed property rise in request and value—
the planting interest resume something of its
ancient prestige, and the great cotton crop of
America rapidly ascend to it^grand old pro
portions.
These are the ideas among all classes, and
we rejoice to say they are specially prevalent
among the young. The young farmers of
Georgia have made rapid strides in improved
farming, during the past two years, and in
the next two or three, will inaugurate a new
era in Southern agriculture.
The City Hall has two fine audience cham
bers which we have no doubt will be ten
dered to these Conventions, and they can car
ry on their deliberations independently, if
they deBire. Meanwhile, we trust the influ
ential Macon promoters of the Georgia Agri
cultural Society, and a Grand State Fair, iD
Macon, will be on hand with propositions for
an efficient co-operation in all the great
common purposes of these bodies. Their ob
jects, at the foundation, are one and the same
—to stimulate Georgia agriculture, on the
prosperity of which the welfare of the State
depends. But to meet the heavy outlays of
money,time and labor which are indispensable
to a grand Central Agricultural Fair, there
must be a local concentration of power and
energy and responsibility which must be pro
vided for in any scheme that may be adopted.
Cuba—Decline nr Slave Property.—
The Havana News of the 25th ultimo states
• that twelve first-dassfi*’^ hands, who three
monthB 6go -.wess WO rth $1,200 each, were
$900 each.
m Burke.—The Senior of the
*t7hronicle and Sentinel who has been attend
ing Court in Bnrke, says the cotton crop will
be little, if any, over one half of an average
crop. While the com and provision crop
will be ample for home consumption. The
cotton is generally housed, planters having
availed themselves of the fine weather this
fall to push the picking as rapidly as possi
ble. All classes complain of great impecu-
niosity, though we are disposed to believe it
is not so bad as they generally represent.
Atlanta City Election Postponed.—
The Atlanta City Council on Friday night
passed a series of resolutions postponing
their charter election till January. The rea
sons are the same which operate in the cases
of Columbus and Macon, and call for addi
tional legislation. The charter makes no
provision for negro votes and is held to be in
conflict with the Constitution.
The New York Times says of the news
item that Weed and Raymond are to buy
out the National Intelligencer and become
General Grant’s organ:
There is not a word of truth in this para
graph. So far as Mr. Raymond is concerned,
4t is a fabrication—pure and simple. As for
Mr. "Weed, we feel warranted in making a
-denial equally broad and quite as explicit.
The whole statement is not only false, bnt
absurd and ridiculous. Neither of the gen
tlemen named has the slightest disposition to
be anybody’s “organ.”
Radical Ticket in Augusta.—The Au
gusta Radicals renominated Foster Blodgett
for Mayor, and the following Conncilmen:
First Ward—W.' H. Stallings, Samuel Levy?
David A. Philpot; Second Ward—Ephraim
Tweedy, William Gibson, W. Peyton Rhodes;
Third Ward—Benjamin Conley, F. C. Taylor,
L S. Powell; Fourth Ward—Jacob R. Davis,
/John Reynolds, John D. Baker. There were
•registered on Saturday forty white and
twenty-one colored voters, making a total,
up to date, of 8,664, as folio ws: whites, 1,843
colored, 1,821.
('DISTINCTIONS ON ACCOUNT OF COLOR
OR RACE.”
The New Orleans papers publish a letter
from Thomas W. Conway, a Northern office-
seeking immigrant to that State, who, by
negro influence, has gained the position of
Superintendent of Public Education in Lou
isiana. Ho says it is impracticable to have
free schools composed ot whites and blacks,
and as education is the most important con
sideration after all, he thinks it best to keep
the two races separate in the schools until
public sentiment changes.
Such an intermixture of race is not more
impracticable in Louisiana than it would be
in any other civilized country where the
population is as equally divided between the
African and European races. We know it is
practiced to some extent in the North and
West; but there the negro children are in so
small a minority that isolation is perfect and
there is nothing to excite antagonism. Con
way, Fitb all bis prejudices, has been forced
to give tip the point iP Louisiana and to ad
mit that mixed public schools must work the
practical exclusion of the whites; and so
there is one .“distinction on account of col
or” which must exist in the civil administra
tion. And, as with the children, so with
the parents. All attempts to enforce a sim
ilar fraternization among adults in railway
cars, steamboats, hotels, churches and thea
tres will be discovered to be equally imprac
ticable. It is legislation against nature and
must be futile.
life and Character of Howell Cobb
BIBB COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT.
Report ot the Committee of the Nuta Bar.
Hon. E. A Nisbet, before reading the re
port, said : It has been my duty, during a
long professional life, to pay tribute to the
memory of many deceased member^ of the
Bar, but on no occasion have I bee* called
upon more peculiar and sadder, than the
present. There are circumstances in rela
tion to dhe death of Gen. Cobb wkich dis
tinguish it from any other within my ex
perience. His distinction as a politician
both before and since the war, his high
grade as a lawyer, his p.miable character and
numerous social virtues, and the place and
manner of his death, all combine to increase
the solemnities of this occasion. He died
suddenly in the city of New York—the great
theatre of events, of observation apd excite
ment ; with the eyes of the nation upon the
melancholy event; but, sir, inasmuch as it
has been my duty, as Chairman pf th'el com
mittee, to sketch in outline, the . prominent
traits of his character, I forbear, and shall
content myself with reading the report of the
committee, and adding that his life is
brilliant example for imitation, and his death
an illustration of the beautiful teachings of
the British poet—
The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power.
