, 1861-12-16


open expense Of the prairies-now sought 4 |
home Oh the shores of the Pacific. There |
again his genius wns promptly recognized
new stnte, which had just taken her Place
N the Union, sent him as her earliest
to. .us on t11is floor. By his eloquent lips.
In the Senate, he at once took the place Of !
Orator. His voice was not full and sonorons,
but it was sharp and clear. It was penetrat-
ing rather than commanding, and yet, when
pathetic and even musical. His countenancc,
body and gesture, all shared the unconscious
inspiration Of his yoice-and he went
on, master Of his audience, master also
of himself AL his faculties were COM
plctely at lis command ideas, Illustrations,
words, seemed to come unbfddcn, and to range
themselves in harmonious forms, rs in the
walls Of ancient Thebes each stone took-Hs
proper place of It's OWL accord, moved only
By the music Of 1yrc.- His famen speaker
was 60 conspicuous, even before he appeared
among US, that it was sometimes supposed he
might lack those solid powers Without which
the oratorical faculty itself can exercise only
q transient influence. But his: speech on
the floor in reply to slayeholdtng conspira;:
tor-nuw an open rebel-6h0wed that his mat
Ter vas as good as his manner, and that, while
he WAS master Of fence, he was also'a master
OF ordnance. His controversy was graceful
sharp end flashing, like q ecimctar; but his ar-
fery. You have not forgotten that speech
Perhaps the argument against the sophism Of
Secession was never better arranged and com
bined, or more simply popularizcd for the
general apprehension A generation has
cover Of conspiracy, had been exposed. It
had Eh1unk for while into abscu1ity-d driven
back By the massive logic Of Daniel " Webster,
and the honest sense Of Andrew Jackson.
As the pretension qoW showed itself anew,
our orator undertook again to expose it. That
speech passed at once into the permanent
literature Of the county, while it gave to its
author. an assured position in this body. An
other speech showed him in different char
acter. It was his instant reply to the Ken
occasion Was peculiar. 4 Senator, with
treason in his heart if not on his lips, had just
taken his seat Our departed Senator, who
had entered the chamber direct from his camp,
eoie cm1 +. onSs S to s 1sp T. cas nsaR simply ny 2Ra
soul broke forth in words Of surprising
power. AS On the former occasion he had
presented the welripened fruits of study,
SO now he spoke with the spontaneous
utterance Of lis own nntural and exuber-
ant eloquence, meeting the polished tEaitor at
every point With weapons keener and brighter
than his own Not content with the brilliant
opportunities of this chamber, he accepted O
commission in the army, and Faulted from the
Senate to the saddle, as he had already yaulted
from Illinois to California. With zeal that
The attraction of his name, in New York.
Philadelphia, and elsewhere, he held his brig
ado in camp near the Capitol, go that he
passed easily from one to the other, and thus
alterI'ated between the duties Of a Senator and
General His latter career was short, though
shining. At a disastrous encounter near Balls
Blutf, be fell, pierced by nine balls. That brain,
which had been the seat and organ Of such
subtle power, swaying great assemblies and
giving to the child Of obscurity place and com
mand among lis fellow men, was now rude1y
torn by lead, and that bosom which had
throbbed brayely was rent by numerous
wounds. He died with his face to the foe,
and be died SO instantly that he passed with
out pain from the service Of his country to
the service Of his God. It is sweet and be.
coming to die for ones country. Such
death, sudden, but not nnprepared for, is the
crown Of the patriot soldiers life. But the
question is painfully asked, Who was the a1,-
thor Of this calamity? And there is strong
desire to hold somebody responsible for a dis,
aster where SO many persisted SO unprotltably.
testimony in order to know precisely Who
took the precious life. The guns, the
| balls, and the men that fired them, arc Of
little Importance. It vas the Power behind
| them al, saying, "the Statc-it is /
which took this precious life; and the Power
is Slavery. The nine balls which slew our
| departed brother came from Slavery. Every
| gaping wound Of lis lacerated bosom testifics
| against Slavery. Every drop Of his generous
| blood cries out Of the ground against Slavery.
