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THE BANNER, SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 22, 1907.*
The Civilian Leaders G f the Confederacy
By JOHN GOODE of Virginia
Sometime Member of the Confederate Congress, of the
Virginia Secession Convention, of the Congress of the
United States and'President of the Virginia Constitution
al Convention of 1901-2.
T
BENJAMIN H. HILL.
When the congress of the Confed
erate States met at Richmond under
what was known as the permanent
constitution, 1 had the honor to make
the ]K*rsonal acquaintance of this elo
quent and mighty statesman. He was
a member of the Confederate senate
and took foremost rank among the
civilian chieftains of that illustrious
body. Although lie had been brought
up in the Hamiltonian school of party
politics, and was devotedly attached
to the Constitutional I'nion of ITS?,
as the sheet -anchor of our safety at
home and peace abroad, be esinnised
the
i»n after it
an accomplished fact with all the zeal
and energy of his manly nature. H •
hail been earnestly opi>osed to the
withdrawal of (korgia. from the l’n
ion ami had exerted all his great jx«\v
ers for its prevention. He did not
believe that the election of Mr. Lin
coin to the presidency without sow*
overt act was a sufficient justifica
tion for such an imjtfvtnnt si»*p.
Hut when (leorgia cast in her for
tunes with those of th»* South, am
took her positi n in the Confed- rat
.column he did not hesitate, bur wen
vhole
I. but
id no
with liis own people with hi
heart and soul. He and Presi
vis belonged Ij a different sc!
the cause of tin* Confederacy
more earnest and zeal: us .siipport* r
than he during all the trying onb al
through which l:e was railed to pa>s.
His s The Faithful.
Such was his loyalty in the suppor'
of all the measures of the administra
tion for the vigorous prosecution of
the war that he was called “Hill, the
Faithful.” It may be truly said that j
"he was faithful anions the faithless."
He fought thp battles of the adminis
tration against the combined battles
of William I.. Yancey, of Alabama.
IxjuIs T. Wtgfall, of Texas, an ! others.
The debates in the Confederate s.-nate
as a rub- occurred In secret session
for (obvious reasons, so that little
can tie know nof what happened when
the doors were closed, it is said tint
a most animated and acrimonious d"
bate occurred between Hill and Van
ced during secret session at which ac
cording to common rumor. Mr. lli'i
threw an inkstand at the head of Mr.
Yancey and injured him quite serious
ly.
On the isth <,r March, lsfis, the
senate passed a bil! entitled an act
to organize the Supreme court of the
Confederate States. It provided tin;
the Supreme court of the Confederate
States should consist of a chief jus
tice anti four associate justices, any
three of whom should constitute a
quorum, and hold annually at the scat
of government two sessions, tile one
Commencing the first Monday of Jan
uary', and itie other the first Monday
of August, the respective sessions to
continue until the business of each
session lion Id lie dlposod of. This Hill
was duly communicated to the house
of representatives and referred to tli-
commit tee on the judiciary; but it
seems that no action on it was over
taken by that body.
Confederate Suoreme Court.
The failure to establish a Supreme
court for the Confederate States has
excited interest and it has he.-n stig
Tested that it was dm- to tlie fa"
that a large majoriy of the members
liad been reared in the states’ rights
constitutions. There can be no ques
tion. in niv opinion, that it was the
intention of the framers of these two
constitutions to provide for the es
tablishment of a supreme court. Ar
ticle 111 of the provisional constitu
tion provides that the judicial power
of tin- Confederacy shall be vested in
one supreme court and such inferior
courts as are herein directed, or as
congress may from time to time or
dain and establish. The supreme
court shall be constituted of all the
district judges, a majority of whom
shall be a quorum, and shall sit at
sneli times and places as congr<
shall appoint."
\rtacle III of the permanent constl-
tuCtm provides that "the judicial
power of the Confederate Slates shall
In- vested in one supreme court and
in such inferior courts as congress may
fr m time t. time ordain and estab
i lish."
