New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-12-07
Death of Richard Yates.

WASHINGTON Irving closes his very inter-
esting biography of Oliver Goldsmith with
the remark that, after the reader has care
; fully pondered all the facts in the life of
that eccentric man. he is very apt to close
the volume with the exclamation :" Poor
Goldsmith" In different sense from that
intended for the author of the Deserted
Village" the exclamation most natural to
follow the announcement of what heads
this article is Poor Yatesr' We pity the
man who can not say this from the bottom
of his heart, and from feeling OF geAu-
inc compassion, unmixed with contempt.
Had the event which we record to-day
occurred ten years ago, not the State OF
Illinois, and not the West alone, but the en-
tire nation, would have felt an almost ir-
repara Die less. The Yates of that day was
not the Yates who died yesterday, except
III name. He was the young, ardent and
patriotic Governor TO whose sleepless en-
ergy anu fierce devotion the country was
every day indebted fer new inspiration in
its dreadful struggle against slavery and
rebellion. He was the t. listed friend of
Lincoln and Grant-uphol uing the former
in the Cabinet and tie latter in the field
and defending both with his eloquent voice
and Lis tienohanU pen. He was the warm
hearted encourager OF every man whom he
met or The battle line OF lite. He had
kind word for erybody: nor did he let
his word long forerun his deed. but ever
held out helping hand, and often to the
unworthy. The number of men 10 whom
Richard Yates stands o-day il the relation
Of bepefactor is exceedingly large. He was
liberal, generous and unselfsh He had
qualities Of head and heart which bespoke
for him the highest honors of a great ma
ton. and which would have achieved those
hOnOrs for him had he not fallen a victim to
what, in his case, proved demon OF de
struct1On in sad and earnest truth.
The world is harsh critic. In its eyes
one fault often Obscures and destroys a
thousand virtues While preaching the
good old Latin maxim Ode n,OrttiS nil niSi
bonuna. it is inclined as to mans vices, to
practice on the principle, ''De mOrtuis nil
niei rernDl.' And so when the truth is told
of Richard Yates, it must be confessed that
the last eight years of his life were long
debauch. This it will appear, at least, to
those who had no knowledge of the dread
tul struggles he made against the bad pas
sion which had gradually mastered him SO
completely that it had become a malignant
and incurable disease. At any time during
the period referred to you could with as
mnch reason have cursed the consumptive
for his cough and his hectic flush as to
have cursed Richard Yates for his
intemperance. Speaking to the writer
OF this article one day. after he had
recovered from one of his excuses, Mr..
Yates said he looked upon himself as one
of the victims of the war, as much as If he
had fallen in battle. "Aye, more," said he,
''for it has more than killed me- He went
on to describe how the excitement incident
to the early war scenes had first tempted
him to drink; how the labOrs and anxieties
Of his responsible position had rendered the
Use of stmulants necessity to him, AID
how. when the war closed, he found absti-
nence impossible, and intemperance inevi-
table 1t is also matter of knowledge to
the present writer that Mr.. Yates used all
human effort to arrest his downward pro-
gress. In his lucid moments he knew of his
own degradation, and he made a manly bat
tie against it; but his fall was foreordained,
and his sad end is to-day more interesting
study for the psychologist than for the NOR
aEst.
Others may remember only the drunken
Senator and drunken citizen. We use plain
words because his was plain case, But to
our mind the cause of truth, as well as the
cause OF charity. can best be subserved by
of the great Governor, whose voice
so stirred the hearts of patriots when the
Sar was yet young romance. and whose
hand and heart SO promptly responded to
his country's call in the deadly earnestness
Of its later years. The name of Richard
Yates is honolably inscribed on every page
Of the history of that struggle. Let us
hope that in his case the dictum of the
great poet will be reversed-that the evil
he has done will not live after him. nor the
good be all inferred with his bones.
No further seek his merits to disclose,
Nor draw his frailtes from their dread abode; |
There they alike i'll trembling hope repose,
The bosom OF his father ana his God
st Louis Globe.