Newspaper Page Text
THE TWICE-A-TTEEK telegraph
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 1907.
F
£y\ rrxs. tt
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1
By BRIDGES SMITH.
-H-H-
III!' I ! l-H-H"
Mill l"l"l-
. thinking the other day of how i our Vic. and son of Stephen Menard,
people are living In Macon today | who was keeper of the market, tied a
!
K-nher
r the city I
l together,
tall crowd.
If I long rope to the alarm bell rope, and
y would make then tying the end of the extra rope to
fire are hut few | the tafl of a cow that he turned loos
I
have seen the village
r Into the town and from the town
the city.
fifty years ago
. deal
Looking backwa
1« a long stretch, but there is a
r.f pleasure in the looking. It is some
thin;.' akin to the marvellous to see
the city today and. harking back to the ;
to compare the tiroes, the;
fd the people. - - * •
in the old Court House Square. Th
movement of the cow nipping the grass
on the square caused frequent fire
alarms, and all night long the firemen
were being called out. There were so
IF--
* i days, sa
; zig-zag lightning, and its use was con-
j ( fined principally to the telegraph, the
i • Ilr.es of which extended only to the
{I cities. Messages were received on
' paper tape in dots and dashes until
11 Capt. J. C. Butler, then the superln-
} tendent, found that he could take a
I j message by sound as well as on the
I * paper. • ''
II • * •
I That the streets could be lighted by
; l electricity was not even a dream. It
IJ was not even thought of. On each
, j street corner of the village was a gas
11 lamp. At first the lamplighter made
' j his rounds every night on foot with an
: - olL lamp, but as the town grew, he lm-
i ' proved the service by going on horse-
hack. But many a time have I seen
i him with his short ladder laid against
’ the post, open the door of the lamp,
[j turn out and light the gas. then pick
J I up the ladder and trudge to the next
[| corner, leaving a dim. yellow flame, the
‘ ‘ light circle of which did not’cover more
[ 1 than a few feet. These lamps con-
I ! firmed in Macon until along in the,
j ] eighties, and many a time the city was
j : in darkness because of something go-
II Jng wrong with the gas works.
...
The stores used gas—that is, the
principal stores—and perhaps there
}' were a few residences, but these were
I very few. Candles were the principal
' light. The poorer classes used the tal-
j] low candles, and many made them
H themselves. You could buy the molds
V In any tin shop, at-B A. "Wise’s or Mc-
T Elroy’s. Those who could afford them
; used the sperm candle, or the adaman
tine, a translucent candle and very
hard. Improvements fn candles were
going on all the time. Those better
off used oil lamps, but these were more
for ornament than use. The candle was
the main light. Camllestlcks were
made of all sorts of nfliterlal, but the
Japanese tin was the most , popular.
Just think of the people of this day
eating supper by the .light of a candle!
Churches and public buildings were
lighted by candles, because gas In
those days was expensive. It has been
years since I saw candle-molds, but
fifty years ago every economical house
wife had them, and on Saturdays
would send to the grocer for tallow and
wicks, and make a week's supply of
candles.
...
ifo get an idea of the light furnished
by tha-e candles, you have only to
look at the ordinary incandescent lamp
of today, as It throws out the light of
sixteen of the candles we read by fifty
years ago.
Today we press a button, and there
tIs light! What an evolution.
. . t
ja Of all the old things, matches are
the only things that linger. But there
}!V. are thousands of matches struck today
\l where there was one fifty years ago.
I?’- Matches In those days cost money, and
; - were only used when the chunk of fire
in covered up In ashes the night before
j i': went out. A box of sulphurs would
last a year. They were mostly in
|H blocks, not separate as we see th'em
today. Borrowing a chunk of fire from
11 neighbor to neighbor wa3 of common
: | occurrence. The borrowing of matches
Kj was a rare thing, because they were
•I. not borrowable.
There
no
at v
sleotrlclty In those
lich we saw in the
many of these fals*' alarms that an
investigation was made. Then every
body swore that there were only two
men in town who would dare to do
such a thing, and they were Vic and
Alex Menard, but both hatched up an
alibi, such as it- was. *
...
There were lots of hotels and board
ing houses In the old village. There
was the Lanier. Brown’s Hotel, Granite
Hall, the Floyd House, the "Wayside
House, Pea Liquor Hotel, and a num
ber of small ones.
...
Mulberry street from Third to
Fourth, was one big wagon yard, and
so was Third from Mulberry to Pop
lar. Where one country wagon comes
to Macon now, there was a hundred
then. Bales of cotton were everywhere,
and yet there were numbers of ware
houses. There was one where the Dan-
nenberg building stands, one across the
street, and two or three on Poplar, the
principal one being in the rear of the
present City (Hall.
...
Bridge Row' had a number of good
stores on the north side, and good peo
ple lived on the opposite side. In the
big house near the Southern depot was
the old Menard home, in which" lived
Mr. Charles A. Williams, with Mr. Ste
phen Menard, two of the most popular
men in Macon In their day, and next
to them the late Dan Gugel.
. • *
There were three papers printed In
Macon fifty years ago. The only dally
was The Telegraph..printed by Joseph
Cllsby, in the building at the corner
of Cherry and Second: the Journal and
Messenger, printed by Simri Rose,
where the new Empire Store is now;
and the Georgia Citizen, printed by
Dr. L. F. W. Andrews, over where the
Postal Telegraph has its office. Below
this latter office the father of Henry
Horne was engaged In business with
the late John Valentino.
! plained how he had been driven Into
• bedecking himself In that style, but
| added: "There Is one thing they will
never be able to make me do In Wash
ington society, and that is to ear pic
with a fork. I have tried It and I have
found out I cannot do It and enjoy the
pie* So blast my picture If I will pun-
lsli myself In any such way again!”