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Await alike the inevitable hour, T
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
The Committee appointed to prepare a
suitable tribute to the memory of the late
General Cobb, beg leave to submit the fol
lowing :
General Howell Cobb, being on a visit to
the North, with his wife and daughter, died
in the city of New York on the ninth day of
October last, at the age of fifty-three years.
He was Beized suddenly, was prostrated in
a moment of time, and expired in a few
minutes thereafter. A man of vigorous con
stitution, and, until very recently, in the
enjoyment of uninterrupted health, no one
had a fairer promise of long life; and
surrounded with numerous and devoted
friends, and.blessed with the sweetest and
richest endearments of home and family—of
a life of unmingled happiness. He was called
hence without premonition. This providence,
to onr limited vision, looks strange; but we
well know that it is not for us to sit in judg
ment upon the inscrutable events of the Di
vine government. We belieTe that the all
wise and all-merciful Ruler ordereth all things
well, and, therefore, it is onr duty and priv
ilege to acquiesce without a murmur in His
dispensations. “Justice and Judgment are
the habitation of Thy Throne; Mercy and
Truth shall go before Thy Face.” When the
telegraph announced the death of our brother,
thousands of people all over this broad land,
and we among the number, felt that they had
lost a loved and cherished personal friend.
The country was stricken with awe and trem
ulousness. Sadness, and sorrow, and deep re
grets fell upon all who knew him. We may not
assume to speak of the effects of their great
bereavement upon the family of the deceased.
They have solved the mystery of unutterable
grief. And yet, as we shall see, even they
are not left to mourn as those who have no
hope. It is a melancholy pleasure for us to
honor the name and memory of Gen. Cobb.
Alas! how melancholy ! Still it is a pleasure.
It is indeed pleasant to be enabled to place
upon the records of this Court, our unani
mous, cordial, unqualified testimony, to his
genius and learning, bis professional honor,
his statesmanship, his patriotism, his kind
ness of heart, and his unrivalled social attrac
tiveness. We lay this offering upon his tomb.
It may be humble, but it expresses our affec
tion and onr respect for his character, as elo
quently as would a monument caryed in mar
ble and emblazoned with gold.
Gen. Cobb was a native of Georgia, born
of highly respectable and pious parents, in
the county of Jefferson. He was graduated
at the University of Georgia, daring the
Presidency of Dr. Church, in the class of
1834. Immediately after his graduation he
commenced the study of the law, under the
direction of Gen. Hardin, a most excellent
gentleman of that ilk, and when admitted,
at an early age, settled in the town of Athens,
Clarke county. Very soon he acquired a good
practice, both in his own county and in the
circuit For several years he held the office
of Solicitor General of the Western Circuit,
discharging its duties efficiently—zealous to
convict the guilty, but forbearing towards
the innocent. ' >
Neither the sovereignty of the State nor
the citizen suffered wrong at his hands. A
brilliant career awaited him. With a com
manding person, fine voice, conciliating ad
dress, industry, thorough furniture and ar
dent, self-reliant and ambitious, he would
have speedily reached the highest level of
professional distinction. But a change came
over the spirit of his dream, and like most
young men of that day who were conscious
of intellectual power, he became enamoured
of political life, and his aspirations in that
direction were so promptly realized that his
profession became an object of secondary
importance.
After the fall of the Confederate Govern
ment he settled in the city of Macon, and
resumed the practice. His success was equal
to his most sanguine expectations; clients
multiplied and at his death he stood in the
front rank of the Georgia Bar. Upon an
occasion so solemn as this, it becomes us to
say nothing for effect and to indulge in no
exaggeration; and we may, therefore, hope
that our estimate of Gen. Cobb, profession
ally and otherwise, will be taken as true and
candid. He was not. in legal arguments, a
dealer in dull, dusty cases, with little or no
application to the point at issue. He was
master of the principles of onr noble Science,
and his acute discrimination and clear, vig
orous judgment enabled him to apply them
successfully. Nor did be rely upon them and
his native originating power alone, but
was wont to arm himself with authority,
that latest authority which ruled the prin
ciple and ‘most perspicuously illustrated
it. His manner of argumentation was
logical, without the stiff, cold, formal
ity of scholasticism. Indeed he was i
natural logician—he knew well how to as
sume premises and draw conclusions, without
the aid of the syllogism or the tricks of the
sophist. Before the Court he had great power
of condensation, and never weakened his
cause by repetition or profuse elaboration.
He was happy in the handling of facts before
thp jury, and skillful, though fair, in his state
ment of them—just to hii adversary, earnest
and persuasive. Not unfrequently wielding
at will both the convictions and the passions
of the panel. In this connection, it may be
proper to say that his eloquence found its
happiest display before large popular assem-
FETIT LARCENY EPIDEMIC.
Unfortunately there is generally quite too
much petit theft in these regions, but judging
from what wo hear, jnst now, petit larceny
has taken the form of an epidemic and noth
ing is safe about the house. We heard two
sons of Ham condoling each other.a day or two
since, over their empty chicken coops, .both
despoiled in one night. Their dejection and
distress were pitiable. Then maledictions
upon the “ triflin’ nigger thieves,” were em
phatic, and we, ourselves, could not help
thinking it hard that “no distinction on ac
count of color” bad been observed in these
depredations. It was a heavy lost of capital
to Cuffee.
But poultry, cows, pigs, firewood, vegeta
bles, household utensils, clothing at laundry
and everything else namable, is speedily taken
ont of sight when exposed to these skulking
larceners. Affairs are reaching that pass
when we must have a cure.
