The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-11-06
alpr-yUsT1on cnAsEv COURAGE.
By pIMAREST LLOYD.

ox 1AMAN00x AAVx4s
To cay that Mr.. Chase was morally
courageous would be . mere truism.
When he thought he had discovered
the path Of duty, he followed it to the
end, caring not whittier it led him or
what dangers beset it on either side
A yanug lawyer, declaring himself
against slavery in the mids. Of a society
drawing its life from slavery; a map
accepting Office It tho baods OF his op.
ponsnts in the hopo Of bringing them
to hi. views; Senator resisting
almost alone the cohorts Of slavery st
the national capital; a. Secretary up
holding our arms with unainohisg and
splendid faith 10 their final success;
= Chief Justice sitting uumoved amidst
tho 6eresss storm Of political passion
our history has known, and, later, p.ss-
ing Official disapproval upon his former
aots,-these are . fow Of tho hasty
glimpses one catches Of him. This
moral courage was always with him.
There was nothing like social eoward-
ice about him. He would never dis
tort an opinion or sverve a hairs.
breadth from the truth, Tor fear OF
consequences. The peaceful pursuits
Of civil lite did not render necessary
any great display of personal courage j.;
but i. is at the same time interesting
to note, how much Of bent his mind
had towards military affairs. With
the aid Of General Mcdowell, who had
been one Of his bitterest enemies and
came out Of the ordeal Of 1861 perhaps
his warmest admirer, he framed Orders
No. Is aud Is, which wero promul-
gated in Nay, 1861, the one regulating
the enlistment of volunteers, and the
other, Of regular regiments. His ooun.
sci Was constantly sought in such mat.
tors BY the President and Secretary Of
War; and 1t is stated that the Interests
Of the three great border States, Ken
lucky, Missouri, aud Tennessee, were
placed for time under bis control
During his term Is Secretary, bis irst
after-breakfast duty was the careful
study and comparison Of his aliases
and the papers; and he is said to have
been as we'll acquainted With the po--
sisions Of the troops in the field a. aoy
member Of shs government. It ua
matter Of which it is not yet time to
speak definitely, but history will shew,
unless I am greatly nistakes, that At
least ono important capture Of the var,
the rsnovn Of which has been added
70 another name, Was Effected under
Mr.. Chsse's orders, written either in
his own hand or in that of = clerk At
his dictatlon. During the dark days Of
the conflict his composure steadied
hundreds who were around him. On
the day of.be FIRST battle Of Bull Run,
noted English correspondent spoke OF
him 10 substance as the only member
Of the government who preserved his
balance; during the second battle of
Bull Run his courage was still more
remarkable. Th1re was ver;table
panic in Washington but through all
the confusion, the Secretary transacted
business quietly and systematically, biz
eoolness unimpaired by tho coostsroa.
ton Of those around him. "Mr. Chase,
what do you think will come Of it ?"
His reply was, 81 trust in Gods plovi.
dsncs." And during the 1mpeach.
ment Trial, when he was the object of
bitter aud unsparing deuunoiation from
oil sections of tho country, he was a.
composed in mind rs if presiding Owe,
the most HOMOGENEOUS term of tho Su.
preme Court. Every day the newsp.-
pers thondered at him; old friends de-.
nounced him in speech and in oonver.
sation and almost every day his mail
brought him letters threatening his
life. These were read, and after being
laughed over quietly consigned to his
waste.baskes. Being a civilian, he was
perhaps without that acute sense of his |
danger that impelled certain promi-
nent actor in that trial to throw him
self upon the pubic for protection, and |
read his one threatening letter to his i'm |
mense audience.-Atlantic Monthly |
for Noren,b<r.