Edward B. Moore, of Michigan, was
sworn in this week as Commissioner of
Patents. The promotion carries with
It. a decided distinction, for Mr. Moore
is the first Assistant Commissioner, -^f
Patents who has ever attained the
commissionership. He was appointed
from Michigan to a minor clerkship in
the Patent Office and has worked his
way through the various dep.irt.mcn’s
with great success. The former com
missioner. "Frederick L Allen, has gone
to New York, where he will resume
his practice of law.
From now on until June 21. the
White House will be the busiest place
In the National Capital. On that date
President Roosevelt leaves for his va
cation at his home in Oyster Bay, and
his summer outing will be a rest in
every sense of the word, for he has
announced emphatically that he will
fill no engagements whasoever until
well along into the fall. Practically
the only public appearance he will
make before leaving for his vacation
will be made next Monday, when he
will attend the exercises on Georgia
Day at the Jamestown Exposition. In
the latter part of September he will go
to Ohio for the unveiling of the Mc
Kinley monument, and before return
ing here to resume his duties he will
probably make a voyage down the Mis
sissippi river.
for Congress as an Independent Demo
crat against that elegant gentleman
and loyal Georgian. J. A. Billups, who
had been nominated by the Democrats
of the Ninth district. Judge Speer
made a brilliant campaign. He was
famous as a stump speaker, glittering
and- eloquent Judge Speer was elect
ed. In 18S0 Judge Speer was again an
independent candidate, the Democratic
nominee being- the "Demosthenes of
the Mountains.” Hon. Hiram" P. Bell,
who had twlcy represented his dis
trict in Congress, and held numerous
other honorable places. Judge Speer
was again victorious. The “One-Eyed
Plow Boy of Pigeon Roost’’—Allen D.
Candler—waF -the cause of Judge
Speer's undoing. In 1882 this rock-
ribbed Democrat defeated the judge. I
have heard that Mr. Candler was busy
shingling his house when notified that
he had been nominated by his party to
make the race against judge Speer.
He got down off the ladder, accepted
the nomination and turned his atten
tion to the job of defeating Judge
Speer. In tirne Candler became Gov
ernor of Georgia, and Speer went upon
the bench of the United States Court.
All the gentlemen whom Dr. Felton
defeated for Congress, have passed
from earth, judge Billups, with whom
Judge Speer contested, has also gone
to his celestial reward. The Seventh
and Ninth districts have never had
successful Independent candidates for
Congressional honors since the days
of Felton and Speer.
The per capita circulation of money
in the United States is at a very high
mark. On June 1 it reached the great
est amount ever attained. On that
date the per capita circulation of
money In the United States was 834.20, _ _ _
which is the highest point ever reached, The name" of Congressman Griggs Ts
A gentleman informed me yesterday
that Congressman W. G. Brantley has
been making some old time Demo
cratic speeches in his district, the
Eleventh. He has been preaching the
doctrine and faith of the fathers. By
the way. I hear there is considerable
talk among the friends of this splendid
Georgian to have him make the race
for Governor as the successor of Hon.
Hoke Smith when that gentleman re
tires from the Gubernatorial office.
month of May. 1907. The per capita
on June 1 Is based on an estimated
population of 85.965 000 persons. On
June 1 of last year it was $32.45. and
on January 1, 1907, It reached $33.78.
The Central Railroad freight depot
was in East Macon where the iBibb
Mill Is now. and below it were the
shops and round house. "Where the
and Western shop?- The father of Ed.
Irvine was the Central’s agent.
and an increase Of^ cents during the j also being frequently mentioned in
n-i I-- t jjj s connection.' In conversation yes
terday with two of Mrs. Griggs constit
uents they said that at the proper
time the popular Representative from
the Second district would be urged for
Governor. Of course both Brantley
and Griggs are candidates for re-elec
tion next year to Congress from their
respective districts. A third member
of the Georgia delegation is also
spoken of for Governor—Congressman
T. W. Hardwick, of the Tenth district.
His friends are pointing to the promi
nent part which he played in the last
State campaign as a factor that
should be potential in his favor In
contest for the Governorship. . Mr.
Hardwick is talented and ambitious.
Mr. Smith has not been inaugurated
Rives, with a mixture of mirth and
friendly anxiety, gave him to under
stand that he had really thought the
tables had been prepared by somebody
who did not know what he was about:
but since they were Mr. Stephens’ own
work, he could see them go to the pub
lic with his misgiving diminished, but
not removed. The tables, and the novel
conclusions deduced from them, ap
peared in the next morning Globe; and
their accuracy has never yet been suc
cessfully assailed.
Caught on
tHe Wing
By JOHN T. BOIFEUILLET.
After a silence of some years as a
public speaker, owing to his advanced Governor for the term for which he
age and physical weakness. Dr. W. H. j was recently elected, and it seems
Felton, of “Near Cartersville.” deliver- ; very hasty and premature to be dis-
ed an address on last Saturday at a | cussing , his successor, and yet a Gu-
Central's shomarn I Prohibition rally in Bartow County, j bernatorlal campaign may burst out
! It must have been the cause only that j and blaze upon the State next year,
could have induced “the old man ; The coming session of the Legislature
eloquent” to sorely tax his little re- may throw some light upon the future,
maining and fast fleeting strength. I !