No Time For Courts.
My recollection is that the failure of
tli- in use of representatives to co
sitler the bill passed by the scn-.ii
p> organize the Supreme court of the
Confederate Stales was due entire)
the fact that the military situation
demanded all their time and attentl
The city f Richmond, the capital of
i.tif- dem : . was besciged on ail
by l uge armies. Every afternoon
albums of the enemy could be
hovering over the city and It
-nth happened that the Hash of
ill.! lx
s- et
ary
Tb.
.■mbi
s no time to de
le about the organization of
. and the house naturally post-
the consideration of that suit-
mil it was <p terimm-d by the ar-
nent of war whether or not th.
deracy should he established as
lopendont government.
Mill made Ills first apiK-arance
member of the house of repre-
ir.-s ,,f the I’ultcd States In Do-
r. IsT.',. lie appeared as a men'-
let- f - m the state of Georgia in the
Torty fourth Congress. This body was
cistinguished for Us able and talented
i -ders. who would have attracted at-
t ntu n in the best days of the re|mb
su-h men as Michael C. Kerr. Sam
i' -1 -I llan.hill. Samuel S. Cox. Alex
: td. r II. Ste-pli. ns. Fernando Wood.
Abraham S. Hewitt, Benjamin H. Hill.
I . (j. C. Lamar, J. Proctor Knott, T.
r. S. Blackburn. William S. Holman.
William N. Springer. Adlal E. steven-
s in. W. it .Morrison. John H. Reagan.
I tvi.l II Culberson. Charles J. Falk-
t er, John Randolph Tucker and others.
<-n th*' republican side were found
such tit. n as James G. Blaine. James
A. C,’a''field. George F. Hoar, William
iKelley, Charles Foster, Joseph G.
Cannon, Omar I). Conger. George W.
I.-t '.-*-.try, John S. Casson and others.
Mr. Blaine was the recognized lead-
, r on tin- republican side and was un
ubt.-.ily a man of rare talent and
; irliamentary skill. He was remark-
: idy quick and alert and excelled all
the men I have even known in what
i. known is a running deb - to. But in
all that bright galaxy there was none
'■ iio could bear off the palm of vic-
1 iry from Benjamin H. Hill, who was
then universally recognized as the
foremost lawyer and most gifted ora
( >r of the South.
Hill Met Blaine.
During the Fourty-fourth congres;
Mr. lilc.ine took the floor one morning
of the Confederale States congress and under the stress of party exigen-
school of politics, of which Mr. Yan- cy which, as he supposed, called for
cey was an earnest adherent, and that the waving of the bloody shirt, made
they believed implicitly In the reso- an assault upon Jefferson Davis which
lutions of 17Sft and 17ftft, and In Mr. lias been rarely excelled for its bitter
Madison s report, which opiiosed the J invective anil biting sarcasm. Among
idea of a common arbiter between the .other tilings he said:
states, and announced the doctrine
that each state as a state acceded to
the compact, and "must judge for It
self as well of Infraction as of the
mode and measure of the redress."
On the other hand it has been con
tended that the exigencies of the sit
uation did not immediately require the
estalishment of a supreme court; that
all of the energies of congress were
entirely devoted to the all-absorbing
question of defense, and that the mem-
ers had no time to consider judicial
measures—In other words, that the
maxim of the hour was “inter arma
silent leges."
It Is undoubtedly true that there
were differences of opinion between
tie disciples of the Jeffersonian and
the Hamiltonian schools as to the
power to be conferred upon the Su
preme court, but I cannot agree with
those who believe, that the differences
of opinion referred to or operated
to defeat the creation of a supreme
court The men who composed the
Confederate congress, as a general
rule, were the same men who had
"And I here before God,(measuring
my words, knowing their full extent
end import, declare that neither the
deeds of the Duke of Alva in the
low countries nor the massacre of St.
