St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-10-27
Grafton
Delivered By Col. E. d. B1tr, orcr the dead body
Of Ddrid C. Frederick

betpTed W JOt. n. ~. D3hfF' V't' "'' "''''" ""5 |
Of Dd,Td c. Frederick
We have room for only an extract
or two from this Grafton OF Col. Baker,
which we give below, The eulogy
was beautiful, eloquent and impress
sive. The multitude Of many thou
sands presented perfect sea OF up
turned faces, and when all was still
Col. Baker arose, having the colin,
(which was covered with wreaths OF
flowers,) before him. An eyewitness
says : "Thc grey haired man, used
as he was to addressing public assem-
blages, found his emotions on THIS sol
emn occasion ready to unman h'm,
during the entire delivery. AT times
his voice, loud and ringing as it was,
halted and faltcred and the trembling
of the accents showed how often and
how deeply the strong man was
moved. Nor were his hearers less
acutcly penetrated with the momen-
tous and affecting nature of the occa-
sion :"
Fellow citizens, the man that lies
before you was YOUR Senator. From
the moment of his election, his char
acter has been maligned, his motives
attacked, his courage impeached, his
patriotism assailed. 1t has been a
system tending to one end. And the
end is here. What was his crime !?
Review his misrepresentation his pub
lie acts-weigh his private character
and before the grave cncloses him
forever, judge between him and his
enemies.
AS man to be judged in his pri-
vatc relations, who was his superior?
1t was his boast, and amid the gene
raj license of a new country, it was
proud one, that his most scrutinizing
enemy could fix 10 single act of i'm
morality upon him. Temperate, deco
rous, sclt-rcstrained, he had passed
through all the cxci.ements of Califor
MIA unstained No man could charge
him with broken faith or violated
trust. Of habits simple and incxpcn-
sivc, he had no lust of gain. lie
Ovcrrcached no mans weakness i'll a
bargain and withheld no man his just
dues. Never in the history of the
State has there been citizen who
has borne public relations more stain
less in all respects than he.
But it is not by this standard that
he is to be judged. He was a public
man, and his memory demands pub
lie Judgment. What was his public
crime? The answer is in his own
words They HAVE KILLED Me BECAUSE
WAS OPPOSED TO THE EXTENSION OF SLAVE
RY AND A CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION" Eel
low citizens, they are remarkable
words, uttered at a very remarkable
moment they involve the history OF
his Senatorial career, and Of its sad
and bloody termination.
When Mr.. Brodcrick entered the
Senate, he had been elected at the be-
ginning of a Presidential term as a
friend of the President elect, having
undoubtedly been one of his most in
huential supporters. There were I'M
qucstionably some things in the APP
pointing power which he could have
wished otherwise but he had every
reason to remain with the Administra-
ton which could be supposed to weigh
with man in his position. He had
heartily maintained the doctrine of
| Popular Sovereignty as set forth in
the Cincinnati Platform, and he never
wavcrcd in his support till the day of
his death. But when, in his judgment,
the President betrayed his obligations
to the party and the country-whcn,
in the whole series of acts in relation
to Kansas, he proved rccrcant to his
pledges and instructiuns-whcn the
whole power of the Administration
was brought to bear upon the lcgisla-
tive branch of the Government, in or
der to force slavery on an unwilling
people, then, in the high performance
of his duty as Senator, he rcbuked
the Administration by his voice and
his vote, and stood by his principles.
1t is true, he adopted no halfway
measures He threw the whole weight
of his character into the ranks of the
opposition he endeavored to rouse
tho people to an indignant sense of
the iniquitous tyranny of Federal
power, and kindliug with the contest,
because its ticrccst and firmcst oppo-
ncnt. Fellow citizens, whatever may
have been your political predictions,
it is impossible to rcpress your admi-
ration as you review the conduct of
the man who lies hushcd in death be-
fore you. You read in his history a
glorious imitation of the great popu-
lar leaders who have opposed the des.
potic influences fpower in other lands,
and in our own. When John Hamp.
den died on Chalgrove field, he sealed
his devotion to popular liberty with
his blood. The cloquencc of Fox
found the sources of its inspiration in
his love of the people. When Sena-
tors conspircd against Tiberius Grac-
chus, and the Tribune of the people
fell beneath their daggers, it was
power that prompted the crime and
demanded the sacrifice. Who can
doubt, if your Senator had surrendered
his free thought and bent in submis.
sion to the rule of the administration
who can doubt that instead of rest
ing on bloody bier, he would have
this day been reposing in the inglor-
Gus felicitudc Of Presidential sunshine?
Fellow citizons, let no man sup
pose that the death of the eminent citi-
zen of VIII I'm | speak was caused by
any other reason than that to which
his own words assign it. 1t has been
long forcshadowed-it was predicted
by his fricnds-it was threatened by
his encmics-it was the consequence
of intense political hatred.
But, fellow citizens, the voice of Ia
mcntation is not uttered by private
friendship aIoue-the blow that struck
his manly breast has touched the
heart Of a people, and as the sad IL
Il oil