And water. There was a well In
every yard, and pumps on many of the
streets. There was a snlendid well of
water on Oak street in front of the old
Cherry home, blit that locality was
then a big oak grove. There were
others, but this one was famous for Its
cold water. The pumps were known
for their quality of water. The pump
on Mulberry, on the end of the park
between the old Sol Hoge corner, then
Rnrdman’s book store, and The Tele
graph corner, then Campbell’s grocery,
was greatly used, because it was in
"the principal business section, bat that
pump at the intersection of Cherry and
Second had better water, and supplied
the merchants on Cherry street. Near
thesr pumps were cisterns for fire pro
tection. and the wasteage from the
(pumps kept them supplied with water.
In less days water goes to every
home, and you have only to turn a
. faucet. ‘
* Tt seems wonderful how we got along
■without telephones in those days. The
hou.s rwifo of today talks to the grocer
just as she would if she were in the
some room, and orders such articles
a.? she wants. Fifty years ago, she
either went to the grocer for what she
wanted, or sent the ohildreiv to forget
what they went after. The grocer
never sent tilings home- You bought
the articles, and carried them away
with you. Delivery wagons were un
known.
"But this Isn't what I wanted to say.
I wanted to give you. if possible, a pic
ture of Macon as I saw It fifty years
ago. Mulberry, from First to Fourth:
Cherry, between the sania streets:
Cot con avenue, from Mulberry to
Plum: Fourth, from Poplar to Plum,
and Bridge Row were the business
streets.
On the river bank, above the South
ern Railway freight depot. T. & G.
"Wood had a furniture factory, and
where that depot now stands the
father of Charlie Damour had a beau
tiful little park he called Bonnie Nook.
This and Spring Garden, whero the
Bentons lived, the Singleton property
now. corner Mulberry and Spring, were
the only parks of the city.
...
"What is now known as Coleman Hill
was a wild pine grove, with a fine
spring of water that fed a fountain in
Spring Garden. Another fine spring
was at the head of Cherry, now Mag
nolia Street. The Coleman Hill made
one 'of the best toboggan slides, with
its covering of pine needles, In the
world, but the word toboggan was not
coined then.
* * «
There were no policemen in those
days. The town marshal was the sole
guardian of the village.
* * •
Dr. Mettauer Is the only surviving
physician of those days. There Is not
a lawyer nor merchant of those days
now living that I can think of.
* * »
•Of the men I can bring to mind who.
are now living whom I knew fifty years"
ago. there are: (Lucien Ricks, who
was a tinner then as he is now: H.'T.
Powell, who was then a machinist, but
now a banker; Sam Westcott and
Dolph Gibson, both machinists: Bill
Goodyear, then a schoolboy, and like
wise Bob Price: TV. C. Singleton and
S. H. Singleton, both teachers:
Emanuel Isaacs and his sons. Sol and
Henry: E. D. Williams and "Vic Me
nard: Oscar Crockett. Elam Gillon, and
—but these are all who come to mind.
There are others, of course, but as I
write this teir names escape me. Hun
dreds of names of those whom I knew
in the old days and who grew up to do
tneir part of making a city of the vil
lage come to mind, but they now sleep
in Rose Hill.
Heigho, filfty years Is an awful long
time!
am .sure that the appearance of this
distinguished Georgian on the occa
sion mentioned was an impressive
sight—his splendidly formed head
white with the snows of more than
three score years and ten, and his body-
trembling under the weight of time’s
heavy hand. There was a day when
his wonderful voice electrified the Sev
enth Congressional District, and re
sounded throughout the State. He
could make the popular mind to toss
and chafe life a mountain torrent in
the wild sweep of its waters, and with
the breath of that same wondrous
power he could calm the passions he
had excited Into the stillness of a sum
mer’s lake when not even a zephyr
ripples its glassy surface.
•l-I-l-l-t-I-I-I-i-l-l-I ’I-I-l-11 .H-l-H-I-H-
| Washington Gossip]
•i-H-M-M-
WASHINGTON. June 7.—Senator
Beveridge has stirred up a pretty mess
through his declaration that cowardice
was displayed by army officers in the
Philippines. Apropos of the unveiling
at Indianapolis on Decoration Day of
the monument to Gen. Lawton, the
junior Senator from Indiana published
an interview of some.personal impres
sions of Gen. Lawton on the fighting
line. This interview appeared some
weeks ago,, and in it Senator Beveridge
described an officer of Gen. Lawton’s
The first time I ever heard Dr. Fel
ton speak was in Catoosa County, in
1878, in his famous campaign for re-
election to Congress. He was running
as an independent candidate against
the regular Democratic nominee, the
one-armed Confederate veteran. George
N. Lester, of Cobb County, who after
wards was State Attorney General.
Lester was full of fire, and he kindled a
great blaze of enthusiasm in the dis
trict. He was bold and strong in his
attacks upon Dr. Felton. His words
were burning, and seemed "like arrows
of stone, heated in a furnace, and shot
forward with unerring aim.” But they
rattled In vain against Felton’s shield.
The parson struck deadly blows. His
assaults were terrific. When the dust
of battle had cleared away it was seen
that he was still the Richard Coeur-de-
lion of the "Bloody Seventh.” His
majority over Lester was 1,350.
Dr. Felton served three terms In
Congress, being elected each time as
an independent Democrat. He sav
agely attacked what he considered the
trickery of the Democratic convention
system of nominating candiates. He
wrought a revolution in the political
affairs of his district. He had an able
and untiring coadjutor In his wife,
one of the most ■brilliant and remark
able women Georgia ever produced. She
had a special genius for politics. As
splendid strategists and masterly man
agers the couple were famous the
State over, and remained invincible for
years. Mrs. Felton is an ardent friend
of education, and her special mission
in life seems to be to press "the cup of
intellectual happiness” to the lips of
the girls of Georgia.
