New-York tribune., 1873-03-15

and beauty of a forgving spirit. IL Is not
strange that the South Bend newspaper closed
its report of the proceedings with confident
prediction that Mr.. Colfax would some time
be President of the United States.
South Bend having welcomed home her
gifted son with torch and banner, and with
brazen -throated horn and strident fife. North
Easton now takes up the strain. She. too, has
n fayorite son not, indeed, an orator or hand-
some. And yet favorite ovel-maker,
Congressman, and Railroad Builder, colossal
in character and rugged in outline, eruptiVe
of memoranda and intermittent of memory
Oakes Ames, the philanthropist. He, too, had
left public life, and, in the words OF senator
Patterson, without regret" He bad shaken
the dust from his feet upon leaving. BENG
feet of uncommon size, with much accuniu-
lated dust. it had made sensation, ana some
pubic men had been choked by 1t. Inc Dones
of some of the most enlightened statesmen IN
the country lay bleaching at his door, and the
mapeled forms of several Others had Deeh
picked up there and sent nome "
their friends. But North Easton knew he was
an honest man. and welcomed him without
asking whether it was murder III the hrsI oe-
gree or justifable homicide he stood charged
with. Human testimony against the man VINO
owns the town and is worth several million
dollars is thing the people OF North Eastoh
will not allow themselves to be fooled wi'n'
North Easton was hilarious. 1t offered its re-
turning statesman not words ana compliments
alone; it fed him substantial and bOuntlfui
repast, until devotees and divinity DulSeu WIN
safety and glowed with emotions of gratitude
and pride. Then DR.. COgswell - Doctor
whether of medicine law, or divinity, yete-
rinarian or chirOpodist, we blush to say we
know not-welcomed the chief, as that no
"best work of God, an honest man." ana
concluded with sentiment to the effect
that. "ike gold from the crucible, he
chad passed the fiery ordeal and
"come out purer and brighter" 1t was
sentiment worthy the hour, the occasion, and
the hero; and of course the hero rose with
one hand in his pocket and responded like
statesman and financier. He had brlbed no
body. He might have asked with Samuel the
prophet, "Whom have / defraudedf whom
"have / oppressed? or of whose hand have
"received any bribe to blind mine eyes there
with ?r-but he didn't. He was not there
with cOnundrums. What he did say was that
he had sold $4,000 worth of stock to MEM
bers of Congress and that they had lied about
il. or words to that effect. The citizens of
North Easton were gratifed beyond measure
at this statement, and applauded vehemently.
Afterward, distinguished speakers from abroad.
among whom was Mr.. Charles w. Slack of
The Boston Commonwealth, who has been all
abroad for some time, delivered panegyrics
Oh &c Mr.
while that gentleman sat at the head of the
table, behind rosebud, and blushed. Then
poem was read, and the assembly broke up
in kind of gush of good feeling.
Both the South Bend and the North Easton
demonstrations show on the part of the people
a grateful appreciation of their representatives.
There is Just faint flavor of competition be-
tween them in so far as this, that South
Bend welcomed Mr.. COlfax because Oakes
Ames had lied about him, and North EastOn
welcomed Ames because COfax had lied about
him; and in this vein of partial rivalry it
must be confessed that while South Bend
seems to have had longer addresses and more
brass bands, North EastOn is ahead by dim
ner and "a poem, neither of which Mr.. COlfaX
received. Possibly Mr.. Ames keeps poet.
But leaving out these considerations of per-
sonal rivalry, how gratifying it is to the true
American heart to see greatness and goodness
appreciated and set store by so sort of stimuli
taneously at widely separated points. These
entertainments are highly encouraging, only it
occurs to us that nothing has been done for
Mr.. Brooks. Nobody has made a speech, or
dedicated poem to him, or offered him
public dinner. Perhaps some one will ask him
to drink, to make the thing complete.