The Portland daily press., 1869-10-08
DAILY PRESS
CORTLAND
F,iday Morning, 0otob:r 8, 1869.
Sketch of senator Fessenden.
CORTLAND

III the sudden and unexpected death Of
SENATOR fessenden, the State OF Maine loses
ner 'post uistlneuished citizen, New England
| her ableSt Senator, and the limited St,tac
Senate its foremost debater Now that death
has closed the career OF this eminent man
| we suppose the voice of narrow partszonshi,'
and biooted hostility will be hushed, and tn At
| all will unite to honor his memory and ex-
| tol his virtues. Perhaps no public man ever
| lived who was m're tree from blemish than
Mr.. Fessenden. Bold, outspoken, high-toned,
decled in his convictions and intrepid in de-
claring them, never Disgusting or palliating
his sentiments to suit the public taste guided
| always by the finest instincts of morality, and
| the loitlest precepts of personal honor, he
maintained himself from first to last without
stain and without reproach.
| . 1t was the excess of his virtues alone that
| caused the only discomfort and opposition he
| encountered during his trian plant political
| career. He was called upon in the discharge
OF his official duty as judge to declare wheth-
| er, in his opinion, Andrew johnson had been
| guilty of "hi9h crimes and misdemeanorsn
under the constitution. He approached the
| subject as lawyer and a Senator, and he
held, on full and exhaustive review, that
while President johnson had been guilty Of
| conduct deserving severe apprehension, he
could not find him guilty of the bigh cri mes
and misdemeanors contemplated by the cou-
slitutlon, for which the penalty was deposi-
| ton. For this act of Independent judgment
and this alone of all his political acts, did Mr..
| Fessenden ever encounter condemnation from
| he party to which he belonged, unless, in
deed he may be said to have encoun ered il
in early life, for his advanced views on the
slavery question. For i'm the contest so long
carried on against an arrogant slaye-holding
oligarchy, now happily overthrown, Mr.. Fes-
senden was one OF the leaders OF the advance
guard who never faltered and never fiinched.
On this head his record shines luminously, Id
in comparison with some of those who have
criticized him for not going far enough and
and fast enough on the impeachment trial.
1t will be thirty-eight years in January since
Mr.. Fessenden entered the State House al
Augusta as Representative from Portland.
He took the first place in that body on his
entrance, and electrified it time after
time during the session by his puneent
speeches upon the political topics of the day.
Mr.. Clifford of Newfeld, now one of the
Judges of the Supreme Court, was the leader
Lt the Democratic forces in that body. In re-
sponse to one OF Mr.. Fessenden's humorous
and scorchine speeches, the Judge vouchsafed
no other reply than the sOtto ooce remark,
"Pitt is a saucy fellow" From that day to
this no man ever encountered Mr.. Fessenden
in debate without being willing to gel out OF
the contest on equally easy terms. With ali
his great merits, it is as a debater that Mr..
Fessenden must hold the highest rank. Ora
tor, in the true sense OF the term, he was not
He was never ornate and never pcetical. Ol
that extraordinary grace and glow OF speech,
the mingled fruit OF pass on and feeling, of in
tellect inspired by pathOs, OF by humOr, the
magnetic flash and force that entrances an
audi nee, which we call oratory-he never exi
hibited any specimens His forte was differ
ent. His mind was cle9r, acute. discrimnat-
ing, pungent, trucllent, and ready. His man
ner was lofty and magnetic. Alert, d. .ecise.
penetrating, fearless, yet cautious; his intel
ect gIappled with commanding power eve
ry subject that it undertook to grasp. Asso-
ciated with simple and forcible elocution
which seemed to spring wholly from the vigor
OF his parts, he was stamped from his fiji st en-
trace into public ile as debater of tne first
order. This reputation, during his whole ca
reer, never suffered an eclipse. He was never
worsted in debate, and never came cut sec
ond best in any col Test in which he was en-
Gagged. 1t was one of his striking merit,
which contributed as much to his lame as q
Iebater as ANYTHING else, that he always knew
what not to say. No antagon st ever caught
him in weak or ungu ,rded statement. He
was warrior who never laid bis armor oil
He was always ready and needed warning,
aud woe to the man who assailed him, think
ing him unprepared. Southener who lis
tened to bis first speech in the Senat. ex-
claimed in the m DIST of il: "Why. what a
man is this all his guns are double shotted."
1t was speech on the Nebraska bill dev
cred in night session, with every Senator In
his place, and when the excitement on that
exciting subject was at the highest. II car
red him TO the very front rank of Senators
while he was NOT vel a week in the body. and
he held his place unchalenged to the dav of
his death. But we have no room here To
At one time and another he came in contact
with nearly ali The prominent mon in tho esen
ate and no one of them was eyer known 10
court a second collision.
The thing for which MIR. Fessenden will be
held most n have wanteJ to bavs ronndod
and perfected his character was the mower nj
initiative. Already we have heard n said
that be did NOT originate anvtbing Thera is
Soma fonnJo.; .;on f6r tho ron,arl, d. ~ -
oonalIv tr',e of no,v oraat ,ninds uf nars;aI - %
Wohstor ,,o,ar o,;g;1otad anvth;nm Ios;aa
,ual;nG Lod foile",on - "s ran ne'iue nf
nthars W. y IA Or th;s ,at.,n ho,';s1' NJ '
TnsSoYI,',, ,',o Ioast r.a oio'Ai'n 1hii
P',t NJ EnsSenden;S ranort ~, pooo,s,,
tion stan Is as tbe ablest nol;,;ca docnment
drawn durino tbe var and If II doc not art
hibit Initiative IL disnIays what i hottor
viz. a clear comnrabeps;on of ,yhnl,, ,,ouoi
noi;tcai sitnat;op ,nasterln ;,,tn.nrs,at;o n1ei
of its nhenomena' and q mcid axnpsit;on 81
tbe true method of Treatment ofa yast a,d
perplexipq national disorder.
Neither IL NAV he said. did Mr. Fesxonden
exhibit Initiative in his memorahle renlv to
his Roston friends who rendered. hin, ar ;rv;
taton To a Dubjic banouet ON the occasion ot
his condemned vote on impeachment. Rut
when were nobler sentiments or a Ioftier tone
or more admirable views eyer exhibited NV
onv statoSman IN on,, oo,,ntr,, tban in N.
EaSssende,',s ans,ror } 5ooiin ~ The bnnnr W.
Statesmen Of anv rar;od Few indeed con1d
have written in for fsw have occunied the
h;"h r,orai nnd ;ntsIect,aI stonJnoi,, e.n,S
uSioh - ,,,as ,,onoed
On s,,h;"ots ~ General Ioois,ation Mr. Fes
so,,da,,,a g,o,,..and indoments If not or;ginal
who,I,, ahere orioipality is imnossible were
W. n loas; invariablv soun3 and indicions The
oresf industrial and moneyed interests of the
Country. had unbounded confidence in his
Judgment and discretion. This was especial
ly true in regard to financial subjects, of
which Mr. Fessenden himself neither possess
ed nor prOfessed either special intuitiye. or
acquired knowledge. But SO lust was his un-
derstandipg, so well poised his mowers. so
clear his perceptions, thai even purelv finan-
cial men submitted their views to him with
feeling that he was more than competent to
decide upon their wisdom. All this arose
from the possession OF a combination of high
qualities OF character and extraordinary gifts
nomenclature of criticism this may be called
one thing or the other. or it may be said to be
neither THIS nor that, put tGat IL indicates