I understand thp.t a splendid crayon
portrait of the late Joseph E. Brown,
formerly Governor of Georgia, has
been presented to the State by Mrs.
E. L. Connally, daughter of the de
ceased, and that it will occupy a place
on the walls of the executive office at
the capitol along with the pictures of
a number of other men who have pre
sided over the destinies of the com
monwealth. The portraits now in this
Gubernatorial picture gallery are those
of R. B. Bullock. James M. Smith.
Alfred H. Colquitt. James L. Boynton,
H. D. McDaniel. John B. Gordon. W.
J. Northen, W. Y. Atkinson and Allen
D. Candler. It will be observed that
the picture of Alexander H. Stephens
does not appear. It is to be regretted
that the well known face of this emi
nent Georgian is not seen in the col
lection. I believe, that these pictures
have been provided by the families of
the Governors. Of all the Governors
prior to the Constitution of 1863
Joseph E. Brown is the only one" whose
portrait is hung in the executive of
fice.
Dr. Felton was first elected to Con
gress in 1S74. The campaign was red-
hot. The Democrats nominated L. N.
Trammell, one of the best known men
in Georgia. He was regarded as a re
sourceful and shrewd leader. He has
gone into history as president of the.
State Senate, chairman of the Railroad
Commission of Georgia, and the holder
of other positions of public honor and
trust. He was also chairman of the
aff as being badly frightened at the celebrated Colquitt-Norwood conven-
The City Hall and the market were
in the street at the intersection of
Fourth and Mulberry, and- the court
house was in a big shaded ecu are at
the foot of Mulberry street The La-
m-'r Heu«e was about half i:s present | matter of fact, the battle of Teytey,
size Where the court house now ! which Senator "Beveridge describes as
stands, was .a big livery stable, and \ being a fierce and sanguinary affair,
tiie old .Wademy in the mbidle of a big really was nothing more than a skir-
equare filled wit: oak trees where mlsh. Only one column of troops, with
taking of Teytey, and skulking in the
line with teeth chattering until Bev
eridge “felt sorry for him.” Senator
Beveridge was not popular on his trip
of inspection in the Philippines and
was known to the army as “Senator
Balloon." The officers of the army are
prevented -by the regulations from
making any reply to a United States
Senator, but so much bad feeling was
stirred up by the charges of Mr. Bev
eridge that it is not at all unlikely rhfit
n official inquiry will be made. As a
tion. Felton and Trammell had a series
of terrific joint debates. The strife
attracted the attention of the entire
State. Trammell considered the pro-
! prlety of withdrawing from the con
test. for the party good, and so wrote
to the executive committee of the dis
trict. The committee decided hat
Trammell should continue in the race.
Later, however, he retired. Wm. H.
Dabney, of Floyd, a gallant Confeder
ate officer, and a splendid Georgian,
was put forward as the Democratic
standard bearer. The flames from the
Felton-Trammell furnace had heated
the whole district, but even they blazed
rot so interseiy as these which burs:
forth in the fiery meeting ■between
There are two very familiar pictures
of Mr. Stephens. One is from the im
perial photograph by Brady, taken in
Washington city. March. 1866. It rep-
recents him sitting in a chair, with
his hands folded upon his lap. His
vest is half open, and his spectacles
hang by a cord which is around hfs
neck. The other picture is historic. It
portrays him as he appeared during
the delivery of his great statistical
speech, "Georgia and Ohio Again.”
delivered in Congress on January 15,
1855, in reply to Congressman Camp
bell. of Ohio. It is from a photograph
by Brady. It represents Mr. Stephens
in a. standing posture. His left hand,
half closed, rests upon a desk, and his
right hand is against his waist with
index finger prominent. The stream
ers of a large black necktie droop upon
his broad shirt front. A gold fob and
chain hang from his watch pocket. I
understand that the original photo
graph formerly adorned the mantel
piece of Mr. Stephens’ private room at
Liberty Hall, Crawfordville. "Georgia
and Ohio Again” was considered one
of Mr. Stephens’ most masterly
speeches. In connection with this
mention of his picture I think it would
be Interesting to state the circum
stances under which Mr. Stephens de
livered his famous rejoinder to Mr.
Campbell. I take the facts from
Henry Cleveland's work on Stephens,
and from the life of Stephens by Rich
ard Malcolmn Johnston and "William
Hand Browne.
Mr. Campbell had asserted that Mr.
Stephens had valued the products of
Ohio at too low figures, and those of
Georgia too high, to prove which as
sertion he had constructed a set of
tables to show a heavy balance in fa
vor of Ohio. Mr. Stephens in reply pro
duced a memorandum drawn up for
him some time ago by Mr. Campbell
himself, at his request, giving to Ohio
products the identical values which he
had taken. This exhibition was a nail
er. and Its production caused a great
sensation. (He took up all Campbell’s
points of statistics in turn, and in each
showed triumphantly that they bore
out the truth of Stephens* position. Mr.
Stephens pointed out the monstrous
fallacies of Mr. Campbell’s figures,
such as estimating the hay crop of
Ohio at $16.00 per ton. as so much of
Ohio’s wealth, when it bore no suyh
price there, nor anything like it; the
New York cost, which Mr. Campbell
had quoted, being chiefly due to the
expense of transportation., This ridic
ulous fallacy of estimating the whole
hay crop of the Western prairies at the
price baled hay was bringing in the
New York market, as if the cost of
transportation of a product to a -dis
tant market was a part of the wealth,
instead of an off-set to the wealth, of
the producing region has been often
since repeated and believed even by
those who should have more sense. It
would : be quite as reasonable to cal
culate the tons of ice in the glaciers of
Greenland and estimate them at their
value in the market of Havana: a pro
ceeding which would show that deso
late region as richer than all Europe.
