Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-11-09
EulOgy on senator Morton.

| he was living any other life. lie was so large
| figure in the Senate that it was not remembered
that he anything in his own home His OBJ
served life was so crowded with vast affairs that
| few ever imagined whether he even kissed his
children, whether he had any children. The
world saw in him so much power that II dld not
ask whether he had tenderness as well II charged
him with ambition, but did not credit him with
love One almost inevitable result of this state
of facts j. instrumentation of character "A man
who lives a dual life can be known only when
known in both parts of his dual career. Love Is
A. large a factor Is will in making up the ootngs
to know the aggregate of man, and, therefore.
one who is known only 10 the former Is but half
known. 1t i one o the penalties which men pay
for being great So far as this man was pubic
man need not speak of him at length. Every
body can see the sun. You know of him and can
Judge of him. | will not tell you that he had am
hilton as giants often have, nor that the goal oil
| his ambition was worthy of his powers. Ills aim
| was hiyh, his will unbending and his purpose
| qnenchless flame. lie brought into the struggle
almost invincible powers. lie uttered rifes
and was clumsy in the byplay of debate, but wait
ed for great occasions and then spoke great
things. Therefore the people listened.spel-bound
aud the Senate sat in silence while he spoke
There is probably not a man on earth who can SIT
and address an audience and hold as many thous-
aud ia silence for as many hours could the man
whose loss now mourn. lie bad the qualities
of a commander That instinct in men which
leads them TO hunt for leaders led them to him.
With military training he would have shone IN
constellation in which Napoleon and Alexander
would have been no higher than he. | need not
| tell you that he fair weather sailor. tie
| was hurried to the helm in a tempest lie showed
| his greatness by becoming master in perious
times What to most men was depression was TO
him uspii alton; what to others threatened disas-
ter was to him prophecy OF victory. Thi- means
| that he was courageous and had the sefpoise
which comes Of consciousness of power, and no
man does much who is not so. | need not tell you
| that he struck for the Union and for freedom IN
| the dark days of the republic.
| To the eye of history he looms up controlling
| giant amid the dread spectres OF those gloomy
times. He has been the black mans friend.
| know he has been charged with Inconsistency on
| this point; but Inconsistency is only the cpl
| tibet by which ones enemies sometimes try TO
stigm tize ones progress. II is only the bigot and
| the fool who does not change an opinion when
better light comes to him. But all this is known.
| His picture Is on the wall.
| My work to-day is to show you some things on
the other side of this dual career. Morton, the
Senator. you know. am to try to give you
| truer view now by pushing aside for while the
veil which hides from mankind at large Morton,
| the man. 1t may be surprise to some, perhaps
| when saw it is the uniform testimony of those
| who knew his family life best that he was a con-
| splcuous example Of tenderness, and do not use
the word conspicuous to round a sentence, nor be-
| cause at funerals we feel that we must praise the
dead. use the word because facts demand it;
/
bounds Of Ordinary family love the friendship
between David and Jonathan surpassed ordinary
| friendship of men. 1t was a passion that never
| died or waned. When burdened with such cares
| and tangled duties other Governor of this
| or any other State ever carried he still welcomed
| into his crowded office at all hours his wife and
children, and never failed to greet them with kiss
es. If they came twenty times a day II was al
WAYS the same. State affairs must wait while he
embraced those he loved. Tenderest parent some
| aria nft ha earp az
especially if they are offered in the presence OF
| company. But no matter who was in the psilor
| with him nor what large affairs were the subject
| of conversation, when his children came he help
| ed them to climb upon his knee and never grew
| impatient of their iondng. He never went
| journey of fifty miles without his wife If she was
| 80 situated that she could 90 with him. This was
not simply because it might crafty her, but also
| because her presence was necessity to his hap
piness. And so she was with him in far Oregon
VIXEN the last stroke fell on him. Such love wins
| love, and it is not strange that the children
| who were thus welcomed came Often, nor
that his sous when they became men still kissed
him, and he them, as a constant habit
| His wife almost worshpped him, recognizing
the wealth of both his power and his love- and that
| the last equal to the first She gave him in
return the richest love she knew. During his long
| and for most part agonzlng illness she has dev0-
| ted herself TO him with an abandon of self
| forgetting and treless service which would be
insouble mystery only that the world knew some
thing of the might of love. SO strong was her sf-
lection that her immense service seemed TO her
service at all friend sand to her the other day,
a. she came from her husbands bedside for mo-
ment "You doing too much" She replied
with sort of dazed bewdered gaze. as though
such proposition were comprehensive, and
then said -
Doing too muchl am doing nothing.
wonld gladly die for him."
The civilized world knows something about
does know
haps only few OF his neighbors knew OF the
exquisite picture of family life which they had
among them; but those who knew the facts know
that what say is true. | saw no dry eyes about
that dying bed, when the wife and sons pressed
close about it, and she again called the dying
man her precious one" and the two sons that
were present-grown up men almost-kissed his
| hands and cheeks over and over, and baptsed
| them with filial tears.
| Mrs Morton is so prostra.ed by this event as
not to be able to be present at this time, and do
not hesitate, as might under other circumstances
to bring these tender things out of the sacred OBJ
security of private life, because know am speak
| lug to-day to countless thousands and | want to
call the attention of the world to the de licate and
beautiful coloring of this great life. want men
| to know that this man had someth ing else in him
besides ambition and schemes and cold power.
| want ii known that while he could hate wrong
with intensity and could denounce it with the vehe
mence of lightning he could carry the affairs of a
great State in his iron hand, and do it easily; and
could leap, almost in day, to the leadership of a
Senate. lie could also love like a woman, and, as
matter of fact, displayed in his constant family
intercourse an affection as exquisite as it was
ceptional. One who has known hun FOL years says
that kinder hearted man never lived
During the war regiment of soldiers came here
and was sent to spend the night in a building with
very leaky roof. About two o'clock in the
morning the Governor was awakened by fierce
rain storm. lie instantly called his secretary and
asked if those soldiers were not in building with
bad roof. On being Informed that they were,
he said, 81 shall 20 and move them
1t was objected that they were doubtless already
drenched, and that a change would do little good
but nothing would pacly him. "Those men
must be moved to better quarters" said he, and
he would have gone out alone into that fierce
night had not another gone for him and trans.
| fcrred the men to the State House. lie was il
New York at one time and learned that large
number Of men were beingr transferred in freight
and cattle cars from the army of the Potomac "a
the army of the Cumberland. lie Instantly tel
egraphed to Cincinnati that officer there should
on the arrival of the Indiana troops make then
as comfortable as possible, even to giving then
a cup Of cold water in the Great Masters name
II Is not every man of power who does suct
things. This kindness of heart made him ap
proachabe and enabled him 10 touch the people
and, strange though it nay appear. his daily mai
was three or four times larger than that of any
other Senator. And he had every letter an ,wered