Let us Have Peace—The people of
Brownsville have held a meeting to denounce
the spirit of lawlessness in that section of the they should attempt to stir up strife between
EMIGRATION FROM THE NORTH.
“ Occasional,” (Forney,) in the Philadel
phia Press of the 28tb, is out in another let
ter urging Northern emigration southward.
He says:
It is given out on good authority that a
corps or the ablest of the Virginia orators,
prominent rebels, in Cabinet and field, intend
canvassing. such States as Pennsylvania to
invite farmers, mechanics, manufacturers and
capitalists into that State. Let us give them
hospitable welcome. Let us show them the
difference between passionate intolerance and
intelligent toleration. They will not only
find willing listeners, bnt thousands eager to
assist in the great work of substantial South
ern regeneration. Every county in Pennsyl
vania contains many who need only genuine
assurance of safety to themselves and their
enterprises to move into the South. Virginia
has always been favorably regarded by the
Pennsylvania farmer.
We dare say these Virginians will behave
like gentlemen and be well received; but if
State. They have pledged themselves to use
all means to put down prejudice and enmity,
renonnee strife, and eradicate every root Of
.bitterness, hostility and unkindness, and to
support the law in all cases. They say truly
that it is better to obey oppressive laws for
the time being, until they can be altered, than
to set them at defiance and have mob law.
Beginning of Foeeion Immigration
•South.—A Bremen bark reached Charleston
on Sunday with 300 immigrants. We hope
this is but the first riffle in a great incoming
tide of immigration South. ^
Bloody Work in Arkansas.—The raid
on Centre Point, narrated in Sunday’s dis
patches, was a most extraordinary proceed
ing and is quite inexplicable as that dispatch
.reads. . • * : .
The Cuba Revolutionists seem to be full
ot pluck, and say nothing about giving np
the ghost yet awhile.
* A Radical Elopement.—Two colored
yonths fled over the river irom Columbus to
Alabama on Saturday and were married.
The parents “disposed de match.”
labor and capital and go round Pennsyl
vania—the mining regions for illustration
—denouncing employers and plotting strikes
and ententes, they would hardly be let alone,
as the same class is down South.
Miraculous Escape from a Cave.—The
Knoxville Press and Herald, of the 26th inBtj
says:
James Williams, who lives eight miles from
Knoxville, in company with two other men,
was out hunting on Thursday night la3t.
Williams, who bad an axe. on his shoulder
and was in advance of the other two men
passing through a field, stepped into a hols
or cave and disappeared.
The party with him approached the cave
and hallooed, bnt got no response. They
went to a neighbor’s house and learned that
the depth of the cave had never been ascer
tained. They at once got bed cords and tied
them together, fastening a rock to one end
and letting it down in the hole to the depth
of 120 feet. Williams was alive, and tied the
rope around bis body and legs and was
hanled or pulled from the awful chasm by
six men who had come to his assistance. He
s still living, but with little hope of recov -
ery. These are facts, but look fabulous.
The Federal Union offers to issue a Daily
if the people of Baldwin will subscribe for
200 Copies. <•*■->
blieis. He was peculiarly at home at the hust
ings—there he achieved his most splendid
triumphs, there be became regal. His clarion
voice reached the ear of a great multitude,
and his honest, amiable character reached
their.hearts,
•
General Cobb’s political career was not
only successful but exceedingly brilliant.
He rose rapidly from oneposition to another,
until he became a recognized leader of the
great Democratic party of the American
Union. This is not the occasion, nor ours
the duty, to trace his ascending course. That
responsible task will devolve upon the his
torian or the biographer. Suffice it now to
say that, before the war, he represented his
District in Congress for a number of years
was Speaker of the House of Representatives
Governor of Georgia: and Secretary of the
Treasury during Mr. Buchanan’s administra
tion. His political record may be said to be
voluminous. In it there i3 not to be
iound a blot or a blur. Amidst all the
violence of party warfare no one of his
political opponents, however uiiscrupulousj
was ever known to utter a word impugning
his integrity as an officer, or his honor as a
gentleman. The House of Representatives
of the United States is a theatre upon whose
boards demagogues play for popularity—par
tisans for power—genius and eloquence for
renown and patriots for peace, order and
good government. It is, therefore, often dis
orderly, and frequently tumultuous. To pro
side over such a body with acceptability, re
quires rare endowments—a thprough knowl
edge of men—quickness of perception—pa
tience-self-control—firmness—a clear sense
of j ustice—tact and impartiality. Especially
is it necessary that the officer!command the
respect of the house. That is, in fact, the
chief element of his authority. All these
qualities onr friend possessedin an eminent
degree; and hence it was, that no speaker since
the time of Mr. Clay, discharged the duties
of the chair with more marked efficiency
than did he. When the State seceded, hav
ing contributed as much to that result as any
other citizen, he gave himself unconditional
ly to the cause of the South. He yielded to
it all the honors which he had won under the
Union, and consecrated to its success his
name, his estate, and his life. He was elected
a member of the Provisional Congress, and
when it met was chosen its presiding officer.
