Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1859-10-28

erer of Holland, died Ia the presence of his
wife and children, the hand that struck the
blow was NOT nerved BY private vengeanee.-
When the fourth Henry passed unharmed amid
the dangers of the field of Iyry, TO perish in
the streets of his capitol by the hand of fa-
natic, he did not seek to avenge a private grief.
An exaggerated sense of personal honor-a
| weak mind with choleric passions, intense sec
tional prejudice, united with great confidence
/ 10 the use of arms-these sometimes serve to
stimulate the instruments which accomplish the
deepest and deadliest purpose.
Fellow citizens, one year ago, performed
duty such as perform to-day, over the re-
mains OF Senator Ferguson, who died as Mr..
Broderlck died, tangled in the meshos of the
code of honor To-day there is another and
more eminent sacrifice. To-day | renew my
| protest; to day L utter yours. The code of
! honor IS deluslop and snare; it palters with
the hope OF true courage, and binds it at the
! feet of crafty and cruel skill. 1t surrounds
Its victim with the pomp and grace Of the pro-
cessioD, but leaves him bleeding on the altar.
1t substitutes cold and deliberate preparation
| for courageous and manly impulse, and arms
the one to disarm the other; it may prevent
fraud between praetised duellists who should
be forever without its pale, but it makes the
mere trick of the weapon superior to the no.
| blest cause aud the truest courage. Its pre-
tence of equality is lie--it is equal in all the
form, it is unjust 10 all the srbstance--the ha-
bitude of arms, the early training, the frontier
| life, the border war, the sectional custom, the
life of leisure--aH these are advantages which
no negotiation can neutralize, and which no
courage can overcome.
Bot, fellow citizens, the protest is not only
| spoken. In your words aud in miue-it is
writes in indelible characters, il is written iu
the blood st Gilbert, in the blood of Fergus
| on, IN the blood of Broderick, and the inscrip-
tion will not altogether fade. With the ad-
ministration of the code in this particular case,
1 am net here to deal and passionate grief. =
Let US strive to be just. 1 give no currency
to rumors Of which personally know nothing;
there are other tribunals to which they may
well be referred, and this is not one of them.
But am here to say, that whatever in the code
of honor or out of 1t demands or allows dead
| ly combat where there is not IN all things en-
tire ard certain equality, is prostitution OF
the name, is an evasion of the substance, ard
is shield, blagoneG with the name of Chival-
ry, to cover the malgnity of murder.
And now, as the shadows turn towards the
]
mains to their silent resting-place, let us not
seek to repress the generous pride that prompts
! a recital of noble deeds and manly virtues
lie rose unaided aud alone; he began his ca
! reer without family or fortune, in the face of
difficulties he inherited poverty and obscurity;
be died Senator in Congress, having written
his name in tie history of the great struggle
for the rights of the people against the despot-
&C 4 A. r
er He leaves in the hearts of his friends the
tenderest and the proudest recolectou;. He
was honest, faithful, earnest, sincere, generous,
and brave. he felt, In all the great crises OF
his life, that be was leader in the ranks aud
for the rights of masses of men, and he could
not falter. When he returned from that fatal
field, while the dark wing of the Archangel of
death was casting It's shadows upon his brow,
his greatest anxiety was as to the performance
of his duty. He telt that all his strength and
all his life belonged to the cause to which he
had devoted them. t'Baker," said he-and to
me they were his last words-s'Baker, when
was struck, tried to stand firm, but the blow
blinded me, and ] could not.'' l trust it is no
shame to my manhood that tears blinded me as
be said it. OF his last hours | have no heart
to speak. He was the last of his race; there
wine re death damps from his brow; but around
that dying peI strong men, the friends OF early
mapbood, the devoteu adherents Of later life,
bowed in irrepressble gr,Sf, sand lifted up
their voice and wept."
But, fellow citizens the voice of lamentation
is not uttered by private friendship alone-the
blow that struck his manly breast has touched
the heart of people, and as the sad tidiugs
spread, a general gloom prevails. Who now
shall speak tor California; Who be the inter-
prefer of the wants of the Pacific coast! Who
ean appeal 10 the communities of the Atlantic |
who love free laborl Who can speak for mas-
ses of men with passionate love tor the classes
from whence he sprung2 Who can defy the
Establishments OF power, the insolence of office,
the corrupuoDs of administrations? What hopes |
are buried with him i'll the grave
s.Ah who that gallant spirit shall resume,
Leap from Eurotas bank, aud call MS from the
tomb?"
But the last word must be spoken, and the
imperious mandate of death must be fulfilled
Thus, o brave heart we bear thee TO thy rest.
Thus, surrounded by tens of thousands, we
leave thee TO the equal grave. as IN Ire no
other voice among US SO rung It's trumpet blast
upon the ear Of freemen, so II death Its echoes
will reverbeIate amid eur mountains and our
valleys, until truth ana vaior cease TO appeal
to the human heart.
The earth may ring from shore to shore
With echoes OF glorious name,
But ne whose loss our tears deplore,
Has LETT behind him more than fame.
For when the de.th-frost came to lie
Upon his warm aud mighty heart,
And quenched his bold and friendly eye,
1 HIS spirit did not all depart