I To hold others responsible is to hold the agent
| and dismiss the principal
I :, Let not our grief be d hollow pagcaut; let
| it not expend itself in vain words. It must
become motive, and an impulse to patriot
action. But patriotism now is only name,
unless you resolve that Slavery, the barbarous
| enemy Of our country, the disturber of the
| peace, the yiolator Of the Constitution, the
| vampire OF our national life, sucking its best
blood, and the assa6sin Of onr children shall
be overturned. Until this is done, the patriot
| can only say sorToWfuly,
| "Blccd, bleed, poor conntryl
Great tyranny lay thou thy basis sure,
/ For goodness dares not check thcef''
EULOGY OF MIR. COLFAX, IN THE HOUSE
On 81. BAKERS DEATH, WEDNESDAY, DEC.
Mr.. SPEAKER THE funeral procession Of
the departed Baker has passed through the
crowded streets Of our Atlantic cities-the
steamer, perhaps to-day, is bearing its precious
| burden between the portals Of the Golden
Gate-the thousands who, With enthusiastic
acclaim, clleered his departure O senntor,
stand, with bowed frames, and bowed heads,
and weeping eyes, to receive, with honor but
with SORROW, the lifcless remains tlat arc to be
buried in their midst-and there dcyolycs on
us, his former associates, brought by the tele-
graph almost to the side Of his open grave,
the duty Of rendering also our tribute of af-
| fectfon TO his memory.
To say TINT the deceased vas an eytraordi-
nary man, is simply to reitcrate what tho
whole country long since conceded He carved
out bis OWN niche in the Temple Of Fame. He
built his own pedestal in our American
nni1alia. And if the French philosopher,
arc but three ways Of rising in tic world-to
| soar, to crawl, and to climb-our friends his
tory Is striking exemplifcation Of the Inst
and the worthiest of these ways- The hand
loom weaver boy Of Philapclphia- friend
less lad, with his whole fortune in meagre
| bundle, turning his face Westward-thc oa-
| tient journey, footsore and weary, ovcr NOUN
tains and yalleys-thc Deputy in tho Clerks
| office At Carrollton, patiently mastering the
| principles Of the law-hs rapid rise in his pro-
capital Of Illnois-bis volunteering in the
Mexican war, and raising, equipping and
marching his regiment within fourteen days
MS charge at Cero Gordo, when following up
tue victory which his impctuous and dashing
heroism had mainly won, he pursued the
enemy for miles with fearful slaughtcr-hisr re-
moyal on his return to another Congressional
District, which he carried by his Wonderful
e!oguenee against its previous political con-
xlct1ons bis removal to California = his
| l1fllllDg Grafton over the murdered
| Broderick-lfs trlunlphat canvass in Oregon
his election to the Senate bya Legislature, q
| majority Of which differed with him in their
| political assoclations-his brilliant and i'm
/ lFoMp1U dcnunclAtion6 OF traitors, who, in
the Senate chamber, lie propheticaily hurled
| from the Tarpian rock-his exchanging the
robe Of the Senator for the sword of the soldier
| .his daring struggle to Ercst victory, against
oFcTwheln1ing odds, from fate itself, and his
death at the head Of his column, literally with
his back to the field aud his face to the foe:
what an eycntful life, to be crowned by such
| glorious death.
! We know not but that death NAV have
been as welcome to him US life, especially
| When he fell in such a cause. Some long for
death on the battlefield, knowing that 1t is
! appointed for all men once to die, and that he
| who dies for his country Is cnslriucd forever
| IN thousands upon thousands Of patriot
hearts. Others, who, if we could put q win
| dow IN their bTcusts, VIC would find that thew
| carried burden Of care or sorrow through
t Lie, and feel that the shaft Of death when
| spcd by its messenger, would have no main for
| them. and with Others life is so ioyous that
the honr for their departure is one Of gloom.
md thick darkness encompasses the valley
their feet must tread. But for our ffleni.
who had won his way to his highest ambition
and who fell, in the very zenith of his fame.
in defence Of the Constitution and the Union'
| charging at thu. head Of advancing columns
careless of dans. Of odds, or of death. lcsy-
ing behind him &s1oTy which shall survive
| long atcr his tombstone has moufdered into
| dnst-Ee should rather weave for him d ear
land OF JOY than chaplet Of sorrow.
| l. Know there was sadness in the family
which no earthly sympathy can assuase. /
| Know lnerc was sadness at the White House.
where his early friends mourned their irrcpar:,.
1ic Loss. ! knew there VAS sadness at the