The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-18
The Innstion Question-0encrsl Logan
and Ais Position.


The debate in the Senate upon the ques-
ton of the currency like Tennyson's brook,
seems fated to go on forever and for
ever. General Logan Illuminated the discus
sion yesterday with speech which lasted four
hours There is, perhaps, no Senator we
would rather listen to for four hours than
John A. Logan. He is an interesting
character, type of class which has reached
perfection in America, and which, we are
proud to admit, We possess to the exclusion OF
older nations. He is distinguished amateur,
and has shown in his conspicuous and corus-
eating career a variety of sentiment and versa
tility of genius that are unexampled in our
history.
The true amateur has that universal, easily
fitting quality which makes him reject no
employment and avoid no duty. In older
countries, and in some States in our own, a
man devotes himself to one calling and Graves
no other. He seeks out the way through the
world that is most inviting and never
abandons it. The diplomatist is diplo-
matist from boyhood. The general is only
the ultimate development of lieutenant.
different stages of the law. The statesman
represents years of service and study and long
familiarity with affairs But in our rapid West
ern prairie country we despise these sluggish
forms and traditions. We have the kaleido-
scopic quality, and with every turn of the year
we assume new forms. We are sons of
nature, the creatures of inspirations,
the children of the prairie and the
mountain. The grocer to-day may be
general tomorrow, as the general to-
day is the grocer of yesterday. We
have nomadic tendencies Men wander
through life like Arabs, drifting into what
ever career opens to them, without consider
ing fitness. We go up the hill and roll down
again, only to merrily begin the new ascent
Senators become Representatives, Representa-
tives become Senators. When faithful old
party ''war horse runs into ricketts, and lame
ness in Washington, and is off his feed and
in bad way generally, he takes the first
opening the Treasury barn will afford Some
times he is fortunate in gaining foreign
mission, and he drifts abroad to astonish
foreign representatives with the free man
ners of our great and growing country.
Or if he falls upon barren times he accepts
consulate, and lives in lodgings in some for
egn seaport until change of administration,
! when he returns home to open grocery or
edit rural newspaper. Editing newspaper
and keeping corner grocery seem to be the
last resource of the drifting politicians, the
universal impression being that these are en-
Payments for which all men are born. Other
professions are acquired but, like original sin,
these come by nature.
We probably have no higher type of this
quality of public man than John A. Logan.
We are far from limiting that our gallant and
resolute statesman will finally resolve into a
groceryman or country journalist We have
no such thought, but sincerely trust that in
whatever direction his ambition turns it may
mount to the summit; that if he goes into the
Church. for instance, be may become a bishop
During his life John A. Logan has been
an amateur. He was an amateur democrat
before he became an amateur republican, and
the violence of his democracy was only sur
passed by the fervor of his republcanism.
Then he became an amateur general, and
fought his way into high commands with dis
tinguished if at times tumultuous, valor After
the war he was an amateur revolutionist nd
was bent upon sending Johnson to the guillo-
tine and running for the Presidency
upon ''war issues" Since the failure of
that experiment he became an anna
teur statesman with varying success, until
the financial debate developed him into an
amateur fnancier. In all of these parts John
A. Logan has shown exhilarating qualities,
so much so that we shall not be content unless
we see him an amateur bishop before he dies,
or at the least an admiral in the navy. There
is an eJdrl rush. a verve, a sparkling, con-
fident quality about Logan that makes his in
fuence upon the country like that of nitrous
oxide gas or champagne. He is SO earnest in
what he does This is why he is the most
popular man in the West and q candidate for
the Presidency. He is so pronounced, SO sincere
in his beliefs, with so much fighting quality,
that we all feel like turning out and follow
ing him, as the villagers follow the splendid
horseman, in laces and gold braid and
feathers, when he comes to announce
that the unparalleled show that we
have so long expected is about to ar
rive in grand procession. So whenever
we see Logan, especially on the floor of the
Senate, we inadvertently lose ourselves in ex
IRENE phrases and unusual adjectives, for the
ordinary resources of the calm imagination
are inadequate. We know that we are not to
be confined to a limited or meagre entertain
ment. We shall have the drums and instru-
ments. Forif John A. Logan does not know all
about the subject, we are in the presence of
man who thinks be knows it all. That is
great deal, and it is the one essential in which
the amateur statesman surpasses his fellows
and wins the applause of the multitude.
II is no iniustice 10 nnr Illinois Senator and