No body ever convened at the South was
more able or more patriotic than this Con
gress. Party prepossessions, committals, an
imosities and creeds had no place in the de
liberations of that august assembly. They
could not live in an atmosphere charged
with the sublime responsibilities of a stupen
dous revolution. A constitution was passed
upon the basis of the principles of 1776,
which was an improvement, as many belieTe,
upon the Federal Constitution—laws were
passed and officers chosen lo administer
them. The civil revolution vas in a few
weeks accomplished, and the new govern
ment moved forward with a harmonions
grandeur unparalleled in tie annals of
empire. To these ends no nember con
tributed more than Gen. Cobb His exper
ience, profound knowledge of - onstitutional
law, his devotion to constitut onal liberty,
and sound judgment, were al made avail
able in that great crisis. He wt s also a mem
ber of the permanent Confeder ,te Congress;
but when the war began to r ge, with its
terrific foreshadowing of slaughter, poverty
and the scafiold, be retired froi i the halls of
legislation and joined the army rising rapid
ly to the grade of Major Gen iral. In the
military service, he was ever pi udent, obed
ient to rightful authority, galls it and ener
getic. When the Confederate C overnment—
after sacrifices indiscribable, and the display
of heroism unimagined in the i ildest dream
of romance—fell, he conceded hefactofita
extinction by overwhelming f >rce, and ac
quiesced in the necessity of the surrender of
its armies. Not only so, but h< advised and
urged the return of the Southi rn States to
their former place in the Union. Uncom
plainingly, and with quiet dig nity, he re
tired to the walks of private life We looked
to him, in these latter day tTO ibles and in
the contingencies of the future, as one ot our
wisest, safest advisors. We d d well hope
that he would live to be, as he ever had been,
the champion of law and liberty! But behas
passed “from gloom to glory,” jmd bis coun
try has nothing left bat the heritage of his
fame and virtues. <
Turn we now to contemplate him in his
private character. A mere outline sketch is
all that we are at liberty to appropriate to a
theme to which a volume might well be de
voted. Its necessary meagreness, however,
does not mako it otherwise than grateful. It
is sometimes the case tbnt eminent men, es
pecially in political life, draw around them
friends, from fear, or favor, or policy. Gov.
Cobb’s friends became such from affection.
It is believed that he left more personal
friends than any man who hits lived and
died in the State. These admired him for
his ability, but loved him for the kindness,
generosity and nobility of bis nature. They
were attracted by his stern sense of justice
—by his benevolence—his charity and his
genial companionship. Had he been les3
distinguished, he would not have been less
beloved. Political antagonism engendered
no bitterness in his soul; rivalry created no
hatred, and disappointment—did not lessen
his cheerfulness. Public life did not cool
the warmth of his heart, ancUpgh position
did not weaken in him the obligation of so
cial duties. Nor was be capricious in liia
likings, but true and staunch, through evil
and through good report. The lowly and
the lofty alike, if meritorious, shared in bis
good offices and elicited his sympathy.
In the relations of husband, parent, brother
and companion, he was a-model man. His
intercourse with his family was governed by
the law of love. .* v ’*• v ' : •' p* *?. ■ f
As its head, he ruled with prudence and
authority, but it was the authority of supe
rior wisdom, united with forbearance, ten
derness and assiduous attention. His wife
and children alone know, and they only Can
tell, how sweet were the charities of their
home.
The soldiers of his command during the
war testify to his considerate attention. The
poor, the suffering and dying, were always
the objects of his care and kindness. It has
been represented by one occupying a high
place, recently, that he visited, upon e sick
and dying Federal prisoner, extreme and
wanton cruelty. This charge has been con
clusively disproved, bnt if it were not, we
who knew.him well, could not—would not
believe it. It . is contradicted by the whole
tenor of his life, and by the unbroken course
of our experience of bis character.* And,
standing as we do, at the brink of hia Recent
ly opened grave, we take the responsibility
of
of saying, that the Conduct attributed to him
was utterly impossible.
Perhaps in nothing was the
his heart more beautifully manifested,
than in his benevolent attention to depend
ants. Some of theuld and faithfnl servants,
for example, of the family. These he provi
ded for and protected. Destitution and want
always drew from him sympathy and sup
plies. Vv'.'.W
It remains to speak of his religions
character. He never made a public pro
fession of religion, but it is kbown to
hiB intimate friends that he had .made up
his mind to unite with the Baptist church j the
church of his parents and of his wife, upon
his return this fall to Macon. In the judgment
of those friends, he died a Christian. And
this is the hope that we trust, even now
mitigates the sorrow of his mourning family
and relations, and will, ere long, reconcile
them to his loss. He was a praying man for
fifteen years before his death, according to his
own account, but was harassed with doubts
about the divinity of the Saviour—that is, as
to the Godhead dwelling in the humanity of
Christ. He could not solve the mystery of
Godliness, God manifest in the flesh, which
the Scriptures themselves pronounce great.
Unable to believe without a satisfactory com
prehension of this fundamental truth of our
holy religion, he did not, until lately, enjoy a
sensible realization of pardon and peace. This
kind of struggle of a strong mind to subject
Revelation to the authority of reason is not
uncommon. No doubt it is hard for one ac
customed to think, analyze and understand,
to become as a little child—a learner at the
foot of the cross. But subordinating his
pride of intellect and pride of life foa simple
effort of faith—and inspired by the Holy
Spirit—a careful study of the Scriptures re
sulted in a sense of acceptance with God. He
became the recipient of that purest, best, and
most sublime blessing ever vouchsafed to hu
manity—regeneration. And thus annointed,
sanctified and accepted, his spirit entered
rest—that rest which shall endure through
eternal ages.
" 0 gracious God 1 not gainless is our loss;
A glorious sunbeam g- ds thy sternest frown;
And.while his country stagers with the cross,
Ho rises with the crown.”
