The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1866-01-11
Henry Winter Davis.

#H.. .aH. 3
The boldest and most brilliant politician
lawyer, orator, stateman, ofMaryland dieC
on Saturday at Baltimore, very suddenly
of,pneumonia. 1t is long since any mal
of his State filled so large place in tn,
public eye as Henry Winter Davis. Hi
4 distinction, however, is due to himsel
rather than to his career. He held nt
high office, entered Congress only tel
years ago, was twice reelected, defeated
for 81 nomination, and was As years ort
at his death. At the bar he was distin
! guished longer than in politics. His in
tellect was admirably suited to his profes
sion-keen, inventive, salient, and will
that power of continuous thought which j.
essential to every man that has to do will
affairs of the forum or of the street. Above
all, he had courage; courage to..think anC
courage to speak. He had convictions
and was bold in pursuing, them to thei
consequences His fidelity to ideas wa.
one of his most admirable traits, anC
when it came, to be applied in politics anG
to make itself known on the floor of Con
gfess, his unfiinching integrity often as
sumed the appearance of audacty. Such
a man could not fail to make his mark
and to command respect. Accordingly,
when he spoke, the House, which listens
to few, listened to him. BY nature self
reliant, he seldom permitted the opinions
OF others, even Of his friends, to influence
( his own resolutions; hence he grew to be
Thought as politician, self-willed, ard by
those who made expediency their cardinal
doctrine, to be. denounced as impracticable
Little cared he. IN 1859 he avowed his en-
tire independence of pro-slavery despot-
ism by voting'fo for Mr.. Pennington the Re-
publican candidate for Speaker, The act
drew down on him a storm of reproach
and abuse. The Legislature of his own
State passed resolution that he had mis-
represented Maryland and forfeited the
confidence Of her people. In a speech
made in Committee Of the Whole in the
House Immediately after, he told the
members of the Maryland Legislature to
take their message back to their masters,
for onlyto their masters, the people would
he reply! In u still higher key, he declar-
ed that he should rejoice if his duty to his
country eould always be made to square
with the interests ofhis immediate constit-
uents, but there might be occasions when
it would be necessary to consider the well
fare of the nation, and disregard the wish
es of those VINO elected him .'.'
Naturally, a man who talked i'm that
strain found enemies to 'rnisrepresent
and assail him at home. Nor was'he one to
court popularity hy the common arts Of
the politician. Like Burke, he had no arts
but manly arts. When it was doubtful
whether his denomination could be secured
he told a delegation of friends who waited
on him, that if the people in his district
wanted him as representative, he would
serve them in his own way; if they do rot
want INN, ,nes ,.,isht choose somebody
who would serve them in their way.
When his State stood ready to plunge in
TO secession, lac resisted that madness with
his utmost zeal and ability. He was not
merely true to the Union, he WIS true to
Freedom. Representing slave State, he
was, nevertheless, conspicuous i'll Con-
greSs for his uneOmpromising Itauicalsni,
his early advocacy of Emancipation, Of
arming the nesroess and of every measure
tE2t!C OisC $50 t,IC establishments OF Il per-
manently Free Union. His great speech
at Chicago last summer-we believe his
last speech--was for Negro Suffrage. His
Southern birth and ed cation, his political
hopes, which were always high, and his
professional interests, to which he was
much attached, weighed as asnothingaoainst
his fntlt iII the priOpinle of tba Darlar.,