Mr. Stephens’ exhibit of statistics
showed that Georgia, with less than
half the population, with nearly 3 third
less land in quantity, and less than a
third in value, compared with Ohio,
not only equaled, but exceeded that
State in her agricultural productions,
according to the census returns of 1850.
Mr. Stephens also demonstrated that
Georgia, by the census, had one pupil
at college for every three hundred and
thirty-nine (3391 of her entire white
population and Ohio had one for every
five hundred and thirty-nine C639> of
hers. With much emphasis. Mr. Ste
phens said, “In this particular, Geor
gia. by the .census returns, is not only
ahead, and a long ways ahead of Ohio,
but of every State in the -Union, and of
any and every other State or nation in
the civilized world.” Mr. Stephens fol
lowed Mr. Campbell’s . example, and
called attention to one or two other
subjects which threw some light upon
the workings of their respective social
system. He showed that relatively
Ohio had one hundred and twenty-
three churches less than Georgia. Mr.
Stephens said that Ohio church build
ings were estimated at a higher cost of
value than those in Georgia, “But,” he
said, “with us we do not look so much
to the splendor of architecture, or the
outward appearance of our temples of
worship, as we do to having a house
of some sort where the people of all
classes, including the ‘poor.’ yea the
‘slave,’ may have ‘the gospel preached
to them.’ ” He also showed that dur
ing the year for which the census re
turns were taken there were but eighty
criminal convictions in Georgia, while
in Ohio there were eight hundred and
forty-three. There were in Georgia, in
the penitentiary, eighty-nine convicts:
in Ohio there were four hundred and
six. Mr. Stephens also showed that
two-thirds of the railroads in Ohio
were unpaid for. .while in Georgia less
than one-twelfth of hers was unpaid
for.
■During the discussion the following
occurred:
Mr. Campbell. You are wrong there
Mr. Stephens. No. sir. I am never
wrong upon a matter I have given as
close attention to as I have given to
this.
Mr. Campbell. T can prove it.
Mr. Stephens. You had a chance to
show that I was wrong once before,
but you signally failed. Try it again.
The above will give a slight idea of
the general character of Mr. Stephens"
magnificent statistical address. I wish
I had the space to give a synopsis of
all the leading features of his masterly
speech.
LIFE AND CHARACTER
OF LATE BUFORD M. DAVIS
Memorial to Be Printed in
Next \olume of Reports
Tribute to Noted
Macon Attorney
elders, never attempting to decry their
positions or answer their arguments
except by sound logic and clear rea
soning. No lawyer, perhaps, in any
age or country ever more completely
possessed the affection and love of the
younger members of the profession,
and none, save the Immediate mem
bers of his family, felt a keener sor
row than they when his death was an
nounced to tile world.
“Mr. Davis was elected to the Legis
lature In 1S76 from Houston County
without being a candidate for the of
fice, and was re-elected in 187S. He
also served one term as trustee of the
Georgia Normal and Industrial College
at Milledgeville. These were the only
offices he ever held and these he did
not seek. He always took, however, a
lively interest in public affairs, and on
important occasions never hesitated to
leave his private business to discuss
great public questions and always ex
erted his utmost influence for the
triumph of those principles which he
advance the public
The following memorial to Mr. Bu
ford M. Davis has been prepared and
ordered printed in the next volume of
the Supreme court reports:
“To the Honorable Supreme court:
“The committee appointed to pre
pare and present at this time a me
morial commemorative of the life
and character of our deceased broth
er, Buford M. Davis, late a mem
ber of the bar of this court, respect
fully submit the following report:
“It is a wise and kindly custom to ! believed would
honor our departed brethren, and it ; good. It will doubtless not be out of
seems perhaps to have been borrowed ; place just here to observe that the
from remote antiquity. ’To transmit ; voice of fame marked him out for a
to posterity the lives and character of high and honorable public career, and
illustrious men ’ says Tacitus, the ; his friends frequently urged him to be-
great Roman historian, ‘was an of- come a candidate for public offices
fice frequently, performed In ancient which they believed him so weH quail-
times. In those early seasons of vir- fled to fill, but he always declined,
tue men were led by the impulse of , preferring to pursue his chosen profes-
a generous spirit to a course of action sion, though he had every reason to
worthy of being recorded; and. in like believe that to succeed he had but to
manner the writers and speakers of i announce his candidacy. He was men-
ganius undertook to perpetuate the j tioned because he was worthy, and not
memory o. honorable deeds, without J because he indelicately or offensively
any motives of. flattery , and Without | asserted his popularity or pre-emi-
any views of iprivdte ambition, influ- • nence ov thrust them upon public no-
enced oniy by the conscious pleasure | tice. On the contrary, there never
of doing justice to departed merit, llvd a more modest man and the lit-
Fo-tunate it is that the same good t]e arn bltlon of rising above his friends
custom prevails with, us whenever a . desired office was utterly foreign
to his noble heart.
great and splendid characted incur
profession is lost to the world. When
the hour appointed by the court for
memory and eulogy, arrives, the con-
His Regard for Friendship.