Resolved, That this bar, his country and
his family, have sustained a great bereave
ment in the death of General Howell Cobb;
that he was endeared to ns by his manly,
generous, cordial professional companionship
and association; to his country by his sacri
fices and services, and to his family by his
tender affection, his considerate providence
and his wise counsels; that we deplore that
one so dear to us and so full of the promise of
future usefulness should be called hence in
the full maturity of all his powers; satisfied,
however, that our loss is his great gain, we
do not question the. wisdom and mercy of
God in transferring his spirit from earth to
heaven. ’ f
2. Resolved, That our respectful sympathy
and condolence are hereby tendered to.-his
family.
3. Resolved, That the members of this Bar
will wear crape on the left arm, for the time
of 80 days, as a testimonial of our respect
for his character, and that the Clerk of this
Court furnish a copy of this report to his
family.
E. A. Nisbkt, )
W. Poe, j
W. K. DeGraffenrird, }■ Com.
Clifford Anderson, j
Barney Hill. j
Judge Cole said:
Gentlemen: I fully endorse the eloquent
and merited resolutions just read, and unite
with the bar in rendering this just tribute to
the memory of the late Gov. Cobb ; and no
whore, in my opinion, can such a tribute more
properly be paid to the memory of our de
parted brother than here, where the promi
nent talents aDd acquirements by which he
adorned onr profession, have been so often
and so lately displayed.
In the death of General Cobb, the Bar of
Macon has lost one of its very brightest orna
ments, and this Court one of its very ablest
and most enlightened counsellors. The State
at large has sustained a severe loss in the
death of this great and good man. His genius;
his learning and his virtues have conferred an
mpcrisbablu glory on his native State, whose
liberties he fought to secure, and whose in
stitutions he labored to perpetuate. He was
a patriot and statesman of spotless integrity
and consummate wisdom.
But above all he wa9 the ornament of so
ciety, the genial and social friend and com
panion of every member of this bar.
I have felt the death of Gov. Cobb very
deeply. He was endeared to me by many
ties. He was always kind and considerate;
always indulgent and charitable to my many
errors and shortcomings, and in all my. inter
course with him here I ever found him a true
and sincere Christian friend and gentleman! -
BKHABK8 OF WASHINGTON POK.
May it please your Honor ; In rising to second the
resolutions jnst offered, were I to be governed by the
dictates of my judgment, I should not attempt to add
one word to the appropriate, jnst and almost exhaust
ing preamble submitted by the honorable chairman
of the Committee; but when I look upon that vacant
chair and that unoccupied desk, and remember that
he who so recently possessed them had.granted me a
measure of his friendship, my heart presents its
claims, and I am induced to say a word or two, if only
to serve as a means of laying my. tribute of respect
and affection on the honored tomb oi our departed
brother.
Although the preamble has been so extensive in its
range, and has grouped together almost eTery element
composing the noble character of our friend, yet there
is one characteristic, and that an important one.
which has been omitted. The preamble informs a*
that in the opening of the professional career of Gov.
Cobb he was appointed Solicitor General of his Jndi-
cial Circuit, and that very soon thereafter he became
the representative of bis District in the Congress of
the United States, and from the floor was elevated to
tbo Speaker’s chair of that august body, where he pre-
s ded with credit to himself and almost nnparaiied
aceeptanoe to bis fellow-oitiiens. His next elevation
was to the Executive chair of his native State, and
then to a prominent plaee in she cabinet of President
Buchanan. With all these honors resting upon him,
after being tbo peer and c»«nsellor of the last of the
statesmen, he retires into private life and engages in
the practice of the Jaw, totally devoid of all pretence
or presumption, and demeaning himself with the
modesty of the most nnofficial member In onr midst,
and requiring only truth and integrity as the guar
anty of his friendship and confidenoe. Sir. I eonsider
this trait in the character of Gov. Cobb as one of the
brightest jewels ia the crown of hie earthly glory.—
But in view of all this success and renown, may not
instruction, if not admonition, be dedueed from it T
We, my brethren of the bar, are now ardently engaged
in the duties of our laborious profession, some for
wealth, some for honor, some for office, and some for
fame; bnt let us remember and be admonished by
this striking example that all
“ Await alike the inevitable boar;
The paths of glory lead bnt to the grave.” Tr
Wbat a long line of this brotherhood has passed the
dark river before ns! and we are rapidly following hi
their footstepe. There are Lnmpkin, and McDonald,
and Strong, and King, and the Traers, and our Cokb,
whose friendship and sweet convene we have so often
enjoyed—
” Anfond as each dissevered chain
In ahininsnin lies.
And human bands can ne er again
Unite those broken ties.”
Our departei brother left hie home, with a part of
hi* family, apparently tn health, on a visit to the great
commercial metropolis of this great and almost hound-
leas country, and whilst in New York, and in the very
midrt ef social intercoms, hit teat summons easrr to
lfcmve this world* with all its carafe, aoxUtiac and an-
gagements. By the aid of that profound wisdom
with which he waa so largely endowed,The wag not
found unprepared for this peat and final trial! bnt
with perfect resignation to the call, and as one tired
with thn labors of theday disrobes himself for a night’s
repose, he oaimly laid eff hia earthly habiliments, be
ing fully convinced that there was prepared for him a
robe ot righteousness at God’s right hand, and which
all shall reeeive who, like him, in humility and faith,
accept the imputed righteousness A another. I sec
ond the resolutions.
KB2CABK8 Of SA.KU2L HALL.
May it pleaus your Honor: While I do not arro
gate to myself the ability “to paint theiilly or gild
refined gold/’ my feelings prompt me to lay an hum
ble offering upon the tomb of one of the wisest
best men it has been my fortune to know:
“Friend of man and friend of truth.
