Newspapers / Southern Illustrated Age (Raleigh, … / Aug. 21, 1875, edition 1 / Page 1
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i V V V 1 ' "' r ry i ) c 1 0; i m ( !U()UnH VSSfcK.'Ks?. It-OS. Entered according to the Act V Congress in the year 1S75, by E. T. FcyHUM, in the Offlce of the Librarian of Congress, at "Washington. VOL. I.-NO. 2. RALEIGH, N. C, AUGUST 21, 1875. Pric: 10 Cents. v , .1 : ,L U EX-GOVERhOR Z. B VANCE. The subject of tins sketch was born in the county of Buncombe, near the seat of justice, Asheville, in the mountains or North Caro lina, on the 13th of May, 1830. His father was a mo?t respectable merchant. His mother's lather, Zebulou Baird, was one of the trusted citizens of Buncombe, for many years chosen as their repre sentative in the General Assembly. , His father died when lie was -quite young. His mother devoted herselt to his training with the lov ing and i ntelligen t care which so otten distinguish and reward the women of our land. Her slender means, however, prevented her giving him other education in his boyhood than was afforded by the country schools, in which Pike's Arithmetic and Web ster's Elementary - Spelling Book were the chief text books. But young Zebv had an inquiring mind. He read with avidity every volume within his reach, and being gifted with great quickness and a strong . memory, in big boyhood began the accumulation of the stores of illus trations and strong apposite diction which have made him conspicuous in his manhood. He had access to few books, but these were good one3. A gentleman, fresh from the senior class ot the University, trav eling in Buncombe, was amazed at finding the superior acquaintance and aptness of quotations from the Bible, Shakspeare and Scott's nov els, displayed by our half-grown and halt-educated mountain bo v. and twfin jears Wo predictedL 1 T ' - - - - - In 185young Vance went ,to the University of North Carolina, where he spent a year. He stood among the first in the branches to which he devoted himself. He here began the study of law and soon afterwards was admitted to the bar. He made Asheville his home and soon commanded a fair share of practice. He early be came influential with the iury, hu mor and ready eloquence telling well on the mind of the average mountaineer. He tells on himself, with much glee, the first corapli men t he received for his forensic efforts : Zeb, if yon can only get apast the Judge, I'd as lief have you as any old lawyer." It was not Jong before his "getting past the Judge" was not the subject of doubt. Like most young men of active and ambitions minds, Mr. Vance went early into politics. He was elected to the Legislature in 1854, where he was one of the most prom inent among the young men, being an enthusiastic Henry. Clay Whig. His peculiar powers were not fully developed, however, until 1858, when he took the stump in opposi tion to the late WrW Avery as' a candidate for the National House of Representatives in the mountain district. This district had once been Whig, The people, however, were devo tedly attached to Thomas L. Cling man, who ior many years repre sented them in Congress. When .Mr. CJlingman swung around to the Democratic side,- he retained his ascendancy, notwithstanding ins change of base, carrying the district in 1857 by 2,000 majority over His Whig opponent, when in consequence of being promoted to the benate, he resigned his seat 1 . - -mm- . it was generally thought Mr. Avery a man in strong debate and of influ ential family, would easily fill the vacancy. When Mr. Vance an nounced his intention to oppose mm, lie was applauded for his gal lantry, Dnt laughed at for his sup posed folly. In this campaign Mr, v ance, tnen only Jis years old, dis played those qualities ot a stump orator and leader of men for which he is now so conspicuous and une qualled. Quick at repartee, teem ing with anecdotes, which he tells with happy humor, able. to pass at will from mirth moving fun to in vective, eloquence and pathos, by his power ot presen ting arguments and facts in an interesting light, his consummate tact and winning ways, "he stole away the hearts of the people." He was elected by a majority as large as the year be fore had been given to his Demo cratic predecessor. In the following year David Coleman, another distinguished Democrat, measured his strength with the young "Whig, but the effort to diminish his majority failed. Coleman met the fate ot Avery, and thenceforth Mr. Vance was su preme west of the Blue Ridge. In Congress he was an active and watchful member. He took sides strongly and labored earnest ly against secession, at the same A ; - - y I :( . J , ' t - 2 ' ' i J . time warning the country against coercion of the Southern States by force of arms. His appeals for the Union in Congress and before the people, were earnest and powerful, but when Sumpter was fired upon, like nearly all the leading Union men of North Carolina, Badger, Graham, Ruffin, Gilmer and oth ers believing in the right of revo lution, he cast his lot with his na tive State, and took up arms against the Union. Whatever Mr. Vance, does he does with all his might. He was one of the earliest -volunteers, marching to the seat of war, in Vir ginia as a captain in Mr r. 1861. It was not long before his promo tion came, he bavins been elected Colonel of the Twenty-sixth Regi ment of North Carolina troops in August 1S61. He ,w&3 among the brave fighters who drove McClell an to hi.s ships in the James, and he brought - his regiment off safely, when Branch's little army was overwhelmed by Bifrn side at New bern. . He cheerfully shared all the hardships and dangers of his men. - He was a faithful and gallant officer, and civillians and soldiers united in the demand that he should be the next Governor ot North Carolina. He was chosen by an overwhelming majority in 1862,and two years later by a similar vote over the late Governor, W. W. Hol den. :':!:''-;ii;'.;--' As Governor of .North Carplina in those troublous times, Mr. Vance displayed talents for which even his most ardent admirers had not given him credit. Blessed with a strong frame and hardy constitu-; tion, lie was able to go through an incredible amount ot hard work, mental 'and physical. He exhib ited administrative and executive powers of. the highest order. It became his duty to aid the Confed erate Government in securing and maintaining in its armies the mili tary contingent of North Carolina. It was likewise his duty, to assist, as commander in chief of the mili tia, in repelling invasion of it3 ter ritory. . jt was his province to exe cute largely the functions