“Any estimate of the character of
flict of opinion.the ardor of debate,and j Mr. Davis would be incomplete which
all contentions cease. Through the omitted to point attention to the sa-
Tifted clouds shines a serener and 1 . . _. , . . -
purer sky. Even were it true, as cred resrard wh,ch he always had for
critics more severe than wise have , the rights of friendship. No one ever
at times suggested that the encomi- ! held them more Inviolable. A secret
urns we offer are couched in formal-! confided to him became his by that
phrases, that thye sometimes become ' confidence, and his devotion to his
too trite and general, and that in . friends never faltered. Nor was he
laudation we become indiscreet and j ever more delighted than when he felt
exaggerative—the custom, as has been
well said, . would still be one that
ought ever to be reverently observed,
as well for its benignity to ourselves
and for the encouragement of the
living, as for the proper honors to the peared obliged." He constantly prac-
memories of our deserving dead. ticed the greatest of all virtues—
that he was really and truly serving
others. Kind, thoughtful and consid
erate always, pcsso-sed of a tact and
delicacy rarely equalled, ‘whener he
conferred a favor it was he that ap-
Born in Sumpter District.
“Mr. Davis was born in January.
184S. in Sumpter District, S. C-, in
a State which has given many illus
trious men to the world, and moved
tat a very early ag J with-his parents to
Houston County, and spent the great
er portion of his youth on a planta
tion located a few miles from Perry,
the county site of that county.
“Just before the close of the war
between the States, and though only
sixteen years of age, Mr. Davis en
listed as a private in the Confederate
States’ army, and thus manifested at
a very early age that devotion to duty
charity. There are many left behind
who will miss his generous heart and
open hand. The pathway of his life
was marked with kindly words and
deeds which, after all, constitute >his
best and noblest eulogy.
“Mr. Davis, "when left to himself,
enjoyed above all else the congenial
society of his accomplished and de
voted wife and the presence of his
children and friends around his own
fireside. Here at home the man, great
in the current of business and affairs,
became still greater in the genial, con
fiding. generous qualities of mind and
heart that diffused sunshine and glad-
and that love of his State and country P. es , s around him and made him the
which so conspicuously marked his : ’ do1 k* s children and his friends. In
entire career. At the close of the i ^he relafions that
wa% *he prepared himself for college j
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR
uar
Academy
houses on Fou
Hodgkins hou
Wharf, now O
Rogers home a
en The corner
now i«.
street w<
The
re .the
big which Senator Beveridge was not pres- Felton and Dabney. Felton triumphed
old * ~ ’ '
This
> street:
Light foe
boarding house on t
berrv, known then
house, and Brown’s
bouses on Third str
houses at the inter:
an! Third, the Avr
Roosevelt home, : he
and the house ro-.v
Ladies’ Home. The'
brick buildings on thi
House, one where t
ti >nal B:
Foundry.
Fee-01.1 •
the Turp
The onA
the
st re
nrn
saw anything like fighting at all.
was Gen. Hall’s command, which
d , in a bri-rk. if brief, engagement lost
e. i three men killed and eleven wounded.
Wainutt the old i The only.other casualties suffered by
ic cover of Mul- I other-columns in the assault on Tevrev
«s the Murdock j were through heat prostrations. This
Hotel The big ; information is taken from the official
'et were the four [ reports. The army is thoroughly stirred
nut j 11 r> over the matter and It is likely that
Dr. . Senator Beveridge's unfortunate re
nte. | flections on the fighting men will not
Old • be allowed to remain unanswered.
big
5yd ; They are telling a good story on
"Wisconsin’s new Senator. Uncle Ike
Stephenson. It appears that about
fifteen years ago, when he was serv
ing his first year in the house, he an
nounced a rule of table manners,
which, to sav the least, were unique
ectlon
Mas
cere
the
■om;
Na
me Amer:car
rands and Findlay's
residence portion of
Findlay hente. now
■roe. was the only one.
of any size on First
where the Volunteers’
Is.
Speaking of the old City Hali and
Court House Square, I am reminded of
the old a'nrni be".] that sounded the
fire calls to the volunteer department.
It was on the City Hall, and the r-'pe
hung on »-e outside of the building
where it c'uid be ea-iiv reached. One
and "Washington hostesses are wonder-
it g whether he is still adhering to it.
When he firs: came to Washington be
balked at the conventional evening
suit, but finally his daughters 00m’-
peiied him. in order to maintain peace
in the family, to buy a swallow-tail
coa* and a low-cut vest Fome of his
admiring constituents discovered him
this glad raiment and
k. night Mr. Victor Menard, father of | were horrified. Mr. Stephenson ex
by something over two hundred ma
joriry. In 1876 the Democrats again
nominated Dabney. Felton’s spirit
panted for the fray. Once more the
Seventh district sizzled, apd once more
the parson fried Democracy on the
griddle. His majoritv til’s time over
Dabney ran up to 2.462. In 1878 came
the Felton-Lester combat, to which I
have already referred.
The proud charger and victorious
steed of many furious and brilliant
races was at last left behind by a
"Mountain Colt.” This occurred in
1880. when Judson C. Clements came
out of Walker County, way up yonder
near the Tennessee line, and got on
the track, flying the Democratic col- that hi
ors. After retiring from Congress. Dr.
