The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-11-14
MONROE, LOUISIANA, FRIDAY. NOVEMBER IA, 1879 -

ZACH CHANDLER's DEATH AND LIFE.
Washington Cor. N. o. Picayune.]
Mr.. Chandler's death was fearfully
sudden. He was worth millions of
dollars, he had been q Senator and
prominent in the councils of his party,
but he persisted without a friend or a
relative by his bedside, and with none
of the holy ministrations of affection
that seem to lessen the pangs of death
to him that departs and those that are
left to mourn. I hardly care to speak
OF Mr.. Chambers private life or his
personal frailties. But if ever there
was man whose heart should have
been filed with gentle pity aud love
for those that he deemed to be In error,
that man was Zachariah Chandler.
But of this feeling there was none.
Bestowing on Mr.. Chandler's life the
charity of silence, 1 find little in his
public career worthy of commendation
and much that deserves reprobation.
American political strife is disgraced
by partisan rancor and unfairness, and
by fierce, unjust, violent denunciation.
The most conspicuous example of all
this violence, heat and injustice that
occurs to me now is Mr.. Chandler. He
came here fierce and active promoter
of sectional rancor AID hatred. His
first notable utteraacc was a cry fOf
bl0odshed, long before the war began,
and when good men were earnestly
striving to promote peace and recon-
clliatf0n, he intrigued to have the
peace conference defeated, and to have
delegates sent to 1t from Michigan who
instead cf seeking peace would ea-
deavor to have it break up without re-
suits and thus destroy the last hope of
an accommodation. From that day to
this he has been consistent in his hate
for the South, down to the utterances of
malignity and slarder that fell from
his lips only \ few hours before he was
summoned to meet his Maker. 1t is
something to his credit that, as we'll as
remember, he did not pretend to be
maguanimous or friendly 10 the South.
AS q general rule, I believe him to
have been frank and direct. believe
that he scorned concealments. In this
respect he was above playing the hyp-
ocritical part Of Blaine, Conkling, Hale,
Foster, Garfield. He spoke the earn
est language of hate and party vio-
lence, and, so far as observed, did not
run with the hare and hunt with the
hounds. He did not seem to seek the
society OF Democrats, as did many Of
his Republican colleagues. I doubt if
he ever asked a favor of them. I'm
like many of the eminent leaders of
the Republican church, Mr.. Chandler
made his money honestly, and outside
of politics. He was not a jobber. On
the contrary, his money was made in
business before he came into politics.
So far from using party to advance his
private means, it is probable that his
own purse was often largely drawn on
to supply the necessities of his party.
He figured as the chairman of the Ma
tional Republican Committee, but be-
yond giving or raising money and
signing his name to circulars and let
tiers, have reason to believe that he
did very little. His namesake, VIM.
E. Chandler, furnished the brains of
the concern. That plot that was
hatched to capture by fraud the States
of Louisiana and Florida was con-
cocted in the still hours of the election
night, long after Mr.. Zachariah Chan
dler had gone to bed, and by a brain
incomparabiy more fertile and ingeni-
Gus than his. Even the famous circu-
lar dispatch-"Hayes has 1s5 votes,
and is elected"-though bearing Mr..
Chandler's signature, was sent off
"nl1e ne was SOunn asleep.
In the Senate Mr.. Chandler's busi-
ness knowledge sometimes, but not
often, made him of use. He was not a
lawyer, but he was merchant and had
picked up good deal; but he had
nothing Of the science OF political econ
omy, and if he had read history his
speeches did not indicate it,. I doubt
if he read a book once a year on any
subject. With his early business train
ing and better moral qualities, added to
habits of study, he might have been a
useful Senator; for Lis mind was nat
urally vigorous and logical.
Mr. Chnndler's death will be mourn
ed by his family and also outside by
party associates, but he was not calcu-
lated to exert a large Influence. He
lacked the breadth OF intellect and cul-
ture to create a following. lie echoed
in loud, stalwart zones the most vio-
lent and cruel sentiments he could find
in the ranks of the party he affiliated
with, but they existed without him
and will continue to exist. The revo-
lutionary passions that began the war
and have kept it up are born of forces
and sentiments which one mans life o..