The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-05-05

the street. Former 1atterers eagerly COW |
cred his name with Islander. Many OF those |
who had been his associates in the strug-
gle for Freedom sullenly withdrew from
him their friendship. Even men of the
colored race, for whose elevation he had
labored with fidelity and devotion equay-
ed by few and surpassed by none, joined
in the chorus of denunciation. o, how
keenly he felt It'll And, as if the cruel
malice of ingratitude and the unsparing
persecution of Infatuated partisanship had
not been enough, another enemy came up
on him, threatening his very life 1t was
a new attack of that disease which, for
many years, from time to time, had pros
trated him with the acutest suffering, and
which shortly should lay him low. 1t ad-
monished him that every word he spoke
might be his last. He found himself fore
ed to leave the field of contest in which
not only his principles of right, but even
his good name, earned by so many years
OF faithful effort, was at stake. He pos
sessed no longer the elastic spirit of youth,
and the prospect of new struggles had
ceased to charm him. His hair had grown
gray with years, and he had reached that
age when a statesman begins to love the
thought of reposing his head upon the pill
low OF assured public esteem. Even the
sweet comfort of that sanctuary was denied
him, in which the voice of wife and child
would have said Rest here, for whatever
the world may say, we know that you are
good and faithful and noble. Only the
| friends of his youth, who knew him best,
surrounded him with never-fagging conf
dence and love, and those of his compan-
ions-in arms, who knew him also, and who
we're true to him as they were true to their
common cause. Thus he stood in the Pres
idential campaign of 1872.
1t is at such moment of bitter ordeal
that an honest public man feels the i'm
pulse OF retiring within himself; TO ex-
anime with scrupulous care the quality
OF his own motives anxiously to inquire
whether he is really right in his opinions
and objects when so many old friends say
that he is wrong and then. after such a
review at the hand of conscience and duty,
to form anew his conclusions without bias,
and to proclaim them without fear This
he did.
He had desired, and as he wrote, he
had confidently hoped, an returning home
| from Washington, to meet his fellow citi-
zens in Faneuil Hall, the venerable forum,
and TO speak once more on great questions
involving the welfare of the country, bat
recurring symptoms of a painful character
warned him against such an attempt"
The speech he had intended TO pronounce,
but could not, he left In a written form
for publication, and went to Europe, seek
ing rest, uncertain whether he would ever
; return alive. In it he reiterated all the
reasons which had forced him to oppose
the Administration and the candidates OF
his party. They were unchanged Then
followed an earnest and pathetic plea for
universal peace and reconciliation. He
showed how necessary the revival of fra
ternal feeling was, not only for the pros
perity and physical we'll being, but for the
moral elevation of the American people
and for the safety and greatness of the
Republic He gave words to his profound
sympathy with the Southern States in
their misfortunes. Indignantly he de
clared, that second only to the wide.
spread devastations of war were the rob
berries to which those States had been sub
Elected, under an Administration calling
itself Republican, and with local govern
ments deriving their animating impulse
from the party in power; and that the
people in these communities would have
been less than men, if, sinking under the
intolerable burden, they did not turn for help
TO a new party, promising honesty and re-
form.
BE recalled the reiterated expression he
had given to his sentiments eyer since the
breaking out of the war, and closed the
recital with these words: Such is the
simple and harmonious record, showing
how from the beginning | was devoted tc
peace, how constantly longed for recon
ciliation; how, with every measure o.
equal rights, this longing found utterance;
how discarded all idea of vengeance and
punishment; how reconstruction was, tC
my mind, transition period, and how
earnestly | looked forward to the day
when, after the recognition of equa
rights, the Republic should again be one
in reality as in name. If there are any
who ever maintained a policy of hate,
never was so minded; and now in protest
ing against any such policy, l act only il
obedience to the irresistible promptings o
my soul"
We intend to give other extracts from
this notable Grafton, but this is all we hav,
, room for to-day.