Bartholomew, nor the thumb-screw3
end engines of torture of the Spanish
Inquisition begin to compare in
atrocity with the hideous crimes of
Andersonville. At another place with
nostrils dilated and flashing eyes, he
said “that Jefferson Davis was the
author, knowingly, deliberately, guilt
ily and wilfully of the gigantic murder
and crime at Andersonville.”
At the conclusion of Mr. Mlalne s
address, the members from the South
gathered around Mr. Hill and Insisted
that he should make reply. It was then
5 o'clock In the afternoon. Mr. Hill
was very reluctant to consent because
he had had no opportunity to make
any preparation, and Mr. Blaine, as
was well known, had been engaged for
many months with the aid of num
erous clerks in the department of
war, getting ready for the conflict
But in deference to the'wishes of
the floor on tho following morning
for his reply. It was no disparage
ment of Mr. Blaine, who had been
justly called "The Plumed Knight,"
to say’ that by common consent he
was unhiersed In the foray. He
brought out with tremendous effect
that there was no medicine in the
South and that the United States was
the only government oy earth, not
excepting the Consulship of Alva, in
the Netherlands, to make medicine a
contraband of war.
Hill's Terrible Attack.
He then proceeded to refer to fed
eral statistics showing, according to
a report of Secretary Stanton that the
Federal prisoners in Confederat'
hands during the war were in round
numbers 270.000, while the Confeder
ate prisoners in Federal hands were
220,000; and yet but 22,000 Federal
prisoners died in the South, while 20.-
00o Confederale prisoners died at the
North — that is to say. more than 12
er Cent, of the Confederates in Fed-
ral hands died, and less than ft per
cent, uf the Federal* in Confederate
hands died. During the speech which
occupied several hours and command
'd unbroken attention, he brought out
-tiler facts wi’h such energy and
l>ower and logic that it h is been gen
erally conceded that Mr. Blaine came
i,ut of the contest a wiser man.
Mr. Hill admitted that there were
horrors at Andersonville, but showed
that the same rations that were issued
to the Confederates in the ranks were
furnished to tile prisoners at Ander-
sonvttie. and quoted high medical au
thority to show that the large death
late at Andersonville was due in a
er- at measure to the want of nioili-
cines. in referring to the fact that
Capt. Wirz was offt red to have bis
life spared If he would only implicat
Mr. Davis in the horrors of Anders.- n-
vllle. and to the f let that Wirz refus
ed tli,. offer, he said: "Sir. what Wirz
within two hours of his execution
would not say for his life, the gentl"-
m in fiom Maine says, to keep nimself
and Ills party In power. Christianity
is a falsehood, humanity a lb\ clviliza
tivii a cheat, or the man who will no;
make a false charge fo.r his life was
never guilty of murder.”
After serving out a single term in
the House of Representatives. Hill
was elected tv the Senate of the Unit
ed States for four years, and died be
fore the expiration of his term, at
tl-ree-score. His great speech, de
livered in the Senate or. the 10th day
of May. is7ft. will rank among the
-st expositions of tile Constitution
the United States that has ever
-on listened to in that great body,
stinguished for orators and states
men.
Exposition of the Constitution.
I feel ii a privilege that I can say It.
1 believe all the angry discussion, nl
roubles that have come upoi
ountry. have sprung from th<
failure of the people to comprele ml
fart that the government
under which we live lias no up del:
it is partly national and partly fed-
I; one which was to the Greeks
Jumbling block and to the Romans
lishness. and to the republican par-
an insurmountable paradox; lint to
the patriots of this country it is the
power of liberty unto the salvation of
the people. And if the people of this
country would realize that fact, all
these crazy wrangllngs as to whether
we live under a federal or a national
government would cense; they would
understand that we live under both;
that it is a composite government:
that it was intended by the framers
that the Union should be faithful in
the defense of the States; that the
States shall be harmonious in support
of the Union, and that the Union and
the States shall he faithful and har
monious in the support and the main
tenance of the rights and liberty of
the iteople.”