of a war minister, and when the full history of the war shall be written it will took caie that there should be no skulkers or deserters among those liable under the .conscript, law, 'he took equafeare tliat all whoclaim ed they were not liable should,, have on their petition arMiri partial hearing before a judicial t 'licer. It was by his efforts likewise that supplies of -clothing and other needful articles were regularly im ported from England , through the blockading squadron at Wilming ton. All during 1863 and 1864: the'departure and , arrival of the Advance were watched for with breathless interest by the soldiers of North Carolina, whose wants the Confederate government could not supply. And. wherii . the ex citement during the trial of Wirz for bad treatment of Federal pris oners, an effort was 'mado by the enemies ot Mr. Vance tr connect him with the sufferings at the Sal isbury prison an examination showed that he had Keen active in alleric-vting those sufferings. . ; ' During 1861 there snransr u in North Carolina a reactionary party, headed by Holden and others, com posed ot those who despaired of the Confederacy. But Gov. Vlncft , n r took the crround that the power of be found that he excelled all South ern Governors ia vigor and ability in these regards. He kept his State up to the full measure of its obliga tion under the Constitution of the Confederacy. At the same time he was watchful that there should be no infringement of the rights of the State. . In the midst of the very death struggles of the war he insisted that the military should be subor dinate to the civil powers. It should be known and remembered throughout the civilized world that all during the time, when the Con federacy wa3 vainly fighting for life, and when one-fourth of the State was overrun by contending armies, the great privilege of the writ of habeas corpus was never suspended. North Carolina had Judges firm enough to issue that great writ, and a Governor brave enough to enforce its mandates in the midst of conscript camps, even in the lines of troobs drawn ud in order of battle. While Mr. Vance 1 making peace had been devolved on that government, and that any State action would bring not only disgrace but ruin to the State. He therefore struggled with unfalter ing constancy for Southern success until the surrender of Gen. John ston to Gen. Sherman. . He now laid down his high of fice with dignity, conscious that he had done his best,, and that the de feat of his plans was the act of God. He renewed his vows of allegiance to the General Government, deter mined thenceforward to contribute all that in "him lay to the advance merit of his native State, and the dignity and glory of the Union. He was arrested after the close of the war, and suffered imprison ment at Washington on account of of his prominence in the struggle, L'ut on examination of his letter books and other documents it was found that his conduct in the strug gle was according to , the fules of civilized warfare, and the senti ment of the North being againsl personal punishment for tre ason , he was honorably discharged. - Gov Vance then returned to the practice of his profession, making Charlotto his home. In 1870 he was elected Senator ot the United States, but on ac count of the disabilities imposed by he 14th amendment to the Consti ution was not allowed to take his seat...' ;..'-V In 1S72 ho has the nominee of he Democratic party of the Legis ature for the same high ofiice, but was defeated in the election by a coalition between a tew friends of Judge Merrimou and the Republi cans, lie received his decrreo of L L. D, from Davidson Col ! e?o i n 1867. Governor Vance is a married man, and has four children. II o is exceedingly loveable in privata lite, has more warm personal triends probably than any man m .North Carolina. He is an especial favor ite with those excellent judges of a kind heart Iadie3 and children. He bubbles over with fun-and an ecdote. His mots are " quoted throughout the State. 'Mlave you heard Vance's last ?" is a common mode of commencing a jovial con versation. Still he does nut neg lect the serious business of life. Al though he devotes most of his atten tion to the study of statecraft and politics in the larger sense, he pre pares bis law cases well and is a first rate nisi prim lawyer. He is distinguished as a lecturer, and i3. often called on by literary societies, and by those desiring to aid charita ble institniions by receipts at the door of the lecture hall. His lec ture on tlie "Scattered Nation," delivered in Baltimore, Charleston, Norfolk and other cities outside of . Nort Carolina, have won the high-' eft-.- a it r 'O i x(jjovernor nas iounu nine to read much on historical, social and political subjects, and has the power of presenting his views in an at tractive and interesting manner,., and clothed in strong, sturdy Eng lish. In his excellent sketches of North Carolina, of late published in the Norfolk Landmark' he. evinces the power of condensing a great multitude of valuable infor mation and history within a sur prisingly small compass. In phy sique Gov. Vance ia a fine speci men of manhood a vigorous, live statesman, and the country will doubtless see more of him in public life hereafter. WHO OWNS A LETTER AFTER IT IS PUT IN THE POST OF FICE? On the 28th ult. the Swiss Pos tal Department sent a cable tele gram to Postmaster General Jew ell asking the return (unopened) of two registered letters of the 20th and 27th of July, addressed to Dun can , Sherman & Co., at New York City. The Postmaster Gen eral submitted the matter to Judge Spencer, the Assistant Attorney General for the Post Office De partment, and finally to Attorney General Pierrepont, and, under the advice of these legal gentlemen, $ent a reply declining to return the packages. In a supplementary letter in relation to the matter, he informs the Swiss authorities that the postal laws of the United States government have bce uniformly construed to terminate the prop erty in or control over a letter by the writer when the letter leaves the mailing office, and, also, that at the .( 3ce of delivery the letter be comes the property of and subject' to the exclusive control of the party to whom it is addressed, and there fore he could not, in the present case, interfere adversely to the right secured by the law to Dun can, Sherman & Co., the party to whom the registered letters in ques tion are addressed. Queen cf 'Artsfemale V1
Southern Illustrated Age (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 21, 1875, edition 1
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