The hope of age and guide of youth;
Few hands like hi*, with virtue warmed,
Few neads with knowledge so informed/’
To hold uplhte example to the younger members of
the profession which he loved and adorned, to invite
them to tread the path which led him to honor, use
fulness and distinction, and to contemplate his illu*
trious career and 1 jBSFwVJSKMi fC. li
were so fortunate as to ***? '1? young
ance Haw. truly
sewed eminently the faculty of
yonng men with whom heolm e ^elf to
not owing to effort upon hi, part ,
erwwe h>* Popularity, but hi, W. d ” 18n In-
Uariy sympathetic heart. natur^'J^® “4 ree a .
stand and appreciate the m&ny^nffi 6d , h . lai to Ufl 4er\
which young men encounter in the 5 u tle * a “d trials
serially in the beginning of ProfauiZri? 08 of iifa.as- \
was ever ready to assist * Uh *' The * e he
and advioe, and also with pecan w^ta&ement
Witn those kind offices, in the ^ ^ Be *ded.
he never wearied, he “ grappled thS??? of
hooks of steel.” Not only ^ ^^Wvlwith
m f tur ® 8>ant intellect and a * n of
who had sounded »u the depth,^ A «P«rfence,
was not only the faithful friend /
genial, familiar companion to thoyonn"* &U ° th ®
pericnced and compared with him ofUn? J 010 1
In the heart* of thon,ands of yoane ' U - kno ''leaga \l
land he has raised “a monument , ° U ' r th!s
brae*;’’ and when this and the nert H Mt ‘ Dg lha “
have followed him to the gray. th. , 6ritl( !n shall
eelleoi worth will, in the lessons if thJ hia «-
to our children's children. be told
Allusions have been made in th.
committee, to the happiness of hlTc ?, Pcn «f the
This is sacred ground, upon which ., *®' 1 * reI «ions.
too far or tread too lightly. But t ,?! ay BGtictr u<ie
io see the beautyWttnf ^
sver fade,
and
• ‘. c ‘‘Qate npon the great 4
Where neither guilty glory shines,
Nor despicable stab,”
From his earliest manhood Gov! Cobb'was marked
for distinction, his elevation to the high places of the
Bepnblio wag almost simultaneous with bis entry
into public life. At thirty years of age he was Sneak
er of the popular branch ol Congress, a position that
had before been occupied by Stevenson. Polk, Han ter,
Macon and other distinguished statesmen, bnt none
of them discharged it* duties with more signal
ability than onr departed friend. While he was
Speaker, I visited Washington City, and in company
with a friend paid my respects to Mr. Ciay, who asked
mo if I had been to the House of Representatives,
and added that as & Georgian I would feel my pride
glow upon contemplating the brilliant career of my
fellow countryman, (the Speaker,) who had shed more
dlgaity and lustre upo'n that station than any one
since the days of Jndge Cheve?, of South Carolina.
He successively filled, with honor and usefulness, the
executive chair of.this State and the office of Secre
tary of the Treasury during most of the administra
tion of the late President Buchanan. Yet, although
his career as a statesman was immensely successful,
he deeply regretted that more of his time had net
been devoted to the study of his profession and that
he had not engaged more extensively in its practice.
Men are not lawyers by intuition and can only be
come so by long and assiduous study; but with an ac
curate knowledge of the general principles of the
science, a mind like his could easily mako the details
from which these conclusions were dedueed. Show
him thB magazine, and he wculd select the weapon
the occasion required and wield it with a giant’s
strength and a master’s skill. What seemed to cost him
little effort was only to be obtained by persons less
gifted after, laborious application and painfhl vigils.
This spot is suggestive of instances of the truth of this
remark. In an interesting case that occurred during
the prcseDtyear, the principles involved had been dis
cussed by one of the most gifted advocates of the State,
with an ability and copiousness that seemed to exhaust
the subject; all appeared to think that nothing waa
left for Gov. Cobb to say; but in this anticaption they
were mistaken. His clear discrimination', powerful an
alysis, sound jndgment and unsurpassed powers of
reasoning presented the cause in an entirely new and
original light, and caused all to feel as Justice Buller
saidhedid upon listening to the lnminons judgments of
Lord Mansfield: that his "mind was lost in admira
tion at the stretch and strength of the human under
standing.” Again, I have seen him victor over the
combined legal talent of the State, and I hope I do
no injustice to the just claims of the distinguished
Judges who presided in the case involving the con
stitutionality of the Stay Law of 1866, when I declare
it as my conviction that most of their inspiration and
reasoaieg was derived from his truly great argument
fin that occasion. His line of thought was singularly
coincident with that of the Supreme Conrtofthe
United States, when treating lately the same subject;
he had never seen the case referred to, nor had the
Judges of that court the benefit of his masterly argu
ment and sound constitutional views.
His return to the bar after the close of the war may,
without much violence to language, be said to have
been the commencement of his professional life in ear
nest. The vocation was highly agreeable to him, and
he sought by every means in his power to elevate its
character and augment its usefulness. He pursued it
with ardor and enthusiasm and mado the thoughts of
its great masters a part of his own intellectual and
professional bring. Justice as administered by the
courts he ever regarded as the safeguard of society
and the highest interest of the State—it was this that
kept the body politio in harmony—‘‘the highest was
not exempt fromits requirements,” and “the least felt
its care. "Very foreign from his nature was everything
liko indirection. His mind instinctively repelled all
finesse and sophistry. He sought truth and when he
found it he gave it the homage of his great and pure
hoart. From the constant and trying labors of his
profession, he found time to look after the education
al and benevolent interests of the community. Few
are aware of the extent of his benefactions, not only
in the way of alms, bnt of kiiyl offices and valuable
advice. He boasted not himself of these deeds—he
blew no trumpet before him—his right hand knew
not what his left hand did.
