New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-11-02

| drift Of circumstances made Mr.. Morton Dltter
partisan a sectional leader. He had the habits OF
an eagle; he could not learn the tricks OF dove
| II i not strange then, that the Senator adyo-
Gated an -bound policy TOWARD the south we
| have not reserved for ourselves space IN whch 10
trace his career in the Senate. Americans already
| know il by heart. He was the champion OF inc
Fifteenth Amendment and forced 1T through Coz
| press by sheer weight of WILL lie was the apostle
| of the Kn Klnx legislation and the Force
| Acts He was a consistent opponent OF amnesty
! lie WAS the natural ally Of the Southern RepuDh-
| cans-ther CongrcSsman-at-arge, as he has some
! times been called HIS popularity with the Repuph
! can leaders of the South, made him more 1orlnld-
able candidate at Cincinnati than the actual baotS
! Indicated He has taken part in every important
debate since he entered the Senate, ana mas
served on the Committees Foreign Reia-
| tons, Agriculture Military Affairs fHVate
Land Claims, and Privileges and Elections Ills
most thoughtful and ambitions report as commit
! teeman was the one which presented IN 1873
on the mode of clecing the President and the Nico-
President, and his browning public service was rem
dered rs a member of the Electoral Commission.
| The only subject on which his opinions wavored was
| finance and there he was unstable rs water.
The MAN.
In person Senator Morton was a man of striking
appearance lie was over six feet tall and had n
form Indicating great vitality ana muscular power
His head was massive, his forehead high and broad
and his HAIR and beard of jet black color scarcely
! touched with grey. His eyes were dark, deep-set
and piercing. but tho strength of his countenance
was somewhat diminished by n pug nose, which
gave him something of the expression OF maStih
| III n comparison to be sought among animals
the mastiff unquestonaby his type. for lie was
powerful courageous, gOOd-natureC, slow to anger,
audi Ton aroused.
For many years before his death he had been
afflicted with partial paray of the lower limbs 30
that he was only able to walk b. using twostout canes
and hobbling slowly along.with his body bent Tor
ward. For time he was Obliged to make use OF
crutches but last winter he found the canes sutl-
cent lie was always carried between the lobby of
the Senate Chamber and his carriage by two stout
doorkeepers. Attached TO his dc k was an iron
standard snIInounted by n wooden disk upon when
he rested his arm and supported himself when
speaking but he was rarely able 30 stand long even
with this aid and habitually finished lis remarks
from his chair.
The Senator was very punctual in his attendance
upan the sessions and ii absent for day it al
| most always ill-htalth alone that kept him away.
There was 40 more ndcfatigable worker III the SEN
ate Unlike many of his associates, who give good
deal of their time to private business affairs, or to
serving az legal counsel to wealthy corporations, he
devoted himself wholly 10 politics and legislation.
During tbo recesscS OF Congress he served upon
committees involving much labor and he always
! took vigorous part in the Fail campaigns. Last
Fall he frequently made two speeches day. al
though he had to De carried 20 tine platform,
and good part Of almost every night was
spent in travelling to the places where he
had appointments. Worn ont by the severe labors
Of the canvass and by the severe strain of the fol-
lowing session Of Congress, with its prolonged
pensc and excitement over the l,ctoral count he
did not seek rcpO5c after the adjournment, but
fastened of to Oregon TO investigate the Grover
case lie thought that the interests OF the Rcpub!
can party required that the circumstance of Gro
vers election should be looked into and was I'M
willing to trust the work to othrr hands He had
no taste for what is called ''soccty' in Washington
and was rarely ~ dinners parties or receptions
When not at his desk IN the Senate. or in his COM
mittee-roon, one was sure 10 find him at Lis lodg
ing, talking with politicians engaged on some re-
port speech. Ills physical iniirmity, instead of
incning him TO idlcncss appeared 30 stimulate his
intellectual activity and he seemed never happy I'M
less engaged in some form Of hard brain work.
Mr.. Morton was frequent speaker, but he never
talked for the sake of talk, wasted words any
auljcct. As leader Of his party and as close OBJ
server of The business OF the body he often had
cafon 10 address the chair. His oratory was usually
spoken Of as of ia, sled rc-hamncr kind. and the !
term was well chosen, for there direcrucss
and force about it which it was hard 10 resist lie
never inlu2ed in FIGHTS Of fancy flowers Of rlet
oric; hc seldom employed quotation m anecdote
or an illustration, and yet his speeches were /
never dull: there was too much carucstnc5s |
and vitality in them for that. You felt that yoI
were listening 20 q man who had mastered his sub /
i-ct and was cXeriipg an unusually powerful viii 10 !
make YOU master IT, too H. used the simplest Ian |
guagc maisha,led the forces OF his logic around
few plain points, and sought victory by repeated |
assaults on the understanding of ms listeners. Ia
the Senate hc was what General Grant was in the |
fela-bold, tenacious ard unyiednc. He was in !
capable OF seeing more than side of "a question
but that cuarty added to his power a partisan
orator. In the rapid fence Of eXtempore debate he
was not alert and adroit rs Of his colleagues
but when he got in a blow, it feD with crushing !
effect.
or late years the Senator could scarcely be said
TO have any private life He constantly at F,
tended by his wife. and by n OF about twenty
one years for whom he manifested devoted affcc-
ton, bat ne had no home. He gave mp housekeeping
in indianapolis some time ago. ard lived in quiet
hotel facing litc park called the Circle, and in
Washington he stayed Mt Of the large hoicls-
the Ebbitt House being his 81 dice last Winter. In
both places he was accessible 10 I'll who desired TO
see him, and it was rare 20 find him alone. He
leaves a wife and three sons john Walter and Oil
YER the eldest being in Alasha the second liv-
ing in Indiana, and the youngest being college
student. The Senator has retained his interest IN
pubic affairs almost TO the last moment Of his Hfe
Until his relapse few days ago, he has conycr,cd
with his friends public questions. has had the !
read to him aul has received from