Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-12-30

stoWe0 upon an lllustrIous ancestor inspires,
and none to shrink from the touch of i'm
partial justice when the final Judgment Of
posterity is pronounced. But simple jas
tice. even the sharp espionage of criticism,
will not dwarf the man. Strike from him a
limb, and still something will remain
Beneath a rugged exterior Mr.. Stevens had
heart that loved children, the down-trodden
and the poor and he could not fail in spite
OF differences of policy or OF principle, t.
secure the affection and respect of multi
tude of friends but being at the same time
frank man, who bravely accepted the last
link in the chain of his logic never con-
cealing the rough edge of his judgments
upon public measures or public men, and
being ever more ready to risk a fall in a
wrestle with his foes than to conciliate them
by any soft concessions, the muster-roll OF
his enemies grew almost equally large and
formidable
While the aims of Mr.. Stevens were noble
rarely petty or inconsequential-and his
measures, if we do not include his financial
IdiOsy yncracies, were almost invariably on
the highest planes of morality and philan-
thropy, at least of national breadth and
gravity; such as the educational system
successfully championed in his adopted state :;
such his earnest efforts to secure the
largest sum of wages to American working
l
tariff; such as his broad and unstinted sup
port of works of intercommunication from
the Atlantic to the Pacific; such as his life
long and persistent hunting down of slavery :;
yet he cannot be said t. have been fastidious
possibly not always over-scrupulOus, as to
the means used to accomplish the end
Economy with him rarely rose to the
dignity Of a great public virtue, as in his
estimation it was too cheap and often nearly
allied with demagogism and niggardliness to
be treated with constant hospitality. The
work of cutting down appropriations was
foreign to his taste, and he app ared unhappy
when the Government its officers got less
than they asked for. To see the demands of
public or private claimants cut short was as
painful to him as would have been the sight
Of bloody surgery. When any measure of
great utility, as he understood it, was to be
consummated and ordinary IN cans seemei in
adequate, then it justified prodigality. Pub
lie treasure and public lands were seldom too
precious in his eyes to be scattered for objects
national in their scope, and he had no appre
tensions, not being jobbcr himself, that,
SO scattered, surrounding jobbers might har
vest the major part of the future blessings To
-prins up from such broadcls- dispensations.
lie was an ultra partisan, not. however. of
men, nor of parties, but of measures. and he
rarely discovered many virtues in men exc, pit
among those holding cOincdent and cIexten-
sive views and purposes with himself. He
was Il bold and sometimes Il successful party
leader.
Popular assemblages, no less than military,
revere audacity, and no intirnlty, nor age.
nor lear, nor all combined, ever impaired
the imperial will or the dauntle-s courage of
this redoubtable leader of the House of Rep
resentatiyes. though he was often confronted
bv bc clements nf rlDlItIpaI
nism, and sometimes even by the sour and
fixed determination of Il maj j1rIty of his own
party. 1t mattcrcl little whether he carried
the measures he had in charge upon their
own merits-confident they had merits-Or
by the swilter engincry of parliamentary
tactics. or by sneer, not less swift and pos
sibly more irrefutabe, at soue weak argument
OF an lndiscreet opponent On the road to
Jerusalem himself, he did not regard it his
fault if others. tusging at the same load.
supposed they were on the journey to Rome.
At all times equal to debate, the force of
- the previous question - was to him no less
pertinent. Though equal 10 argument, the
torture of his wit he found equally unanswer-
able and often easier and brieler. For all
trimmers he exhib ted the tierccst scorn, and
his pulyerzng and mcrcilcss assaults upon
opponents inspired his own followers with
courage, Or they assumed it if they had it
not, drcading the rigor with which he
drummed out Of camp the Of his own
party, or those who not ambitious 10 be in
advance of public opinion, evincel cowardly
or baiky symptoms in the closing conflict OF
the yeas and nays.
Though ne aspired to lead and never
an apt follower, nor to be counted upon much
coadjutor OF measures not advised or
devised by himself, he was wholly untinct-
ured by vanity, and seemed nearly as obliyi
Gus To the praise of friends a t. the ccnsure
of enemies. Without self-cOnceit and iron
clad againstcriticism, especially newspaper
criticism, he never courted hattery nor count
ed it any part of his wages. Envious OF no.
body, careless of his own reputation, ne was
wholly satisfied when satisfied with the re-
suit, and neither revised his own speeches
nor paid much attention to the revised speech
es Of anybody else. Though deaf himself to
personal compliments, he cordially praised
and remembered all those who voted rightly.
and was an exorable hater OF those who did
net or lodged. Rarely wounded in any con-
test his wounds never bled, but healed with
out scars, as he had no memory for the blows
he provoked and received. still less apology
or regret for such as he had given. Ii may
be added that whoever attacked him with such
spirit as TO show he may be regarded as hav
ing been bitten, and not me ely barked at,
was commiserated as one shortly 10 appear at
some whipping post. all knew such at |
tacks were likely to be repaid with vengence
of some sort, and curiosity was ON tip-toe to I,
see whether by pungent logic or Ivy stunning |
left-banded word charged with an explosive
and pitiless sarcasm.
There was a marvellous versatility in lis
resources both offensive and defensive. When
he rose-all unperplexed to what he
should say or by what had been said-none
could predict to what weapon from his mis-
cellaneous arsenal he would resort, but
whether it proved to be of pagan or Christian
temper of ancient or modern invention, it |
was likely to be thrust to the quick. He
was respectable in pathetic and even elo- |
auent appeals excellent in the impregna-
bic logic of statement superb in the indig |
nant flashes Of denunciation; unrivaled in |
and always at home in rude and
burly satire With much pith and marrow
in his discourse he had little of the mere !
never running out of his way |
after dainty words nor celebrating graceful |
sentences, and might have been expected to
risk his unsounded capabilities in song with |
less reluctance than poetic quotation. Not |
unfamiliar with the classics, and resorting |
to them occasionally with ie lefty, he could
vet etOop to sources less refined in order to |
overwhelm. if not to bedaub, an adversary |
lie was chief dreaded by many and ad- |
mired by more He could be courtly and |
iii ynifed in his manner generally was So
or put on Il rough and bantering style anus
ing to friends bat rather terrific to those |
who were not. General courtesy in debate,
however, was his prevailing habit, and |
toward those who annoyed him most when
it might have been presumed that he felt the |
least inclined to gentleness, he had knack
of loading his manner. by way of irony, with |
~ .