The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1843-12-29
Seualor ilcrsoberis.

congress on.,he l3ih. Judge Breese, of our own
state, and Mr. Ailen, Of Ohio in the senate, and
Mr.. Wentworth, in tue house, most eloqueny
and ably performed this duty. The usual COM
mcmnfatiye resolutions were passed and the sit
ting adjourned. Below we give Col. Wentvorth's
speech on the occasion, from the Globe of the
tab. The usual resolutions having been read,
Mr.. ". rose and addressed the house as follows:
1t is with feelings of extreme deicacy
that | "a new member and the youngest
on the floor arise to address YOU at this
early stage of our session; and it is
painful consideration that ! must make
my first speech-Grst not only on this
floor, bat first on the floor of any legisla-
tive body whatever-upon this funeral
subject. But have lost friend, and so
have you, sir; and so has The state OF H.
lnojs, and so has our common country,
and so the cause Of humanity and liberty
everywhere. The Hon. SAMUEL Nc
RonGRTs, a member of the United States
Senate from Illinois, has left this world
for better. He died very suddenly, on
| his way home from the last Congress, a.
Cincinnati, isom cold he had taken in
crossing the mountains. Judge McRoB-
ERrs was a native of Monroe county, Hi
nois, and received his education at Tran
sylvania, Kentucky. At a very early Pc
Rod he was appointed clerk Of the circuit
court 70 Monroe Co. which Office he held
until the court was abolished He was then
elected TO the state senate ; thence he was
transferred by Gen. Jackson, to the Of
/ lice of the United States District Attorny
for the State of Illinois thence transfer
red TO tho Office of receiver of public
moneys at Danvle; and thence to this
city, to the Office Of solicitor to the General
Land Office which he resigned to ac-
cept the Office Of United States Senator
rendered him by the Illinois Legislature,
the duties of all which stations he dis
charged with the strctesl promptitude,
: the utmost fidelity, and universal COM
: mcnda,on.
= With a very modest dsrust Of his own
abilities, and determination never to acs
= until he could act understandingy, he
had not made that parade before the
world which others have, in the shor.
period Of time, he held a seat in the 9TH
err wing Of this building. But those who
were most intimate with him, acknOwl-
edged him possessed Of all the elements
of n great man--indomilable energy,
' quick perception, and sound judgment.
J His fame nigh. have heen slow, but i,
would have been sure. Wherever he
moved he made an impression and Of
ten left firm conviction where more than
doubt remained before. The subject he
$ grappled with, he always mastered; and,
i thinking not Of premature death that
impended him, he was laying the founda-
a lion, by industry the most interchangeable,
for future eminence and usefulness.
Could he have lived a few years longer.
: should have been spared the trouble Of
telling who ne was. His fame would
have been commensurate, AT least with the
bounds of our country and higher and
still higher honors would have been the
free nd glad gifts of an admiring people.
Greatness. however, is not always syn
onymous with goodness. But. while
n Judge MCRoBrRTs was emphatcaly a
great man, (lhough his greatness had no.
yet had 50 ample scope for development,
and eX'cnnon as that of others, he was
indeed good man. 70 serve friend,
n no sacrifice was to great for him; and his
heart ever beat quick with the impulses
Of kindness, gratitude, and patriotism.
y From early life, he knew the privalions
e Of frontier life. He knew what i, was
+" to be without laws, and be beyond the
. pale Of court Jurisdiction and he could
n paint, in living colots, all the horrors of
+ an Indian massacre. Hence his sympa-
i thics with the Oregon settler, to whom
:. he wished extended the protection of the
= American flag and the blessings ofAmerican
+ aw. Alterthe proloundesi research, las his
:. speeches will show, became to the concu-
/ sion that Orgon wasours--ours by origin
II al discovery, ours by several treaties, and
consequently, ours by right He then was
for retaining it from British usurp-
alton, and for extending over Ameri-
can citlzens-the adventurous and de-
serving pioneers in American enterprise
and civilzaton-all the advantages and
y privileges of the American Constitution;
and, even though but little of Oregon was
ours, over that little our flag should wave.
. and it become ours by possession, as it is
by title. And it was enough for HIM to
y know that the poor emigrant needed gov
ornamental protection, for him TO advo-
cate ii with all those mighty energies
+ which were in his power. Such was
= SAMUEL McRoBERTs, now no more. The
: petishable part of him has vanished for