He did good by stealth and blushed to own it fame.”
All ages, sexes and conditions who enjoyed the
privilege of hia aoqnaintance, felt an' affectionate at
tachment to him. Not only the refined and enlight
ened citizens of the city, but the simple dwelling in
remote hamlets, upon the announcement of his sad
den death, felt a sense of the great bereavement the
country had sustained. The very children mourned
him as they would a lost father. His coming always
made them glad,, and they witnessed Ins departure
with feelings of regret—often with tears. He needs
no monument to perpetuate his fame; his life is hU
monument; his cenotaph is in the hearts of his coun
trymen. The plaudits of his cotemperaries will be
caught np and prolonged by future generations, and
will swell in volume and earnestness se-long as virtue
has a worshipper, as genius fa admired,and true chiv
alry and nobleness of character are appreciated.
His mind was as broad as the universe,' and ba
could not give up to- sect or party what his maker
meant for mankind. He could not he contracted in-'
to the narrow confines of the intolerant and bigoted;
his commerce was with the world, sad it was impossi
ble to dwarf him to tho dimensions of a haberdasher
of small wares. Oh the day previous to hfa death I
received horn him a letter comnsanioating his im
proved health, andsaying that he would meet at
his home on the 15th day o; the month. Bnt the enj n y-
ment we anticipated from again taking him by the
hand, listening to his wise conversation, and hearing
hif lively sallies, was destined never to be realized;
the places-which enee knew hint were destined hence
forth to know him no more forever. He was, indeed,
brought home to rest in the bosom of a mother who had
cherished him, and who, in hfa turn, he had honored
by making her name loved and respected in every
civilised country on the glebe. He was laid by ihe
side ef those who were kindred spirits in life—
Lumpkin, Dougherty. DeJoney, and hfa own illus
trious brother, Gen. Thcs.R. R! Cobb. The moulder
ing ruins surrounding the mausoleum of the mighty
dead are emblematic of their earthly career, while the
beautiful Oconee, which flows hard by their last
earthly resting place and sings their perpetual requi
em, now smiling in the sunshine, now stricken by the
storm, will murmur on a thousand years and flow as it
now Sows, fa typical of their better and immortal
part. The summons, though sudden, did not find
Gen. Cobb unprepared; in tho very sot of professing
hfa Lord and Master to one of His chosen embassadors,
he was caught up and translated to the bosom of his
Father and his God; and tbo angels in Heaven, we
donbt not, were in full sympathy with the extacies of
those who had gone before at re-unitiog with the
loved one from whom they had been separated by the
narrow boundaries between time and etornity. All
that is left us now ia to cherish his memory and fol
low hfa example—to emulate hfa virtues and make
timely preparation for the great ordeal which he has
triumphantly pasted, so that when the dread messen
ger comes wo too may be prepared to receive him*
and go not hence like “a galley slave scourged to hfa
dungeon,” sustained- and soothed by an unfaltering
trust, but
“ Like one who wraps the drapery of his eouoh
about him, . , „
And lies down to pleasant dreai&f.
RKMARKS BY A. O. BACON.
May it pleats your Honor: When a ffTeat man like
General Cohb dies, it is most fit that the tributes which
are due to h»* character and worth should be paid by
those who have been lws contemporaries daring the
greater portion of his life; but there are some phases
of his character whioh can be mar* properly spoken
of by a young man, and in rising to do so I but obey
the earnest promptings of my heart. Although It was
toy mournful privilege to see him laid in the grave, it
'fa difficult for me to realise that General Cobh is dead.
Such a very short time ago ho was with us, and of us,
in outward appearance the picture of robust health,
the idol of hfa family, the pride of his friends, and the
life and soul of the serial circle; and now that we say
he is no more, it is diffionit to realise that so mush of
life is indeed dead; that hi* eye so beaming with live
liest emotions of love and sympathy has foravir lost
it* lustre; that his voice whose thrilling tons* of elo
quence we have so often listened to in this ohamher,
and which was ever reedy to enliven, assist and direct
has been hushed in death t end that hfa hand lately
sc wans in friendship^ clasp fa now.but cold and
lifeless day. To tns. as to the other member* «f this
Bar. Gen. Cobb’S lost fa a personal affliction. Through
were permitted
its memory will never fade,
and purity of woman, and hfa ^SP
vehcration for her person Md%h5*»K?^
legitimate fraiU in hfa devotion b ° re tie ' t
wife and daughters. To his grown , de ” e5f to h
«®ee the devoted father and genii?er?' h ° W? ‘ 3
the company of hfa little children , C . 0 * u ’ amon - In
overflowed with genuine happineM and mat heart '
he was again a ohild, even the ' f - d t moEK the ' >
gleeful. n “ a ®Mt boisterous and 1
In the virtue of hospitality he v.. \.
from policy, not for the not
display of wealth, but with Ki,v« ’ “ n W?<fa in tho ■
most generous I ever knew hi*; Bt ® Mll »ture,the
friends around him and share withTei ^ Te Ms
had. Hfa house was ever open to th* ? beSk te
stranger, and amid the bounteous MJ the
ever covered hfa generous board the-W°" wMch
urea which rh« * “""V 11 ® pleas-
frank, generous, hilarious.
tender, sympathetic, sincere. Add to thi, a J et fa,'
intellect, a bnlUant wit which never hesitated. £d
or carelessly wounded, joined to a happv
which ever found its way by the shortest ,out e ^o
every heart, and we have a faint outline of this «n] e n.
dtd, magnificent *a*. As a lawyer, the reportof the
Committee has assigned him to hfa appropriate „,■*
tion in the front rank of the profession. -In the fiel
of oratory he was indeed regal. He swept with rnt,
ter hand all the chords of human passion and t£~
strains of his eloquense fell npon and enveloped Vu
hearers a* with the weird spell of an incantation. !
