Clay County GA Archives Newspaper Clippings Col. C. V. Morris This file contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Lindy Hard" ********************************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store this file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/clay.htm Table of Contents page http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm Georgia Table of Contents ********************************************************************************** Fort Gaines Sentinel, 21 Feb 1908, pg 1 Col. C. V. Morris Macon Telegraph "One of the most attractive citizens of Fort Gaines is Col. C. V. Morris. The fact that he is 89 years of age, and so alert physically and mentally, interested the Telegraph correspondent, and he drew from Col. Morris some of his history: "Col. Morris was born in New York Jan. 11, 1819. He came South in 1839. He came to see the country largely as a young man's frolic. His visit was to Franklin, Ala., not far from Fort Gaines. Franklin was a town of considerable importance at the time. "Bennett, Chitty & Grace, a firm doing a large business, induced Mr. Morris to remain with them, and in time gave him an interest in the business. Here he remained succeeding well until the war of 1861 came. He was full of southern ardor, and joined the 15th Ala. regiment. He was in the Virginia army, Ewell's division, under Stonewall Jackson. He was in all of Jackson's battles in the campaign of 1862, and fought to the last. "When the war was over he came home and went into business again in Franklin, near by was his farm. The name of his firm when he went to the war was McAllister & Morris, and they resumed business in Franklin in 1847. [sic,1867?] "In 1847 [sic, 1867?] Col Morris opened business in Fort Gaines, and he has merchandised there ever since. The name of the firm for years has been C. V. Morris & Son. "In politics Col. Morris has always been a democrat. His father, he says took great interest in New York politics, and was a democrat. It was interesting to hear him tell of the first whig convention in New York, and the speeches delivered as to what the new part should be named. Some of the speakers declared the name should be the 'The Whig Democratic Party.' "When the lamented Henry G Turner represented the second congressional district, he and Col. Morris became great friends, and to this day Col. Morris grows eloquent at the very mention of Henry G. Turner's name. He was always anxious to see him a member of the Senate, that great parliamentary body so suited to one of Judge Turner's tastes and abilities. "Even now, though 89 years of age, Col. Morris takes profound interest in the welfare of his country. He hopes that the democratic party will not permit Mr. Bryan to put in the national platform of 1908 the initiative and referendum. As a national law it would mean direct legislation by all the people in masse, and congress would nolonger be the law-making power, but htat would be transferred to the people at large, and under it the large states like New York, Ohio, Illinois and others could combine on any line of policy and dictate the legislation of the country. "Col. Morris says the south should guard with great jealousy what state rights were left her by the war, and to adopt as national law the referendum, applying it in national matters, would permit the Socialistic west, having nothing in common with the south, to dictate our civilization." "Col. Morris believes the remedy is not direct legislation instead of congressional legislation, as the referendum demands, but to force, by an aroused public opinion, the republican party to go back to the 'old rules' and permit the House to be a deliberative and parliamentary body, as it was before the autocratic methods of republican speakers perverted the representative system. This change to the old rules, giving the minority a hearing in congress, would make congress responsive to the people. Better this than a national referendum, which means an unbridled democracy with checks or balance, and the south under it the victim of whatever the 'frenzied agitators' of the east or west might choose to place upon us." J. C.