The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1869-01-12
Che galladiil,,'1.
RICHMOND. IND, JAN. 18th. 1869.


A correspondent OF the Cincinnati
Commercial, writing from Washington,
thus alludes to the recent eulogies on
the Hon. Thed. Stevens, and photo
graphs Secretary Seward:
THE LATE rHAD. STEVENS:
The Cave Of the Winds has for hours
been blowing solemn dirge over the
demise of Old Sarcastic, commonly
called the Old Man Eloquent, or the
Great Commoner. I suppose my friend
Mungen might be styled the great un
commoner What che old scratch
makes people indulge in this sort Of
stuff bothers me. The old man elo
quent is quotation from Milton, and
when FIRST applied to John Quincy
Adams was we'll enough, but it is not
applicable to tae late Thaddeus. He
was seldom if ever eloquent. He was
sarcastic and bitter, and could make the
fur fly when so disposed. but to please,
penetrate and persuade, that was no
his forte.
He was grand old man in his way,
but one would never find it out from
the flood Of sickening eulogy that
rolled out to day. Good Lord, when
will we have done with these windy
platitudes. How old Thad. would have
grinned had he been present, and how
he would have collapsed the pots of hon
ey with few words Of sarcasm edging
the lump of truth. How q little truth
about the old man would have startled
the House. Had his daily and nightly
life been photographed for moment.
how each member would have started
as If Islander was being newly prom
ulgated. And yet each mothers son Of
them all knew the story of his life
And so we make history. And in such
history We lose the lesson and belittle
the actor. Take these eulogies and
make up from them, if you can, the real
life Of Thad. Stevens as he hobbled in
to the House from a nigh. of cards; and
hour after hour frightened and coaxed,
and bullied and controlled the members
and controlled them along the path OF
humanity. His acts were grand, but
his ordinary life was not grand, nor even
good. And yet, taking it all in all, ii
was human, and when we see what he
did, it is we'll to know, for his credit
that to accomplish the good he had to
hak ho1 in
his own nature. When will these peo-
pie learn, that while We sympathise
with, and even love defective humanity,
we can not comprehend, nor admire, and
far less love the gods Of their poor crea
ton.
Poor old Thad--he left vacancy in
the House of Representatives that can
not well be filed.
who will carry me, boys he said,
with his grim smiles, to the men who
brought him to the Capitol for the last
time, on their shoulders; "who will car
ry me when you are dead9''
The grass is not yet green above his
grave, and We are forgetting him in his
high wrought eulogies.
SEWARD.
saw this venerable diplomat the 9TH
err day for the first time in nearly four
years. He is not much changed, and
wondered as gazed at him standing
under the portico Of the Executive Man
sion in waiting for his carriage, how this
thin shape of humanity had survived
the wear and tear of the late past. Per
haps his winter wraps gave him an un-
substantial appearance. The woun Is
left by the assassin have nearly disap-
cared, and his hatchet-like face, with
ti,e retreating chin and aquiline nose,
with his eternal cigar, were before me,
as if no great war had been fought, nc
diplomatic complication solved, no as
sassins ever existed. His other, and
until now, stronger half, Thurlow Weed,
is dying Of softening of the brain The
weaker half lives on, humming tune
between puffs and swapping his fingers
as thinking, "a fig for this scurvy
world" believe at bottom old Seward
is a kind hearted, well disposed man
And with greedy ambition to be con
sidered brilliant, he has been false to hi:
past record and to his country, and false
to himself
During . season of great religious
GOODNESS, one of the deacons was asked
whether the church to which he be
longed were united. All, yes,'' re
piled the good man, with emotion, +" 70
we are all frozen together"
tranacendental Dreacher took fl