Felton represented Bartow County
several terms in the Legislature win
ning new laurels in numerous impor
tant parliamentary battles and general
legislative debates
The defeat of Dr. Felton left only
one independent in the Congressional
delegation from Georgia—Hon. Emory
Speer—the present United States
Court judge for The Southern district
of Georgia. In 1878 Judge Speer ran
On December 14, 1854. Mr. Mace, of
Indiana, made a speech, in which he
gave notice of his intention to intro
duce a bill to repeal the Kansas-Ne-
braska act. and to prohibit slavery
forever from these territories. In this
speech Mr. Mace had spoken of slavery
as injurious to the industry and the
development of the physical resources
of a country. Mr. Stephens made im
promptu one of his happiest off-hand
replies. To this speech of Mr. Steph
ens. Hon. Lewis D. Campbell of Ohio,
replied briefly on the same day. His
speech, however, was not published
until some time after. When publish
ed it was greatly elaborated with vol
uminous statistical tables gotten up In
the meantime to controvert the posi
tions of Mr. Stephens. The great re
joined of Mr. Stephens was one of the
ablest statistical papers ever prepar
ed. and one that cost Mr. Stephens
much labor. The impression made
upon the public by the new facts and
startling conclusions of his speech,
may be estimated by its effect upon
Mr. John C. Rives, who, at that time,
had the control of the Congressional
Globe. Mr. Rives in pursuance of his
habit of close personal attention to his
business, looked over the speech as it
came from the hands of reporters, and
the accompanying, statistical tables
which Mr. Stephens had furnished to
be inserted in the right place. He was
Immediately struck with what seemed
to him the impossibility of the cor
rectness of the tables. Knowing Mr.
Stephens’ usual accuracy in all mat
ters of fact, and being also his per
sonal friend, and feeling solicitous
well-earned reputation in this
particular should not be put to the
blush, he sent for Mr. Stephens and
stated to him his doubts as to the
possibility of the facts, and suggested
the propriety of withholding the pub
lication of the tables, supposing, he
said that they had been carelessly
prepared by some other person, and
had not undergone his own close ex
amination. When Mr. Stephens in
formed him that they were his own
work, and that he was prepared to
maintain their entire accurcay, Mr.
From the -New York Press.
fhe average man thinks he is good if
he* keeps out of jail.
There’s hardly anytJMng that makes
a girl hate you more than not to call
her freckles tan.
A woman can cry when she sees a
steamship sailing just by imagining
how it would be if some of her family
were on It.
A girl would rather have a broken
engagement than none at all.
Some men are lucky to die even If
they go to the wrong place.
■Women are smart enough to make
believe they aren’t so that you get
fooled by them.
There’s no fun at all In sleeping late
in the morning unless you ought to be
at work.
When a bride gets a wedding pres
ent she has to try to exchange it to
see how much it is worth.
A daughter’s gain of a figure is her
mother’s loss.
When a policeman reforms. It’s a
sign he’s on his deathbed.
A summer resort is a very conve
nient -place to wish you were having a
good time.
It’s awful bad manners for a man
who snores to go to church.
POINTED PARAGRAPHS,
From the Chicago News.
Freedom exists only in our minds.
No man Is really free.
Many a grafte- has built his fortune
on a steal foundation.
Some men attempt to do a.main-tent
stunt on a side-show ability.
Only a silent man is able to realize
tfae folly of talking too much.
When a man’s moral rights go wrong
he begins to talk about his legal rights.
Lots of men find folly so attractive
that they haven’t any desire to acquire
wisdom.
It’s often better to go straight ahead
slowly than to travel in a circle at a
rapid pace.
A woman’s reason may be no reason
at all, but It is a waste of time for a
man to argue against it.
It makes a woman with a baby aw
fully nervous when she hears of an
epidemic of any kind a thousand miles
away.
It’s easier to acquire a poor wife
than a good cook.
Men with wooden legs naturally have
a lumbering gait.
■No. Alonzo, a literary club isn’t nec
essarily a big stick.
If women have no one else to tell a
secret to, they telephone.
Anyway, the place that kills always
gets in its work on the right people.
It doesn’t take long for a coming
man to get into the has been class.
It’s up to every man to get a hurra-
on himself when he is homeward
bound.
under the direction of Col. William
Leroy Brown,, and enterafl the Uni
versity of Georgia in 1867, where he
spent two years, an<i returned to his
home in Houston County, where he
immediately entered unon the study
of the law. He was admitted to. the
ba- of Houston" Superior court in
1870.
fireside of home, and in the impulse*
and affections -that live in the sanctu
ary of the heart, this great, good man
who stood up so strongly in the rough
struggles of men displayed the ten
derness of a gentle woman. Into tbo-
sacred privacy of his home life we do
not feel at liberty further to intrude.
Suffice it to say. that a more tender
land devoted husband, a kinder and
■During the dark days of reconstruc- j more indigent father, a truer and
tion which followed upon the close of! mOT _ e faithful friend, never lived. It
the war. although still very "young; -the * *?*! . consolation to his
people had no truer, wiser, better i f amily friends to feel that al of
friend, and in the most melancholy j hlm t j la ^ gamed our love, and raised
hour, (when the wolves were tearing ol,r admiration, still subsists, and will
the victims of the war as the coyote I ever subsist preserved in the minds of
the woundedrf eer. his eloquent voice I r T en *, OT i r
was frequently heard, nor indeed was 016 imperishable records of the State,
ever hushed, until Georgia, redeemed. Devoted Episcopalian,
regenerated and disenthralled, once ‘ “Mr. Davis was a devoted and consist-
mot% stood erect in the great Sister- I ent member of the Episcopal Church, and
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES.
SYRACUSE, N. Y., June 9.—Com
mencement exercises at Syracuse Uni
versity were held today, the baccalau
reate sermon being delivered to the 362
graduates by Chancellor James R. Day.
hood of States
“Aftei* the close of the war Mr. Da-
vla was associated for a time in the
practice of the law with the late Gen.
Ely Warrent at Perry, and later with
the Hon. Warren D. Nottingham. In
1884 he moved from Perry, to Macon.
Ga., and became associated in the
practice of law with Col. Isaac Harde
man. Subsequently, the late lamented
C. A. Turner became a member of the
firm, and still later Mr. George S.
Jones was associated with them. Upon
the dissolution of this firm some years
later, Mr. Davis and Mr. Turner con
tinued the practice until the latter’s
death in 1904. After the death of Mr.