When that speech was delivered l
had the honor to be a member of the
House of Representatives, and never
can I forget the great impression it
made upon me. I had gone over to
the Senate, intending to remain only
a few moments. As I entered the
chamber Mr. Hill arose, and for more
than four hours enchained the until
vided attention of the body.
In the course of his great address
he made an earnest appeal to Sena
tors to go back to the lessons of the
fathers and to save the Union from
the principles of consolidation as it
had already been saved from the doc
trines of secession. In the course of
the discussion he referred with bitter
irony to tlie fact that a. distinguished
Republican Senator from one of the
Northern State* had telegraphed the
Governor of his State to send' no com
missioners to the peace conference
which had been called by Virginia to
save the Union. That Senator became
very much exasperated, and said In a
loud and stentorian voice “that he
had been influenced in his course by
the fact that there was treason every
where about the Capitol; treason in
the corridors; treason in the House
of Representatives; treason in the
Senate chamber; treason on the side
walks; treason everywhere, nod
hence he had telegraphed his State
that in his opinion, without a little
worth a rush.’’ .
A Peaceable Hero.
During the harangue of the Senator
Mr. Hill remained calm, serene, sejf-
poisod, .and then, referring Pj the
fate that the Senator had not partici
pated in the war, he said "he remind
ed him of one of those redoubtable
warriors who was 'invisible in war
and invincible In peace.' ”
While Mr. Hill was a member of the
Senate he performed a great service
to the country in his exiiosure of Wil
liam Mahone, a Senator from Virginia.
It will be remembered that Mah--'lie
was elected by the Virginia .Legisla
ture as a Readjuster-Democrat, and
while he differed with other Demo
crats on certain subjects, it was not
believed by any that he would refuse
to oo-operute with the Democratic
party whin he reached the Senate.
To the surprise of every one. how-
ver, ii soon became apparent that he
intended to abandon his affiliation
with the party to which he had al
ways belonged- It was currently re
ported about the Capitol and generally
believed that a compact had been en
tered into between himself and <J
certain Republican- Senator delegated
for the purpose, that if he i Mahone J
would unite with the Republican par
ty of tile Senate in giving them the
control of its organization, appoint
ment of committees and the election
of its officers, that party would t.ak
care of him in future and give him
everything in the way of patronage
that he desired.
It was thus that the bargain was
struck, and it fell to the lot of Mr.
Hill to ex|tose the Virginia senator in
one of the most territie attacks ever
heard in the Senate. After laying
the found .tion for the assault and re
ferring to the fact that there was
overt mason in tile Dent eratic
Mr Hill paus> d. and with ter
rible 'fleet wished to know. "Who is
tliis n;an so anxious for the badge of
infamy?" It will lie well imagine!
that the eft', ct was electric.
His Eulogy of Lee.
On the occasion of the eel bralion
f General Robert K. Lav's birthdav
n the city of Atlanta-, Mr. Hill de-
ivered ail address which has never
been surpassed for beauty and path s.
It may li,. truly said that he exhausted
the l.tiguage of eulogy itself. He
said: "When the fmj.ire historian
shall come to survey the character
of Lee. lie will find it rising like a
huge meunt iin about the undulating
plain of humanity and he must lift
his eyes high toward heaven to catch
i(s summit. He iiossesscd every vir
tue of other great commanders with
out their vices. 11c was a foe without
hate, a friend without treachery, a
soldier without cruelty, a victor with
out oppression and a victim without
murmuring. He was a public officer
without vices, a private citizen with
out wrong, a neighbor without re-
i. a Christian without hypro-
and a man without guile. He
was Caesar without his ambition.
