Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-08-18
Death of the Il" Great Commoner."

Another of the worlds great men
has fallen; gone to his rest like a
shock Of corn fully ripe. Another Of
those who stood up to defend the ma.
ton in its hours of peril and to plead
for the rights of man, has gone to his
reward. Thaddeus Stevens, the dis
tinguished representative from Penn
sylvania, died at his residence in
Washington, last Tuesday night, pass
ing away without a struggle. He was
born in Peacham, Vermont, April 4,
1893, and was, therefore, at the time
OF his DEATH in the 10th year Of his
age. He was one of the most remark
able men Of his time and history will
so speak of him. No man has done
more to place his country aud the par
ty to which he belonged right upon
all leading issues than he, and altho'
he had lived beyond the age allotted
to man by the Psalmist, was still the
recognised leader Of the house upon
nearly every important measure that
came before it. Strong in intellectual
power as we'll as in the consciousness
of right he welded an influence be-
yond any other man in the body Of
which he was member, and though
he was many times defeated in his
schemes it was not until every means
had been exhausted that he yielded
the point, and then he retired growing
and sullen, showing that the DISPOSE
ton to fight was strong as ever. His
nature was strongly combatiye and
his spirit would not down under any
defeat or disaster, and he who bent
him to the ground in any struggle had
more reason to fear his recoil than the
worst blows Of an ordinary enemy
Terrible in sarcasm, q score of his op,
ponents bear the scars Of his barbed
arrows and his culver was ever full
oil those poisoned prOiectiles which
blasted like the lightning and crushed
like an avalanche. Than him we know
of no man since Voltaire that cOull
WELD this weapon with such destruc
tive power. And yet Mr.. Stevens haC
a heart full of kindness, as soft anC
tender as a child's, that welled up anC
overlooked for all Gods suffering poor
for them his palm was ever open. III
was lover Of liberty for the benefit
liberty conferred. A vigorous hate
Of every form of oppression tyrant
received from him only words of bit
terness and the gall and wormwoo,
of his supreme malice, but for the poo
wayfarer, the wanderer, the fugitiv
from slavery and the plantation viii
he had no words but of commisera
ton and pity, while his acts were un
form with his yords-as becomes tn
true man in every station of life
His talents were great. If they ha
not the immense depth and scope an
massiveness that distinguished Wei
ster, they more than equaled his i
acute perception and aimed at result
with the precision of an archer. III
was a mind that sought the neare
approaches to a given point-the su
est means to reach a positive good
In this his quality Of mind was en-
nently American; great in inventiv
ness, fertile in resources, a great o
ganizer, firm, imperious, born to col
mand, he should have ruled an empi
Of kings. His style Of speaking WI
not tue oratory of the schools, aboun
ing in "words of learned length al
laundering sound" but his utteranc
were clear, concise, candid, full of j
vective, argumentative and eminent
practical. He was statesman in q
vance of his time and right in theol
yet being in advance Of the men arou
him he sometimes failed of carryi
his theories to their final consumu
ton. What was to him an easy prt
lem was dark puzzle to his compee
His plan of reconstruction his d
trine of sweeping con6scation of +
ell property and forever debarr
them from having any voice in the G
ernment was simple justice to the +
els and to those who fought tn
down, but the plan was not feast