New-York tribune., 1873-05-08
A GREAT LIFE.


The great men of our greatest epoch all
seem doomed to early graves. The activities
of that time were too intense and too exact
ing to be supported with impunity. All but
two of Lincoln's historical Cabinet have fol-
lowed their chief to the Other world. The
moral heroes of that long duel with Slavery,
whose deaths the country has SO recently
moumed, all fell before they were old, worn
ont by the struggle and the victory. The
leader of them all died yesterday. at an age
when the nation had the right to expect from
him many years of glorious and fruitful ser
vice.
We speak advisedly in calling Salmon Port
land Chase the leader i'll the auti-Slayery
fight in America. We challenge no cOmparl-
son with others. IL is not a question of
degrees of efficiency, or power, or devotion to
principle The world furnishes few instances
OF n constellation of public men of so high
purpose, character and achievement, as that
body of writer's and politicians who fought
the encroachments of the slave power through
a generation, and finally destroyed it. Their
ranks are sadly thinned, but there is honor
enough for the dead and the living. The one
fact which gives prominence to the name OF
Mr.. Chase is that he. above all Others first
planted the anti-Slavery idea in practical
politics, and compelled the political Organiza-
tions of the West to put on the hated livery
of Abolition. This strange contrast was seen
throughout his life; no man knew less of
men as individuals. and none fOresaw with
such unerring instinct the course and current
of men as masses. He was as incapable
of the lesser arts of political intrigue as
any hermit might have been, but he ROlded
parties and organizations at his will. His
friends often betrayed him, but the people
ALWAYS justified him. His clear, transparent,
logical demonstration of what was right and
of what was inevitable, saved the Democratic
marty in his State from those fatal cOmmittals
which destroyed it elsewhere, and his large
and mastery management of the wreck of the
Wing party in Ohio resulted in that wonderful
campaign where the KnOw-Nothings, in c0ali-
ton with the Free-SOil Democrats, raised to
tho Executive chair statesman whom they
equally disliked and feared Without those
signal triumphs, it would have been scarcely
possible to have constructed the great national
party which completed its organization IN the
campaign of 1856, and won its decisive victory
fOur.years later. The honor Of those great
successes no one can dispute or even divide
with Mr.. Chase.
When the struggle began for which he had
done more than any one else 10 prepare the
people of the North, he assumed, according to
his habit, the most exacting and responsible
post He took his place III bankrupt treas
ury and prepared TO organize the finances
upon which the issue of the war depended
How be accomplished this, the world knows
and will never forget. Here, at least, there is
no room for discussion. OF him may more
exactly be said what Webster said of Hamil-
ton, "he touched the dead corpse of the public
"credit aud ii rose to its feet" The vast re-
sources necessary to the support of an army
of a million Of men were supplied with the
apparent ease and regularity of q natural
phenomenon. There was no halting, no shak-
ing in the wind, during all those days of
darkness, even when three millions day were
required for the immense and consuming ma
chinery of war. A distinguished Rebel leader has
said, 1T was the Treasury that conquered u.s."
And this colossal undertaking. which ranks
its author among the greatest tinanciers Of all
time, was begun and carried through by this
statesman, orator, lawyer, who had had no pre-
lminary training for this special work, and who
during its progress relied solely upon himself.
While he used the best powers of all with
whom he came in contact, receiving their sug-
gestions and criticisms with equal liberality,
he always rgidly reserved to himself the
most absolute prerogatige of ultimate decision.
Finally--we are ashamed that this should be
worth mentioning, bat at this day 1t Is
Iameutably uoticeable-after four years Of this