Truly, upon his lips had the mystic bee dropped tho *
honey of persuasion."
But he has gone! How painful that our hear-
swings should bo so violently tom from the object
of onr love! How terrifile that this grand man, tov- 1
ering in hfa strength, should so suddenly fall power- i
less and lifeless before the unexpected stroke of *
death i It fa sad to see the decayed and lifeless truak, ’
swaying its bare and leafless arms in the blast, fall v
before the fury of the storm. But when we tee some f
great oak, a giant among its fellows, its huge arms ii
and thick foliage indicating its strength and .vigor, ifa I
green leaves bnt tinged with the hues of coming au-1
tumn : when we see this pride of.the forest, when ail;
is calm and still, when no breeze ruffle? its foliage. }
fall with a resounding crash to the earth, we are
struck dumb with awe.
General Cobb occupied so much space in men’s
hearts and before the public eye, that his sudden
taking away can but leave a great void. ITe are all
painfully conscious that this void cannot be sithfac-
torily filled by another. Only himself eould do it.
The devoted, tender husband and father, the hit. un
failing friend, the genercus and genial companion,
the hospitable and benevolent citizen, the brilliant
orator, the great statesman, has gone from among u?,
and we never shall see hfa like again.
The Howard and Boynton Quarrel,
Which has been pushed beyond the bounds
of edification, is thus explained by tho Chic
ago Tribuce, (Radical:)
General Howard has been in fault in this
matter from the beginning. The renown of
his name is widespread. He entered the war
a poor man, comparatively. and;.being a
church member, a Freedmen’s Bureau m&a,
an anti-slavery man, andfmaliya wounded
man, ho got the support of New Ergland
and Henry Ward Beecher, raised, money,
started a grand Congregational Church here,
and also a negro university accessory to it.
Mr. Boynton was called to the ohureh—a i
Cincinnati clergyman,born in Massachusetts, j v
in poor health, and fond of historical writ; 1
ings. General Howard soon fonnd bis fel- ! •
low-countryman of as decided-in opinion as |ff
himself. The General meantimehadbecome
rich, and his arrogance increased with his
temporalities. He wanted a docile preacher,
so that people passing the new temple should
not say “This is Dr. Boynton's chvr-rch, butj
“This is General Howard’s eburchP Finely “
collision occurred. General Howard was
negrophobist, believing in the absolute socii
equality of white and bfefck. Boynton^als|
was an intense Radical,, but lie advised th'
colored people of his church, who were gto*
ing numerous, to organize themselves into 1
separate society, believing that they qob.
do more good in this way. Then fierce qua'i
rels began, Gen. Howard: “going for B
Boynton once, even at the communion tab!
Mutual scan die began; The General retuf
to advance money to-the church unless Lo,
ton ate his words on resigned. The congi
gation backed up Boynton. At last a grar.
council of clergymen has been cahed toindj
between Boynton and Howard, ana _t
papers are full of crimination and recrimim
tioo. .It is singular to me that a man c?
not build a tempJfe without wanting to pi
the organ in it. A large per centage
churches in the United States weye raised
the personal energy of seme one layman, wn
lost his crown of honor at last for a person. .
t’ara, and made more infidels by his exa
pie than be ewer made converts by ms moc.
m General Howand has built himself a supc
dwelling north of Washington mtj, upor
acre of ground, given to him out ot i t .
hundred acres belonging to the Howar ■
verstty; This house is visible from, o
Hill, two ®r three miles distant,
generous man, with many friencB^ ve. ..
upon certain questions, fortunate ‘ ’
balanced, and bis piety in the pcascntinsi^
is based upon that of the mid«»ag“y ^
princes founded religious estasuA (
then wished to expound the gospel!U •
Speaking on the same subject, tn
ington correspondent of the- Gmcm^
zettesaysi waeenti
The whole contest has been 1)61
minority of the church aad>UW 'jg
held that colored people sh , oul “„ al imitte
to the church exactly as they a*
by all other churches in the cos_ . ■ 1
Radical and Conservative* ^ B nsS
•ppl,, »nd ««=«, »«««* £ c ‘, p ,
admitted—this is one side- * D , re( t ft
desired to go out an4 persuade . -
pie to come' in until the membereb^
about equal of the two races, tue ^
half the officers of the ^urch and »
school colored; to **vite the c - ,
bers into the families of the c * 0
its social parties* and some « or t
defend marriages. All *" ® hurc h oppos
the large majority cf tbe . 0 f the n>
and hence tbe attempt to get
Ah me, what an institution * Afn«^
for setting everybody by the ears.^ _ ^
be ten years before tbe Bout 0 ,
have to intervene to keep the pef* .
the Rads and abolitionists, who - a
got him, and save them from tearing^
others eyes ont ever Africanns. ,
A Nkw
Tampa TruwSoatherner lea-“ hs
sources, that » Massachueet® ^ q{ the ^
purchased the lote . tB n _ a establish^
Wfbr the “are. V
for tbe manufimtareot
is a move in t^ righted
Half a >»»» Ambs bave died d«
V i