Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-06-14
CARL sCHURz on TIE STUMP
His Opinion of Seward, Lincoln, and
Douglas.


Douglas.
On May Both Carl Schurz, the gifted and
gallant German orutor, who was n heroic
advocate and soldier for Germanic liberty
in Europe, opened the campaign in Wis
consiu with great speech, from which
we tuke the following extract;
Mr. President, the delegates Of this State
were instructed to cast their votes for the
nomination of Vim. II. Seward. 1t was
certainly not for reasons of superior
availability that 3Ir. Scwnrd's name was
brought forward. But we were 0ccuStom-
ed to look up TO him as the intellectual
| head of the political anti-slaycry move
ment. From him we received the battle
cry in the turmoils of the contest, for he
was one of those bold spirits vino sometimes
| will go ahead of public opiLion instead
of tamcly following its footprints. He
would compress into single sentence,
single word, the whole issue of a contro-
verSv. and those words become the iu-
scriplions ON our burners, the pass words
of our comhitAnts. His comprehensive
/ intellect possesses the peculiar power of
| penetrating into the interior connection,
and grasping the general tendency OF
/ events and ideas. things aud distractions;
/ he charms oLr minds with panoramic views
! of oar political and social condition, and
| the problems to he solved; his telescope
! eye seems to pierce even the veil which
| covers future Developments; and while all
his acts and words are marked by Il thor
oughgoiug aad uncompromising consis-
| tenry, they are ut the same time adorned
with the peculiar graceS of superior mental
culture. [Cheers.
The same qualities which made him an
object OF the fercest and most acrimonious
! hostility on the part of our opponents,
cOuld not fail to assign TO him, in Jhe hearts
OF his friends. place which hardly anoth-
cr man in tie nation conld fill. But
popularity like his. is not apt to become
! general He was one OF the earliest cham
pions of our cause. He fought for it,
sometimes single handed and alone, stand
ing firm and unmoved in the storm of
| flnatcism and vituperation. He fought
for it when it was unpopular, aud all the
prejudice that existed against its princi
/ plcS all the odium that WAS cast upon the
doctrines. CCnterCd upon his person, Tie
was the buwhear with which political
/ children were frightened, and great many
were accustomed to couple with the name
of Seward all that was deteStnblc and
dangerous. His principles emerged from
I thai cloud of prejudice, but his name did
not. and although daily increasing mum
q =
great many could not dIvest themselves o!
their early impressions.
And so this became one of the instances
which you 50 frequently meet in the his
tory of msnkind, that individuals have to
pay a tribute to sclf-denial to their own
greatness.
l need hardly say, sir, that when the mo-
ton Was made to make Mr. Lincoln's nom
nation unanimous, we seconded 1t without
any sacrifice of feeling, and when it was
carried. we heartily joined in the enthuSi-
asm. [ChccrS.] We had not gone there
to have our candidate nominated or non"i
but with the intention TO subordinate our
individual judgement to the judgement OF
tile majority, provided the Convention
asked Of us nothing ironsistent with our
corcienccs as anti-slavcry men, and the
dignity Of the Republican carse. IchcerSJ
and do not hesitate to say, that it Cover
nor Seward had not been in the field, Mr..
Lincoln would, unless mistake the tenn
per Of our people, in all probability have
/ been the first choice Of Wisconsin.
Mr. President, had the honor to be a
member of that committee who we're to
carry to Mr.. Lincoln the official announce
mcnt of his nomination. And then saw
| Mr.. Lincoln again; for had met him in
that memorable Senatorial Campaign in
| Illinois, when he, as Il man of true and
profound convictions, although dIscounte-
nanccd and discouraged by many leading
Republicans, who thought it good policyto
| let Douglas return to the Senate, without
/ opposition, threw himself forward for the
imperilled purity of our principles, grasp
! ed. with bold hand, the Republican BAN
ner, which was in danger of sinking into
the mire of compromise and unnatural
combinations, and held it proudly aloft in
one of the icrcest struggles the country
| ever witnessed. Great Applause. | met
| him then in the thick of that fight, when
he bearded the lion of Dcmngougeism in
his den-whcn the brilliant sallies of his
wit and sarcasm drew shouts of delight
| from the multitude; when the thunder of
his invective ratified triumphantly against
the brazen front of Stephen a. Douglas;
| Tapplause1 when the lucid and unanswera-
| hleIogic cofhsargumeutsl of inspired every pat
liotic heart with renewed confdenc in the
iustness of our cause, and when under his
| nnwPrfuI blows thr large Democratic ma
| iori,y Of Illinois dwindlcd down to nothing.
| There saw him DO what perhaps no 9TH
er man in the nation would have done
Then learned to confidc in the patriot
and defender of profound convictions, to
esteem the statesman and love the man.
| LGreat Applnusc.l
| cannot find words strong enough to
designate the sillncs of those who sneer-
inply affected to see in Mr.. Lincoln but
| second or third rate man, who, like Polk