Frederick without his tyranny, Na
poleon without his selfishness and
Washington without liis reward. He
.'as obedient to authority as a ser-
ant. and royal in authority as a true
king, iie was as gentle as a woman
in life, modest and pure as a virgin
In thought, watchful as a Roman
vestal in duty, submissive to law as
Socrates and grand In battle as Ar
cliilles."
On December 4, 1SS2, Mr. Hill’s
death wos announced In the Senate
of the United States, whPn beautiful
addresses were delivered by Brown,
of Georgia: Ingalls, of Kansas; Vest,
of Missouri; Morgan, of Alabama;
Sherman, of Ohio: Voorheea, of In
diana; Edmunds, of Vermont; Jones,
of Florida, and Barrow of Georgia.
The country everywhere mourned
nt his passing away, hut we are com
forted with the assurance that he
lives again and that his immortal
spirit is now in the enjoyment of ever
lasting bliss beyond the grave.
COULDN’T GET DRAFTS CASHED.
Mrs. Sallie A. Gibson Sets St. Louie
Bankers Guessing.
From Wednesday's St. Louis Globe
Democrat.
St. l-ouis hank officials who enter
tained a womaji caller, giving he'-
name as Mrs. Sallie A. Gibson, of
Columbia, S. C.. and listened to her
request that they cash $45,000 in New
York drafts, are wondering who Mrs.
Gibson Is, and why she came to St
Louis from Texas to get currency on
the drafts. Mrs. Gibson’s own ac
count was that she wanted to make
some Investments in St. I-onis. but
had to convert the drafts into money
before she could proceed with the
transactions. As $45,000 in currency
is not to be picked up In evi ry bank
just at present, and as Mrs. Gibson
knew no one In St. I-all is who could
identify her, the banks felt obliged
to forego the pelasurc of li< itig oliedj
ent to her request.
Mrs. Gibson left the city Monday
night, taking a Southern Railway
train. During the afternoon she call
eil at several banks among them the
State National and Boatmen's. At
one bank she walked in. carrying tie:
drafts in her hand, took a seat in
the directors' room and removed h- i
bonnet in motherly fashion. Sue had
nine drafts, each for $5,000. drawn by
the Palmetto National Bank of (Vs
lumbla. S. C., on the Hanover Nation
al Bank, N. V.
Ill the conversation she said that
lie was a widow; that she was well
acquainted with' Senator Tillman, and
had come to St. lands from S m Au-
tnio, T« xas. She appeared to tie abou:
45 years old.
Detective Howard, of f'hirf Smith's
staff, who had met the woman on a
train, went to the banks t > find out
what her business was. He was anx
ions lest she might he robbed while
in the city. Detective Howard said
that he w is Introduced to Mrs. Gib
son by the conductor of Frisco Train
No. 10, on which she was a passenger
from Oklahoma City to St. Ixmis. Tli--*
conductor t Id him that Mrs. Gibson
had drafts for large amounts of mon
ey with In r. and requested that lie
place her on board the Southern train
10:10 o'clock Monday night. She
d her husbind b-ft lew a large es-
e and that she had been travelling
■ough Texas and Oklahoma for lu—
tltli.
For Weak
Kidneys
Inflammation of the blad
der, urinary troubles and
backache use
DeWitt’s Kidney
and Bladder Pills
A Week’s
Treatment 25c
E. C. DeWITT & CO.. Chicago, IIL
FOR SAl.e *V ALL DRUGGISTS
Electroliers for Xmas
See our line before
buying. If we can
save you money we
think we are more
entitled to the Elec
trical business than
the Dry Goods Mer
chcnt who never
spent a dollar to
learn the business.
E. P. Taylor
A Home Made Happy by Chamber
Iain's Cough Remedy.
