State

Judge Herbert F. Seawell A brilliant leader of the Populists, lie later turned to the ICepublienn party au«l has participated in many, many political battles, in each of which he distinguished himself. THIS is n tale of political war¬ fare by la ml, by sea and in I be air. and my field marshal is Judge Herbert F. Seawell of Car¬ thage. As we undertake an inspec¬ tion of some of his troops we are greeted with a terrific bombardment, and take refuge in the convenient honihproof to watch it. The shells come over in large numbers, liter¬ ally "bonilis bursting in air”; some loaded with high explosive; some with ordinary shrapnel; blit mostly with gas — not poison gas. nor mustard gas — just plain gas. For we finally find that much of the game of politics consists of hot nr tepid air in large quantities — air conditioned, so to speak! It is in¬ deed a poor party which cannot write down the other party, and “view with alarm” nil it has done, at the same time “pointing with pride to his own achievements.” Some Political Leaders During my day I have seen three major political parties in Carolina — the Populists, the Republicans and the* Democrats. I knew the Populist lead¬ ers, Col. L. I,. Polk, Col. Harry Skin¬ ner. Senator Marion Ilutler, Dr. Cy¬ rus Thompson. I knew the Republican stalwarts, Judge Jeter C. Pritchard, T. T. Ilieks, Pol. Jake Newell, 0. A. Jonas, even that veteran lender Pol. Virgil S. Lusk of Bitucoinlic. 1 knew the Democratic warhorses. Ayoock, the Kitchins, Simmons, Bailey, even Vance and Ransom. Judge Seawell is an old time Popu¬ list, following the principles of Polk and the prophets of a new day for the underprivileged. For Polk, it was a "long, long night of waiting” before his dreams all came true, and they were not realized in his lifetime. Rut if you will look into history, you will see that every reform for which Polk stood has been enacted into law, with the exception of free silver. Let me give my own judgment on the old time political leaders when I was young. The ablest of the Popu¬ list leaders on the field of the state were the brilliant Dr. Cyrus Thomp- By R. C. LAWRENCE son. Secretary of State, and our friend Judge Seawell. Not that I am classing Seawell with Dr. Thompson, because Thompson is not to he classed with anyone, because, as we lawyers say, he was .«in' generis, which, liberally in¬ terpreted, means there ain't nobody like him. And there was not. I read a diary the other day written bv a Dem¬ ocrat who beard one of the joint de¬ bates lietween Vance and Settle in flioir famous campaign. He wrote that Vance had the advantage on Settle only in his joke-making ability. If Thompson had l«eon there. Vance would not have possessed even that advantage, for the Doctor as a joke teller ranked right with Vance him¬ self. When it comes to the brainiest of the old-line Republican lenders, my choice falls on the powerful Judge Jeter C. Pritchard, and the gifted Judge John J. Parker. As to the Dem¬ ocrats, I would sav the top notehers were Aycock and William Walton Kitchin. Born in Duplin Judge Seawell was born in Duplin in 1869, although his life has been passed in Moore, where his great¬ grandfather lived Iwfore him; and the Judge now owns a lnm.se, the stone¬ work of which was constructed by his irogenitor with his own hands, for и* was an excellent stonemason during the week and a great expounder of the word on the Sabbath. Judge Henry- Sea well of Raleigh, ancestor of the Raleigh family of that name, came from Moore, and his father and mother (who was a sister of the cele¬ brated Nathaniel Macon) lire hliried a short distance from Carthage. Tho Judge got a little schooling in the (ioldshoro schools when F.dwin A. Alderman was superintendent at that wholesale educational center, lie then attended Wake Forest and read law at the University. Then he taught school for a couple of years just to get a little experience at controlling crowds of unruly people. Next he went to Carthage and settled down to poli¬ tics and law, and has been at it ever since. lie was the Populist candidate for Solicitor in 1894, where he was the young Disinherited Knight tilting in the lists against the veteran Sir Brian do hois (luilhert, who was a tried and tested representative of the powers that be in the person of the brilliant Col. N. A. McLean of I.ninberton. And the campaign hail not proceeded far before the Colonel acquired that same wholesome rcspi'ct for the abil¬ ity of his youthful opponent that Sir Brian acquired when he ran his first course with the Disinherited One. A Furious Campaign There was a furious campaign; po¬ litical feeling (lamed high; the elec¬ tion was considered close; tin- return* were all in. Then the Canvassing Board got to work. 'Tlnii had to do a little politicking on the side, and here is what happened: In one county certain ballots were cast as returned for Itohcrl F. Sea- well; and in another county, the clerk to the hoard certified that all the bal¬ lots in that county had been east for Herbert /.. Seawell. True, ins|»ectioii of the ballots themselves showed the clerk was in error, and that the votes were for Herbert F., but the State Canvassing Board by a tbree-to-two vote, threw out these votes. This threw Seawell out also. II is opponent wa« finally declared olcctcd. but that gen¬ tleman declined to accept such an elec lion. After an unavailing effort to ]H>rsuado two or three other lawyers to accept, one accepted and shortly there¬ after a "case agreed" was submitted to a judge, who decided that Seawell bad been elected. Ho thereupon pro eeeded to prosecute the State docket with such outstanding ability flint he came to the fore almost immediately as <me of the ablest of the trial law¬ yers of the state. In formulating bis laws of heredity. 1 do not know whether Mendel took into consideration the influence of in- (Conlinutd on page twenty-five) 7