The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-06-30
Death of DR.. Bailey.

Death of Dr. Bailey.
q
E Editorial Correspondence fihe N Y Times
STEAMER ARAGo, OFF SoUTHAMPTON,
Thursday, June 9, 1859.
4 | have sad news for my first letter. Drl
Bailey, the welknown editor of the National
3 Era at Washington, died on board the Aragol
& IN Sunday last at little past o'clock in the
: afternoon. He came on board an invalid, and]
vas hoping that relief from toll and change of
8 scene would restore the strength and vigor|
which the incessant and strenuous labors of his
Z profession had greatly impaired. had known,
sometime before leaving New York, that he was!
5 II, but was surprised to find, as | saw him sit
{ ing upon deck just after passing Quarantine,
: now thin and pale and feeble he looked. II
] gathered from his conversation that he did not
consider himself to be seriously ill-at least,
{ hat his lungs were not affected-but that a!
j ong-contnued dyspepsia, and the nervous ex
] itement which his labors had induced, hadl
combined to bring about the weakness underj
which he suffered. For the first two or threel
4 lays, he was upon deck for the greater part oil
he time. The weather was fresh though not!
Inpleasantly cold, and the sea not rough enough
o occasion any considerable discomfort. Thej
! motion, however, affected him disagreeably)
: Tie slept badly, had no appetite, and could rel
u Il
+ ;ldest son was with him. and attended upon
I him with all sons fond solicitude. Except
8myself, | do not think he had another acquaintl
ance on board. He was cheerful, social and
+ talked with interest of everything connected
with public affairs, at home and abroad. He
s suffered some inconvenience from the fact that
his room was below, and that he could only
reach IT by descending two pairs of stairs. We
4 occasionally made couch of cushions for himl
upon deck, when be became fatigued but this
Hmade him too conspicuous for his TASTE and hel
seemed uneasily fearful of attracting attention.
to himself an invalid.
After Tuesday, the sea became remarkable
Smooth, and so continued to the end OF the vow
SAge. But 1t brought him no relief; his strength
8iailed with failing appetite, and on Thursday |
&Trom staying too long upon deck, he took cold j
(Which kept him TO his room next day. Other
awise he seemed about as usual, through that
3day and Saturday-and on Sunday morning d
seemed even better, saying that he had slept
Sunusually well, and felt strengthened and rel
> reshed. lie took some slight nourishment|
md attempted to get up from his berth without
3 assistance; the effort was too much for him 4
3 and his son, who had left the room at his re
Equest, but stood at the door, saw him fall as he
attempted to stand He at once went in. raised
&him, and laid him upon the couch. Seeing that
: he was greatly distressed in breathing, he went
immediately for DR.. Smith, the surgeon of the
= ship. met him on deck, and, hearing of his
fathers condition, went at once to his room II
e found him wholly unconscious, breathing with
&dithculty, but perfectly quiet, and seemingly
asleep. Drs. Beadle and Dubois were present.
! aud had endeavored to give him stimulant |:
Xbut he was unable to swallow, and it was evil
dent that he was dying. He continued in this
state for about half an hour his breathing be-
, came slower and slower until finally it ceased
s. altogether, and that was all Not movement
II muscle, not spaSm or tremor of any
SSlnd, betrayed the moment when the spirit took
q IS departure. An infant, wearied with plav on
IA summers eve, could not have fallen asleep
8more gently. His remains were placed in ice
) and taken to Havre, from whence they will be
&retnrned to New FORK by the Vanderbilt which
81 caves on the 18th inst.
a Though DR.. Baileys illness has been a mat
q fer OF public knowledge for some months, his
s death, suspect, will take the community bv
q surprise. 1t will certainly be very deeply re-
gretted far beyond the large circle of his family
q connections and personal friends. He was a
= aatlye OF New Jersey, but passed his early life
IN Philadelphia, where he received his educa-
81 ION. lie graduated at the Medical College IN
3that city and soon after removed to Ohio but
e he profession had little attraction for him, and
e lac never entered upon its active duties. His
Taste led him rather TO the study of social sci
s encc in its various branches, and for the last
81 ew years, 1t is needless for me to say. he has
3hcld very important and influential relation
81 10 the political affairs of the country During
81 he thirteen years of his residence at Washing
& ION, in the editorial conduct of the NatjbDa]
s. Era, he has established a reputation for firm
s adherence to principle, combined with pru.
fontr I'd for II l., L -
"a cured the confidence of the largest and wisest
6 portion of the Anti-Slavery men of the country
&He believed Slavery to be moral wrong, a
B social disease, and a political blunder, and di
&rected all his energies TO its extirpaton. But
4he never ignored or protested to underrate the
&practical difficulties with which tho question
was surrounded; nor did he ever fall into the
81 mistake of headlong zealots, and try to maks
- lenunciation do the work of argument and per
= suasion. The fact that he established a popu
ar and successful Anti-Slavery newspaper a,
8 Washington-to those who appreciate the in
8 luences that prevail there-affords conclusive
p proof of the practical sagacity and the wiss
temper which presided over his performance o.
HiGty. lie was not party man nor the tool Of
EParty men, in any respect nor to any extent
s lie thought for himself, and acted upon his owl
&convictions--not obstinately nor with any dis
position to underrate the importance of coop
Ssration with others, but acted with friends only
so long as they sought noble ends by worthy
means, and holding all personal aspirations an6
all party aims steadily subordinate to the tri
Humph Of principle and the promotion of the
public good. He has acted generally with thS
Republican party, but no dictation of its eau
.anses, and no ambition Of its leaders, could
ever induce him to support movements which
his own judgment did not approve. He sus
tained the Crittenden amendment to the LIE
compton bill, although eminent AntiSlavery
: leaders denounced it as pledge to admit, con
iitionally, slave States into the Union; and he
advocated the admission of Oregon, though a
majority Of the Republicans in Congress re
sisted and voted against it; and so on every
& point of public policy. While deferential al