About two months ago our baby girl
had measles which settled on liei
lungs and at last resulted in a severe
attack of bronchitis. \Ve had two
doctors but no relief was obtained
Everybody thought she would die. 1
went to eight different stores to find
a certain remedy which had been re
commended to me and failed to gel
it, when one of the storekeepers in
Risted that I try Chamberlain's Cough
Remedy. 1 did so and our baby is
alive and well today Geo. \V. Spence,
Holly Spring. N. C. Chamberlain's
Cough Remedy always cures and Is
pleasant and safe to take. For sale
by H. R. Palmer & Sons. W. J. Smith
& Bro., L. P. Canning, E. C. McEvoy.
Orr Drug Co. Athens. Ga.
We can offer some
very desirable build=
mg lots cn Milk dge
4ve.£nd DuBose Ave.
These lots are cheap
and we will be glad
to show them to
you.
J.R.CRAME &. CO.
Passed Examination Successfully.
James Donahue. New Britain,
Conn., writes: "I tried several kidney
remedies, and was treated by our best
physicians for diabetes, but did not
Improve until I took Foley's Kidney-
Cure. After the second bottle I show
ed improvement, and five bottles cured
me completely. I have since passed
a rigid examination for life insurance.”
Foley's Kidney Cure cures back-ache
and all forms of kidney and bladder
trouble.
State Normal School
There will be the usual few
vacancies in our dormitories
January 1. Applications for
these will be registered in the
order received. Write at
once for application blanks.
E. C. BRANSON, Pres.,
Athens, Ga'
GEORGIA RAILROAD.
Arrival and Departure of Trains.
CITY TIME.
:10 p. m.
LIVING IN THE TOMB OF EGYPT.
Harriet Quimby In Leslie's Weekly
It is surprising to strangers to find
Egyptain families occupying some of
the tombs which have been excavat
ed and abandoned. It seems uncanny
to see bailies playing cheerfully abou
the doors of the tomb houses atnl to
watch chickens running in and out as
they do at the mud dwellings. When
questioned about the tombs a drago
man said that those occupied as
homes had been tombs of ordinary cit
izens and were of no value as show-
places for tourists. As some of them
have several rooms extending into the
rock, and as they are cool In the hot
test days of summer and warm in flic
cool days of winter, they are alto
gether desirable as homes. T1
Egyptians do not share the horror
(load bodies felt by Europeans. Phil , BOOKHAMER’S HAIR
(Iron run about with pieces of mum- DRESSING PARLORS
roles, and if they cannot disuse of Facia| and Sca)p Massage
♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
♦ The Athens Hardware Co. deals
♦ ers in Hardware. Cutlery. Guns.
Woodcnware, etc. Garden Hose,
♦ Lawn Mowers, Ice Cream Er.-e-
♦ ers, etc. 243 and 250 lir-iad
♦ Street.
MANICURING SHAMPOOING
Phone 575.
them to tourists they play with them
A mummified foot or hand is so com
mon in Luxor that one may be pur
chased for a few cents.
Handsome Boxes
Of Perfumes at Palmer & Sons.
framed the provisional and permanent hie friends, he Anally yielded and took blood-letting, this Union would not be
THE ATHENS BUSINESS SCHOOL
Will Open for the Winter Term, January 6, 1908.
BOOKKEEPING, SHORTHAND.
TYPEWRITING
And all the auxiliary branches are taught by compe-
tend instructors of the best and most improved
methods. If you wish Touch Typewriting, Speedy
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the roost Reasonable Terms and most Satisfactory
Results, call on us.
Day and Night School instruction in Common branches.
151 1-2 Clayton Street*
107 Clayton St.
ATHENS,GA
Over Palmer's Drug Store.
On the Corner
of
Wray&IfuliSt.
I can sell you at a bargain a lot
140x175 feet and a six room liouso
thereon. This piece of property Is in
five minutes walk of the business part
of Athens, and In a splendid neighbor
hood. This is an estate piece of prop,
erty and must be sold for division. See
me at once and I will tell you all
about It.
J. T. Anderson.
: - V. ' . ■ ..