THE ELOQUENCE OF HON. FRANK W. BOWDON, Smith County, TX ***************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm Submitted by Doris Peirce - ginlu@home.com 26 May 2001 ***************************************************************** THE ELOQUENCE OF HON. FRANK W. BOWDON, "Some Biographies of Old Settlers." Historical, Personal and Reminiscent. Volume I By Sid S. Johnson, 1900: Sid S. Johnson, Publisher, Tyler, Texas Chapter XII - Pages 64-66 The Hon. Frank Bowdon, who figured in Texas in the early fifties as a lawyer and politician, was beyond doubt, the greatest orator Texas ever had. He was to Texas what Henry Clay was to Kentucky, what S.S. Printess was to Mississippi. His eloquence was enrapturing, and the classical excellence of his language was well rounded with graphic periods and dove-tailed with symetrical beauty. The writer, when a boy, remembers a debate between Gen. Sam Houston and Bowdon, at Rusk, Texas, over forty years ago. Houston, the father of Texas, had become a member of the American party, and had made an appointment to defend his votes in Congress, which had been severely criticised by the democratic party. Returning home, like Benton, to appeal to the people with logic and force only peculiar to Houston alone. Gen. Houston was a commanding figure and full of magnetic power to draw people to him. He was a statesman of national repute and his opening speech was sound in logic, rhetoric and forensic eloquence that pleased his devoted followers. Bowdon, who had been in his "cups," had been sobered up for the occasion, replied in a master stroke of eloquence and logic that raised men from their seats, standing unconsciously drinking the inspiration of flowing words that only Frank Bowdon could weave into boquets of lovely flowers of elocution. He captured the crowd by his burning eloquence and the swaying crowd drank the nectar of honeyed words from the human voice. Men and women wept like children; the great Texas orator, like the cyclone, swept the structure built by the great Houston from its foundation, scattered his logic to the four-winds of Heaven, dethroned the reasoning powers of the human mind by the force of eloquence and the magic of the impassioned appeals of the human tongue. He was no match for Houston in logic and reasoning, but the magic of his eloquence captivated, and like the raging storm swept the multitude and bent his audience like the limbs to the winds of the forest trees. Henry Clay had pronounced Bowdon the greatest living orator. He came to Texas about 1850, and died in Henderson, Texas, in 1860. His marked eloquence attracted attention. He shot across the political horizon the brightest meteor of the Lone Star constellation and by his own weakness snuffed out the light that promised the world so much brilliancy. He had been a member of Congress from Alabama. His amiability was pleasing--his person commanding--his eloquence lofty and inspiring-- but his weakness was strong drink, and what a pity! It early robbed us from rocking in the chair of this remarkable man's eloquence. Texas had her Houston, her Rusk and her J. Pinkney Henderson. Ochiltree, Jennings, Roberts and Hubbard have been heard at the bar and upon the rostrum, but Texas had only one Bowdon.