Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-07-14

PRESTON Blair, Jr.. Will be sad news 10
many Iowa soldiers. For with all his
human frailties. and no was not free
from them, and in spite of the erratic
political course which he has pursued
since the close of the war, he was q
brave, noble, true and chivalrous man.
The writer of this brief tribute to
the memory of his late comrade and
commanding officer, first saw Frank
Blair ct monster Republican meeting
at Burlington, Iowa, during the ever
memorable Lincoln campaign of 1850.
Grimes, Lovcjoy and Blair occupied
the stand. Iovejoy delivered the
speech of the occasion, Of course, for
in his way he was the greatest orator
of the day, and Blair wound up the
meeting with powerful and soul
stirring exhortation.
Grimes. Lovcjoy and Blair were
three most notable men three more
so seldom meeting together on the
same platform, and each one of them
performed in his own respective way
a part in the stirring drama of the
times, which will long be remembered
with gratitude by their countrymen.
1t is. perhaps, worthy of remark, tina.
Grimes and Blair both died OF that
noble iniirnity of great minds, paral
ysis. 1t is now we'll known that the
attack of paralysis, which finally re-
suited in tho death of Senator Grimes,
was superinduced by the excitement
OF the johnson impeachment trial, and
the savage criticisms his conduct re-
ceived at the hands of his old political
friends in Iowa and elsewhere. 1t is
claimed by the friends of Gen. Blair,
that the foul conspiracy whereby he
and the Liberal party, were laid out
and delivered into the hands Of the
ex- Confederates in the Missouri Leg
islaturc, in 1872, and which combina-
ton retired him from the Senate, and
elected Bogy, gave him such Il shock
az 10 ultimately lead to this paralysis
and death.
The next time after this Burlington
meeting, that this writer had the hon
or to meet General Blair. he was be.
fore Vicksburg at the head of a splcn-
did division of troops, about the last
day of May, 1868. He had been the
vanguard of Liberty in Missouri, and
when the boss Pukes of that State, led
by it's Governor, essayed to carry it
out of the Union, Frank Blair hurried
from his comfortable and lucrative
aork o., . o1lsoI tLn lnx, q ~
mans of st. Louis around his standard !:
infused his indomitable spirit and 10y
atty into the hearts of the people gen.
orally /; secured tho appointment OF the
noble Lyon to the command of all the
forces in Missouri; captured Camp
Jackson and thus turned the tide in
favor of the Government, and saved
Missouri to the side of the Union. 1t
was mainly owing to his example and
efforts that Missouri put nearly as
many troops into the Union army as
Iowa, and to him is Iowa principally
indebted for shifting the Confederate
line of battle two hundred and fifty
miles from her border.
He had, before the Vickshurg cam
paign, distinguished himself on many
well fought fields, and during that
campaign, and subsequently, when
through the favor of President Lin.
coin, he was assigned to the Seven.
tecuth Corps, his command was al
ways largely composed of Iowa men.
to whom he invariably manifested a
great Partially.
The last time this writer saw him,
he was in one of the corridors of the
Senate in Washington. He was then
hobbling along with one side paraly-
zad, but the same old magnetic fire was
grasp of friendship in HE hand. II
was directly after those remarkable
performances at Cincinnati and Balti
more, where the Democratic party
agreed to give up its name. and had
snapped of its principles for . candi-
date and got Greedy, and in which
trade both sides were cheated. Many
grown up idiots were infatuated with
that joint stock operation OF that par
ticular time, and l was not surprised
to find that General Blair was delud-
ed with the idea that because the Dem
ocratic ostrich had stuck its head into
the sand bank that therefore its biggest
and most unsightly part was not still
fully exposed.
l recollect that when we parted he
slapped me on the shoulder, and said
"Good-bye, old boy! Mind what l
tell you, we've got you now" ! re-
piled that l had heard remarks very
much similar to that somewhere be-
fore, and we parted-forcver.
L hn wrrlo hnf wv as,
Grant and Blair were always of the
most intimate and friendly character
When they separated politically after
the close of the war, it was Blair alone
of all tho prominent opposition speak
ers in the 1868 campaign, who always
gave Grant credit for possessing abil-
ity of the highest order. lie, for some
reason or other, became infatuated
with tho idea that if Grant once go,
into the Presidential chair, he was &c
obstinate that he would never leave
it. / never met but one other individ.
ual who was so thoroughly imbued
with the belief in Grants third tern
intentions, and that was Democratic
negro barber in the basement of thu
Arlington House, at Washington. liz
had been raised around an aristocratit
house, and had inherited largely o
his masters blood and pro-slavery
sentiments. At the time l speak of
the third term lnnacy was at its full
bigness. and consequently this "cullui
pusson" was in lugubrious condition
dropped in there one day to ge
shaved, when the news had just com,
that Andrew johnson had been elect
cd Senator from Tennessee. Presently
] was ealuted by my colored frieni
something after the following man
nor:
"General, (bear in mind that no vel
regulated barber ever runs his lawr
mower over the head of a man below
the rank of General" in Washing
toD) isn't Andrew johnson the only
man who was ever elected Senator
| who had been President"
l replied that thought he was cor
| rect.
"Well," says he, ''isn't Genera
Grant the only man living, who was
| elected Presidentp
replied, correct.
WELL" says he, 81 think no mar
will ever be elected President while
Grant is living"
lam mt unitc cartain that tho tom.