The Democratic pioneer. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1845-1853, 1848-01-07
vigor uf ufconstituticn which jusiiaed 4.

49, ~ y E"tt' ~ ohu faiVrb ih upnoluihS
the rights OF us counlry, and the honor Of
It's dag. Bat, otberwise was il ordered.
and he retired fra tlis Eapls grodnd--
the commo resort 81 a.sath, only TO find
4 m one.oi hose iseases ever incident
10 The mul itudn is life Of ths camp, and
which are known, in military annals, to
be bat !illle more sparing u .he lives of
men, than the uuspaiihg sword itae -
10 say that his death was public H., >
would te to speak truly, but TO speak less !
than the truth. The death Of tl@t man,
al any lime and in any state Of public al.
fairs, would have been ,oes TO his coun-
try, and great one. But his death at
that time, and in tho then existing ex-
igences OF the public service, was ma,
tional priyation not to be appreciated,
save by those who knew the peculiar
character of the man, and its happy adap-
tation TO such exigencies.
We were at the Beginning a. war,'in
which, by the necessities imposeAby free
institutions, we were obliged to .c&pIoy
mixed force of regulars and voldn2 Lers.-
To unite these force undera commSn dis.
cipline-to fuse theiEvarious energies in
to one harmonious whole, and to direct
them with full efl cheney, has ever been,
and will forever be, among the most seri-
Gus difficulties of those placed in the com>
mand of armies. In the attainment ofthis
object, there are required not only the
talents to command the muscles of men,
in virtue Of commissioned authority, but
that address, also, which moves the hearts
of the soldiery because il springs from tho
heart of the General.
would not, sir, willingly, do Injustice
TO the living, even to do justice to the
dead, could that be possibly necessary.
Especially, would not do injustice to
any one Of those officers, whose conduct
and the conduct of whose troops, in this
war, have tanght the world, that neither
the genius nor the courage are wanting,
to make this the first nation in it. Nor
can think that do injustice ITO any, in
uttering the opinion that, perhaps no one
of them possessed in higher degree, than
did General Eamer,ihat inscrutable pow-
er which is expressed by the word--ad-
dress, and by which, single individual is
often seen to sway the discordant W ills of
thousands and to bind the VIII ole, as by d
SPELL to his person and his purposes, more
closely than mere official authority can
ever bind men of various tempers, to a
common object. II is for this reason that
| esteem his death to have been peculiar
misfortune to the army and, therefore, to
the nation.
In reviewing the lives of the eminent
ed away, no remark will be found more
common than, that such one, was self
made man. There are now in this Senate
and elsewhere around us men whose great
abilities and public services will entitls
them to be ranked with their ilIustrious
predecessors, and of almost every one of
whom, 1t Will with equal truth Le said, he
too was a sol-msde man. Not one of
them, however, will fall more emphatical-
ly within this description, than Thomas L.,
Hamer.
lnheriting nothing from his parents, but
the light truly TO say they were respected
and honorable people, he went alone from
his native State of Pennsylvania, when
but boy, and settled in the county of
Clermont in the State Of Ohio.
lie began life as the instructor of
country school, devo,iDg the hours other-
wise unemployed, to study and especially
ly, to the reading of the law. In due time
he was admitted to that learned profession,'
and, removing to the adjoining county of
| Brown commenced and continued its
practice, with distinguished success. He
had been at the bar, however, but yery
short time when political events began to
excite an extraordinary interest in the
public mind. So deep and general did
that interest soon become, and so strong
were the passions which it called up from
the repose of the eight preceding years,
that it was scarcely possible fora young
man, such as Mr.. Hamer was, of admitted
genius and eloquence, ofan ardent nature,
of blameless character, and of decided
political sentiments, to resist the imPor-
| tunities OF his fellow citizens, who sought
TO make him the representative of their
wishes and opinions. He was &C ccordiug-
ly elected and reelected to the lover
branch of the State Legislature, and, by
that body. elected its presiding officer.
From this post he retired, intending to
resume his place at the bar. Bu. the same
causes which had drawn him from il be-
fore, still acting aud with accumulated
force, he again yielded, aud was, by the
same constituency, three times elected TO
the Nations House of Representatives,
f'om whichwe have just received this melS