Turner Mr. Davis formed a co-part
nership with Judge A. L. Miller, under
the firm name of Davis & Miller, and
wa? a member of this firm at the time
of his death on June 1. 1906.
“On the 19th of November. 1876. Mr.
Davis married Miss Rosa Brown, of
Houston County, an accomplished
daughter of the late Bryan W. Brown.
This union which was in the highest
sense ideal extended throughout a
period of nearlv thirty years and was
only severed when “the pallid messen
ger with the inverted torch beckoned
him to deoart." His devoted widow and
several children survive to mourn his
loss.
Ranked With Foremost Lawyers.
“In the practice of bis profpss'on Mr.
Davis attained the highest altitude. He
stood as one of the leaders of the Ma
con bar. and ranked with the great
lawyers of the State. He was not only
a jurist of great learning, but an ad
vocate of matchless power. He could
ably discuss the 'most intricate ques
tions of law before the highest judi
cal tribunal, and as ably present the
facts in a case to a jury gathered fresh
from all the walks of life. An eminent
judge in a si'ter State, speaking on an
occasion similar to this of a departed
lawyer friend, made use of language,
which may with equal fidelity to truth
be said of our own distinguished
brother:
“ 'In capacity for rapid absorption of
case, arrangement of facts in their
proper relation, and in the application
of principles to facts he greatly ex
celled. As a trial lawyer, he was self-
reliant and courageous, and when a
case took a sudden and unexpected
turn, and defeat seemed almost in
evitable. he exhibited rare skill and
great reserve power It was." perhaps,
on such occasions that he appeared to
the best advantage. Called upon to
name in briefest phrase the most
prominent trait in his mental charac
ter, I should say it was his power of
discernment and analysis.’"
The arguments of Mr. Davis were
clear and forcible, commending them
selves to the soundest judgments, his
appeals eloquent, arousing the noblest
Impulses of the human heart. He was
model that any student of highest
. mhition might adopt the bar of any
State be proud of, and the courts oL
any country welcome to its forum. It
is eminently fitting that the- name and
memory of such a lawyer should be
perpetuated upon the records of the
court. After all, as has been well said,
this is the lawyer’s monument, and
it will remain when monuments of
marble or stone have crumbled and
fallen and mingled with the dust.
“The treatment of the younger mem
bers of the bar by Mr. Davis is deserv
ing of special remark. He accorded
them the same consideration as their
was for many years an officer in that
church. He took an active Interest in all
of its affairs, and sought by precept and
example to ooint attention ’to the better
and the nobler way.’ He was a sincere,
practical Christian, and accepted with a
sturdv. old-fashioned belief. ■without
doubt or hesitation, the Old Testament
and the New. The lessons there incul
cated he carried into practice in his daily
life, and frequently utilized in illustrating
and enforcing his arguments before courts
and juries and upon the hustings. This
unfaltering faith unquestionably gave
him that marked stability of character so
conspicuous in his career, and leads us
to believe that 'in the midst of death and
in the silence of the receding world, ha
heard the great waves breaking on a
farther shore and felt already on his
wasted brow the breath of the enternal
morning.’
“To say bf a character truly great,
that integrity and a spirit above corrup
tion, made a part of it. were mere tautol
ogy, as injurious to his “irtues as it is
unnecessary. Even the love of fame,
that "fine incentive of generous minds,
could neither betray him into an ostenta
tious display of virtue, nor induce him to
practice those specious arts that court
applause and often supply the place of
merit. On the contrary, throughout his
useful life, in the language of the immor
tal Milton— x
” “His loyalty he kept, his love, his zeal;
Nor number nor example with him
wrought
To swerve from truth or change his
constant mind.
Though single.’
“The life-work of Mr. Davis was wgll
done. Looked at. however, from a human
standpoint, it would seem that he might
for several rears have been spared to his
family, his friends and the state; but a
’Disposer we are little able to reelst. and
whose wisdom it behooves us not at all to
dispute, has otherwise decreed.’ If it be
true, as the wisest and best of men.
have thought and believed, and as Mr.
Davis himself so strongly thought and
melieved. that—
“ ‘There Is no Death! "What seems so la
transition:
This life of mortal breath \
Is but a suburb of the life elyslan.
Whose' portal we call Death.
And if— \
” ‘To live in the hearts he left behind
Is not to die.’
then our friend ha? oniv gone nearer the
Eternal Light—’only gone as a sunbeam
to revisit the native skies— only gone
as this mortal to nut on immortality.’
“In the beautiful city that he loved so
well, and upon the banks of the Ocmulgee
River, he was tenderly laid to by
gentle and loving hands and there he
quietly and peacefully sleeps under 'his
white memorial stone, awaiting a hap
py resurrection.’
“Resnectfullv submitted.
“WALTER J. GRACE.
"Chairman.
*‘C. C. DUNCAN.
"HOKE SMITH. .
“E. A. HAWKINS. ’ '
“W. M. HAMMOND.
•'JOS. B. GUMMING,
“P. W. MELDRIM.
“A. L. MILLER.”
MEXICO SENDING FORCES
TO GUATEMALA’S FRONTIER.
MEXICO CITY, Mexico, June 9.—A‘
train load of sappers, a number of am
munition corps men. and 11 ambulances
left today for Guadalajara. It is un
officially stated that these troops will
later be transported to a west coast
port and from there go to Sallna
Cruis. later they will be transferred to
the Guatemalan frontier. Offers from
Governors of the various State? to fur
nish national guardsmen in case of
hostilities, continue to pour Into the
Federal authorities. Geuerro was the
latest State to offer men,